The Recovery Process: Bird Use In A Restored Riparian Corridor, Southwest Montana

One century after mine waste left Silver Bow Creek and its floodplain contaminated and acidic, the State of Montana remediated and restored it at the turn of the 21st century. While limited bird use occurred before remediation, birds in abundance quickly repopulated following the work. The restored habitat mosaic includes open water, wetlands, shrub-steppe, steppe, meadows, and tall shrubs. Other important habitat components for birds include food, perching sites for passerines, and thermal and security cover for all species. Migrations and the larger landscape, of which the stream-riparian zone is but one part, also influences riparian bird use