Is It Spring Yet?

Wow, what CRAZY weather we've been having! From a very heavy snow pack this winter; to about four days of spring-like weather; to high wind, rain, more snow, and flooding. Ahhh, springtime in the Rockies!

Aong the river, the chokecherry trees were in full bloom, until a strong windstorm blew all of the flowers off of the trees, meaning we may not have much in the way of chokecherries this year.

The spring runoff is in full swing, and pushing the capacity of the rivers to the max. Flood stage was reached the middle of last week, and there is no relief in sight. Any warmer weather will cause more snow melt into the already over-swollen waterways, and if it the snow isn't melting it's raining, which is adding more snow in the higher elevations. And even though we're not seeing nearly the devastation that has been occurring in the midwest and south, this is the highest water recorded here in over 40 years.

I walked along the river downtown yesterday; the river has completely engulfed all of the small islands near the Higgins Street Bridge, and all you can see are the tops of the trees. On the pedestrian bridge beneath the Madison Street Bridge, the water is roaring around the abutments and creating some massive wave action on the river, along with some wind gusts of around 20 to 25 miles per hour over the surface of the water. In comparison, there was only a light breeze on the trail alongside the river. And on top of that, there are winter storm warnings in the mountain passes! And June is only two days away. At this rate, autumn will be here before summer...

Closer to home, the Kelly Island Fishing Access about two miles from my house is also closed due to flooding. Not to worry though, as I live on a bench. If MY house floods, someone had better be buidling an ark!

On the flip side, at the Prairie Garden there are blooms everywhere. The Balsamroot has peaked and will most likely be fading soon; the Larkspur, Biscuitroot, Lupine, Long-stemmed Avens and Oregon Grape are going strong. The Yarrow will be blooming soon and the Prickly Pear has buds all over, just waiting to explode with color!

As I was taking photos of the wildflowers, I caught the movement of something large overhead, and looked up to see a Great Blue Heron swooping in, not ten feet over my head! It landed only about 30 feet away, along the bank of a small canal. As we both stood there taking stock of each other, I very slowly closed the distance between us by almost half, taking photos as I went. I was thankful for the adjustable LCD screen on the camera that allowed me to photograph the bird without actually looking at it. I snapped off several photos then turned and walked away, leaving the Heron to go about it's business. But what a treat to be able to get so close to a creature that is normally to skittish to approach.

On the way home I went over Blue Mountain to get more wildflower photos. The white Death Camas is in full bloom, along with the remaining Shooting Stars, Bluebells, Arnica and Yarrow.

Stopped at the river access on Kona Ranch Road. The boat ramp there is flooded and all of the little trees that have been protected from the deer by wire cages are half submerged in the rising water. The river itself in fact, is only about six to eight feet from the underside of the bridge!

I walked along the river, trying to get at least one photo of the elusive Spotted Sandpipers - who were not cooperating at all. I did manage one decent shot from quite a distance away.

I also saw an Osprey flying overhead with a fistfull of sticks, and was tickled to watch it land on the old, original nesting platform and arrange the sticks there. I watched the original pair of Osprey build their nest there over 20 years ago, and every year after that, until they quit returning about four years ago. The nest had been abandoned and the sticks "recycled" by three other pair of the birds nesting nearby. After all, why go out and burn up energy looking for good nesting sticks when there's a readily available supply, there for the taking?

Spring Saturday

WINDY today! But very pleasant temperatures and lots of blue sky. The creek is running high and fast, and it will go higher before it starts to go back down. As a stood on the bridge a tree floated downstream... looking perhaps like it had only recently been taken down by the strong currants.

And speaking of currants, the Golden Current bushes are blooming profusely, meaning that before too long there could be a good supply of sweet, juicy berries - if the birds, deer and bears don't beat me to them. The Hawthorns are getting ready to set out their sweet-smelling flowers, and the Serviceberry trees are in full bloom. Balsam Root is sprouting up and will soon be turning every hillside bright yellow with its beautify sunflower-like blossoms. The Blue Flax is beginning to appear as well, and I expect to see the petite purple flowers withing the next week or two.

