Foreword 



In devising the latiiong concept to depict bird distribution, Dave Skaar was a man of vision. 

 Were he alive today, he v\ouid be pleased to see how Aiontana Bird Distribution has flourished since the 

 second eclition appeared in 1980, three vears before his death, and he would be thrilled by the changes 

 in the Montana bird scene cluring the last twent\' years. The number of ornithologists and skilled 

 amateurs in our state has grown tremendousU', and with this increase has come a mind-boggling boom 

 in the number of bird records to process. Indeed, some 39,000 new records were incorporated into this 

 sixth etiition, versus roughly 2,000 that Skaar received between his first and second editions. With so 

 many new records, a task that was performed bv Skaar alone now takes five authors and an eight- 

 member records committee to accomplish. The benefit from this embarrassment of riches is that we 

 have a much better picture of birc^l distribution than existed previously. For example, the official state list 

 has grown by 30 species since 1980, and we now have well-documented breeding records for several 

 species (Arctic Tern, Least Tern, Northern Hawk Owl, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Black-throated Gray 

 Warbler) that did not even rate a "b" in Skaar's day. 



Clearly, our knowledge of Montana birds has grown by leaps and bounds, and the appearance 

 of the sixth edition is cause for celebration and for crediting the authors for a job well done. But the 

 ultimate success of this work rests in the hands of those who contribute the data, and I suggest that our 

 knowledge of bird distribution in the state can be even better than it is now. Without question, Montana 

 has more expert birders afield than ever before, but many of us have c^ropped the ball when it comes to 

 submitting data into the Montana Bird Distribution database. I draw this conclusion after examining 

 the online records from the area v\ith which I am most familiar: the latilongs that include the Missoula 

 and Mission \allevs. This region contains one of the highest concentrations of birders in the state. Yet, 

 the records suggest ( I ) that only two Mew Gulls occurred in the Poison area bet\veen 1996 and 2002, 

 (2) that Swainson's Hawks rareh' breed in Missoula, (3) that cormorants no longer breed at Ninepipe 

 NWR, and, most amazingly, (4) that Canada Geese and Mallards have not overwintered with certaint)' 

 in the area in the last seven years! Any active birder in western Montana knows that none of these 

 statements is true, and I strongly suspect that the same sorts of inaccuracies can be found throughout 

 the state. The problem is that many of us submit few (or none) of our records, or else we focus on rare 

 and unusual species. For Alontana Bird Distribution to fianction at its best, however, it must represent 

 as close to the truth as we know it for all species, not just for rarities. 



I'm as much to blame as anyone for this problem, and the greatest lesson I've learned from 

 reading the sixth edition is that we have to do a better job of submitting records. This statement is not 

 a criticism of A/onfjnj Bird Distribution, for it remains the most valuable source of information about 

 our state's birds. Rather, it is a plea to each of you to record as many sightings as possible when you are 

 in the field, and then submit them to Montana Bird Distribution on a regular basis. When the seventh 

 edition appears five years from now, let us hope that the number of contributors of 500 or more records 

 will have grown to more than 100 people, and that you and I are among them. 



Jeff Marks 



Director of Bird Conservation 



Montana Audubon 



