Custer Country Southeastern Montana Birding Trail 10-15:

11. Terry Badlands Wilderness Study Area
12. Makoshika State Park
13. Medicine Rocks State Park
14. McNab Pond
15. Black's Pond

TERRY BADLANDS WILDERNESS STUDY AREA

GENERAL INFORMATION:  The Terry Badlands Wilderness Study Area has a triangular shape, measuring about 10 miles wide at the base adjacent to the Yellowstone River and 8 miles long from the river to the area’s northwest corner. The badlands exhibit soft marine and non-marine sedimentary rock which has been eroded by eons of wind and water into arches, bridges, flat tabletops, pinnacles, spires and scoria escarpments. Landforms reach up to 2,900 feet in elevation in some areas.

HABITAT:    Coulee bottoms and higher benches feature dense mats of short-grass prairie blue gamma, needle grass, and wheat grass. Ponderosa pine and juniper adorn higher benches. A rare eastern-occurring stand of limber pine grows on 800 acres of rimrock in the northern edge of the wilderness study area. 

SPECIES:  Downy and Hairy woodpecker, Cliff swallow, Blue jay, Steller’s jay, Mountain bluebird, Black-capped chickadee, White-breasted nuthatch, Common yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted chat, Spotted towhee, American goldfinch and Lark Sparrow. Raptor species include: Bald and Golden eagle, Prairie falcon, Cooper’s hawk, American kestrel, Red-tailed hawk, Turkey vulture, Burrowing owl, Long-eared owl and Great horned owl. Sage and Sharptail grouse inhabit the lower elevation grass and sagebrush flats.

BEST VIEWING SEASON:  May through October.

FACILITIES:  Overnight camping is allowed; no facilities provided. Roads are unimproved and impassable when wet. This is a “Pack In, Pack Out” area and all garbage must be removed. Be mindful of seasonal and area fire restrictions. Nearest medical help is in Terry.

CONTACT:  Bureau of Land Management, Miles City Field Office, 111 Garryowen Road, Miles City, MT 59301. Call  406-233-2800

DIRECTIONS:  Take the Terry exit off I-94 for 3 miles. Follow “The Big Sky Backcountry Byway” Highway 235 to the Terry Scenic Overview road sign on your left, and follow the westbound dirt road.

MAKOSHIKA STATE PARK

GENERAL INFORMATION:  Bird lists for Makoshika State Park indicate 200+ bird species having been observed in the park, either as permanent residents or as transient and migratory species.  During a 3-day 1982 terrestrial wildlife resource evaluation, 60 species of birds were observed, ranging from riparian to badlands habitat species.  Of those, 16 species were identified as species of special interest or concern.

HABITAT:    11,531 acres of badlands – habitat types include dissected sedimentary plains; bare, exposed clay, shale and sandstone outcrops; grassland mesas; forested hillsides on northern exposures; and lower coulees with seasonal water. 

SPECIES:  The most significant is the Turkey vulture.  Other species include the Mountain bluebird, Northern flicker, Western meadowlark, Horned lark, Rock wren, and numerous sparrow species.  Birds of prey include American kestrel, Merlin, Prairie falcon, Red-tailed hawk, Cooper’s hawk, Northern harrier, Great horned owl, Short-eared owl, Swainson’s hawk, Rough-legged hawk, Ferruginous hawk, and Golden and Bald eagle.

BEST VIEWING SEASON:  May through August

FACILITIES:  Interpretive center, gift shop, restrooms, group use facilities, amphitheater, camping, hiking trails, special events and activities.

CONTACT:  Makoshika State Park, 1301 Snyder Avenue, P.O. Box 1242, Glendive, MT  59330. Call 406-377-6256       www.makoshika.org

DIRECTIONS:  From I-94 Exit 215, head south on Merrill Avenue and turn left under the railroad underpass.  Proceed to Taylor, then turn right to Snyder Avenue; turn left on Snyder Avenue to the park.

MEDICINE ROCKS STATE PARK

GENERAL INFORMATION:  Medicine Rocks State Park consists of large sandstone buttes rising above rolling prairie, tall lush grass and wildflowers in early spring.  The sandstone rocks are a result of sediment from an ancient stream bed and now are pockmarked by erosion.  Early-day Native Americans came to practice “Big Medicine” in this place they thought hauntingly beautiful and considered to be sacred – hence the name Medicine Rocks. During the 1800s, Theodore Roosevelt camped, carved his name on a rock, and wrote in his journal, “altogether it was as fantastically beautiful a place as I have ever seen.”

HABITAT: Sandstone cliffs with extensive rock cavities, buttes, ponderosa pine, and rolling mixed grass prairie with tall grass prairie remnants. 

SPECIES:  Western meadowlark, Sage and Sharptail grouse, Rock wren, Killdeer, Golden and Bald eagle, Mountain bluebird, Song sparrow, American robin, Red-tailed hawk, Great horned owl, Downy woodpecker, and Red-winged blackbird.

BEST VIEWING SEASON:  Spring, summer, and fall during migration.

FACILITIES:  Camp sites, excellent water from well at entrance, picnic tables, camp stoves, outdoor toilets.

CONTACT:  Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 1420 Sixth Avenue, Helena, Mt. 59620

DIRECTIONS:  Off State Highway 7, 25 miles south of Baker and 10 miles north of Ekalaka. Turn-off is clearly marked and park is very close to the road.

McNab Pond

GENERAL INFORMATION:  This pond is located in a pristine scenic area surrounded on two sides by pine trees and hills, and on the other sides by deciduous trees and berry bushes.

HABITAT:    Water, ponderosa pine, chokecherry, big sage, tall grasses, and deciduous trees.

SPECIES:  Mallard, Canada geese, Eared grebe, Western meadowlark, Mountain bluebird, Long-billed wren, Killdeer, American robin, Burrowing and Great horned owl, Lark and White-crowned sparrow, Red-tailed hawk, Golden and Bald eagle, Sage grouse, Merriam’s turkey, Downy woodpecker, Long-billed curlew, Black-capped chickadee, and Western tanager.

BEST VIEWING SEASON:  May through September

FACILITIES:  Campsites, fire rings, public restrooms, trout fishing. 

CONTACT:  U. S. Forest Service, P.O. Box 37, Camp Crook, SD 57724. Call 605-797-4432

Directions: In Ekalaka Hills, take Montana Highway 323 and go 8 miles southeast of Ekalaka, turn left at Prairie Dale Road and take the first left on gravel road.  Drive approximately 1 mile to the pond.  Gravel roads may be impassable when wet.

BLACK’S POND

GENERAL INFORMATION:  This area was originally Black’s Sawmill Pond.  In 1989, cooperative efforts between the Forest Service and Ducks Unlimited resulted in construction of a dam and a resultant increase in the size of the pond.  This area is along the Black’s Pond Watchable Wildlife Route.

HABITAT:    Man-made pond, beaver ponds, green ash woodland draws, ponderosa pine forest, burned forest, shrub/scrub, grassland, and sagebrush. 

BEST VIEWING SEASON:  Mornings and evenings from mid-May to mid-June and early September through October.

FACILITIES:  Parking, picnic area, outhouse, camping.

CONTACT:  Ashland Ranger District – 406-784-2344

DIRECTIONS:  On US Hwy 212, travel to  Otter Creek Road (County Road 484, 5 miles east of Ashland, turn south and go 20 miles to Cow Creek Road (Forest Road 4095).  Turn right/west and travel 6.5 miles to Forest Road 4131.  Go right/north on this road for 3 miles, then continue on Stocker Branch Road (Forest Road 4021) to Black’s Pond.