Not much in the way of birds this morning. A few Magpies, Chickadees and Flickers; a single Lewis' Woodpecker; a few Tree Swallows; a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds in a courtship display; and a pair of Western Bluebirds who kept toying with my attempts for a photo or two.

The Cottonwood bottom along the creek is almost completely isolated, surrounded by rising water that has trickled in from the slough at the east end of the meadow, and backed up all the way to the bridge. The water is the highest I've seen it in nine years, but then again we did have a pretty heavy snowfall this past winter, so I shouldn't be too surprised. My "hidden beach" is completely submerged, and on the opposite bank, a pair of Canada geese are resting with their eight fuzzy goslings.

On my way back I stopped to get some photos of the bison pastured nearby. One cow wallowed in a dust bath, sending a flurry of tiny dust particles into the gusty wind. There was a bumper crop of calves this year - they are everywhere, bucking and racing each other across the pasture.

I also detoured for a hike up Blue Mountain to look for spring wildflowers. Here the Balsamroot is still only just producing leaves and has not begun to bloom yet, while the Pasque Flowers are almost past their bloom and are nearly spent. In both the short grass prairie and the open pine forest are Larkspur, Biscuit Root, Death Camas, Yellow Bells, Bluebells, Kitten Tails, Shooting Stars, Long-stemmed Avens, and a few I have yet to identify. Most are at the beginning of their bloom and I expect that by this time next week the meadow will be full of flowers.

Rain and thunderstorms in the forecast for early next week. :(

Back to Metcalf

On Wednesday, May 11, 2011, I decided that after making the trip down to Lee Metcalf Wildife Refuge last Saturday afternoon, I decided I just had to go back for some early morning photos as well. So today I set my alarm for the unGodly hour of 4:00 (yes, that's AM), and after hitting the snooze button half a dozen times I dragged myself out of bed and into my clothes. By 5:15 I was on the road, wondering why in the world I talked myself into doing this. I didn't have to wonder for long...

By the time I reached the refuge dawn was well on it's way, and a thick fog had settled in pockets above and among the wetland. As I headed toward the ponds several White-tail Deer greeted me along the road, but were not up to posing for photos and they all darted away into the mist. A single young buck stopped to look back and I quickly snapped his photo, and then he too was gone.

The early morning fog and mist on the pond was dramatic indeed! It was thick enough in places to obscure anything that may have been in camera range, but I could hear what seemed like hundreds of Pheasants, Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Canada Geese and numerous other waterfowl that I have yet to identify. As I was walking along the levy between the ponds, a flurry of movement caught my eye and I instinctively reached for my camera. Not quite certain what I was looking at, I snapped some photos, hoping something would turn out. What I ended up with was an image of a Bald Eagle being chased by a Red-winged Blackbird!

I managed a number of shots of the cattails, backlit by the every brightening sky, and then the sun came up and created an even more dramatic scenery.

I spent a few hours there at the ponds, trying in vain to capture photos of the small "puddle ducks" that swan just out of range of my camera's seemingly inefficient zoom lens. But what it lacked in telephoto it more than made up for in panorama of the breathtaking scenery all around me. Had I been using film I believe I would have gone through a dozen rolls in the first two hours alone!

Shortly after the sun came up the fog began to burn off, leaving me with an incredibly blue sky and an urge to discover more areas of the refuge I had not yet explored. I headed up the east side nature trail, a three mile round trip, part of which was uphill to an overlook of the entire wetland area. What a spectacular view with the Bitterroot Mountains in the background!

My "few hours" at Metcalf turned into an entire day (eight and a half hours to be exact), and my last effort before heading home was to capture a photo of a Sandhill Crane that had landed near the road. It was a bit difficult to photograph it among the reeds and cattails, but I did manage a few shots.

I then headed home with 383 photos locked up in the memory card, and a fully productive photographic day!

Good Birding!

