Flathead Audubon Freezeout Lake trip March 28-29

Come along on Flathead Audubon’s annual visit to the Freezout Lake Wildlife Management area south of Choteau on Saturday and Sunday, March 28 and 29. 

There is nothing quite like the spectacle of 100,000 Snow Geese swirling against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.  Freezout Lake is where Snow Geese stop to rest and refuel as they fly from their central California wintering grounds to their Arctic nesting areas.  Thousands of other waterfowl are also seen. 

Trip leader Bob Lee will meet participants at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the K-Mart parking lot on the corner of US Highway 2 and Montana Highway 35 in Kalispell. 

Participants will caravan/carpool to Choteau, arriving in time for the afternoon “fly-out” of the geese.  After dinner and a night in Choteau, birders will head back out on Sunday before daybreak to watch the “mass ascension” of the geese from Freezout ponds.  After the morning’s birding, birders will head home in the early afternoon, arriving in Kalispell around 5 p.m. on Sunday. 

Lee will provide a suggested schedule and route and will be in front of the group, but attendees may choose to follow the geese as much or as little as they, the weather and the birds allow.  Please make your own arrangements for lodging; primitive camping is available at Freezout WMA.  Hotel options include the Big Sky (466-5318), the Stage Stop Inn (888-466-5900), Bella Vista (406-466-5711), and Gunther (406-466-5444).  For more information, contact Bob Lee at 270-0371 or rml3@centurytel.net.