While yesterday morning was cool and cloudy, by early afternoon the clouds had dissipated and the day turned out to be as beautiful a spring day as we've ever had. I headed down to Metcalf WIldlife Refuge to do some birding (and when I arrived realized that I'd forgotten my binoculars...) But I did have the trusty camera, and spent several hours walking, photographing and just enjoying the day.

Just outside the refuge boundary, I collected some cattail fluff for the tipi. I need more, so I'll have to ask if I can collect on the refuge where it's more accessible. Also could use some teasel!

I stopped at the trailhead that led through a mature stand of cottonwoods, and alongside a wide stream. Walked out about a mile or so, then turned around and headed back. There are small white flowers that I thought might be either Showy Daisy or Fleabane, but couldn't tell which (if either). I caught a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye, and looked to find a White-breasted Nuthatch had landed on a log about eight feet away! It sat looking at me for a minute or two, then hopped to the end of the log and in typical nuthatch fashion, worked its way head first, down the cut edge of the log. I got some great photos of it.

A Bufflehead swam in from a side channel, and I hid behind a fence so as not to scare it off.

Next stop was along the grain field to try and get photos of a Great Blue Heron that was hunting voles. I did watch it snag a few tasty tidbits, but again I was too far away. Further on down the road was a large fresh water pond and marsh. The Coots, or Mudhens, were the majority on the pond, but there was also a small raft of about 15 Red-Necked Grebes, two of which were making a feeble attempt at a courtship "dance" by running across the water. They may have been immatures because they appeared pretty clumsy at it.

There were a few Red-head Ducks, some Mallards, and what appeared to be Ruddy Ducks, although I was not able to get a positive ID on them - again, they may be immatures.

The Red-winged Blackbirds were everywhere, darting about in the cattails. The females look like large sparrows but have a little bit of red on their wings. There were also quite a few Yellow-headed blackbirds, who prefer the water's edge, unlike the Red-winged, which will also occupy pastures and thickets, as long as there is water nearby.

Drove slowly around the pond, stopping to get photos, then turned and headed back. At the far end there was a Muskrat in the shallow water, nibbling on reeds. In the distance dark clouds started rolling in, but the sun still shone on the snow capped peaks of the Bitterroot Mountains. The low light made for some dramatic pictures and I took several.

I headed home at around 6:30 or so, and as I drove out of the refuge, a Red-tail Hawk perched on a fence post just ahead of me. When I stopped to photograph it, it flew off the post. I quickly pressed the shutter and hoped I got something...

I was so pleased with the great photos I was able to get, and feeling pretty happy to be able to spend the afternoon outside. It was a good day!

Welcome Spring! (finally)

Even though this morning is was overcast and drizzly, it wasn't all that cold and there were small patches of blue sky and intermittent sunshine that beckoned me out onto the trail.

Signs of Spring are everywhere! The Cottonwoods, Alder, Willow and Dogwood are sprounting leaves; the Hawthorn is forming flower buds and the Golden Currant are already blooming, and the Yellowbells and Shooting Stars are abundant in the short grass meadow.

Meadowlarks sing loudly from (it seems), every treetop and fence post. Chickadees and Nuthatches call noisily as the scour the tree limbs for buds and grubs. The pair of Bluebirds are nesting and the male takes on entire flocks of Starlings that stop at the puddle beneath the birdhouse for a drink and a bath. Mallards are sitting on eggs and Tree Swallows have finally returned enmasse, darting about after the newly hatched flying insects. A Vireo touts its bubbling melody from a nearby tree and a single Lewis' Woodpecker is perched in the old, dead snag at the edge of the woods.

The creek is running high and fast, and as I stand on the bridge a mink swims beneath me in the shallow water near the bank, then scrambles onto a log only to disappear into another channel of water; it's musky, skunk-like smell lingering long after. A pair of Canada Geese land on the gravel bar not far away and honk angrily at me. They only stop after I head away from them and across the creek.

I spent four hours wandering. I was feeling tired when I started out but the fresh air, along with all of the sights, sounds and smells of the woods refreshed me more than I could have imagined.