Christmas in Montana

Woke up this morning to a heavy fog, and hoar frost that coated everything in thick coat of ice crystals. At around 10:00 am I headed down to Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge to take photos and do a little birding.

As I approached the refuge the sun broke through the clouds, creating an almost spring-like day. I say almost, because even though it was sunny, the temperature was still only a brisk 40 degrees. I noticed a Great Blue Heron in the cow pasture alongside the road and stopped to get a picture, but it flew off as I approached (they are such skittish creatures!) Just inside the refuge I parked my rig and headed into the woods to walk along the river, and several Mallards fed in an open channel near the trailhead. Along the path to the river I was met by several curious Black-capped Chickadees and one very cooperative Red-breasted Nuthatch.

A Hairy Woodpecker and several Northern Flickers greeted my a few hundred yards further down the trail, and across the river a Bald Eagle flew by and landed in a large cottonwood tree.

After I returned to my vehicle I drove down to the levee between the two main ponds, the larger of which was completely frozen over. The smaller one to the north however, was still mostly open and occupied by a fair sized flock of Canada Geese, several Killdeer and Green-winged Teals, A male and female Common Goldeneye, a Lesser Scaup, a Ring-necked Duck and a solitary Pintail.

In the open fields bordering the marsh, numerous Rough-legged, Red-tailed and Sharp-shinned Hawks, along with two Northern Harriers hunted mice and voles; sometimes hovering high overhead to spot their quarry, and sometimes swooping down and flying low over the tall grass.

I stayed almost two hours, taking photos and trying to identify passerines without the aid of my trusty field guide, which had been left on the table next to the front door. All in all, not a bad day of birding for the middle of winter!

As I headed for home, the clouds once again rolled in and enveloped the snow covered Bitterroot Mountains, reminding me that it was indeed, still winter. By 7:00 this evening the wind kicked up and the fog once again rolled quietly in, wrapping us in an icy blanket.

12:20 pm on Christmas Eve. Overcast, light snow, cold and windy. I bundled up to brave the cold and took a walk on the trail along the creek early this afternoon, and there were no signs of life anywhere. No deer, no birds, not even any fresh tracks in the snow. Even the creek was quiet, locked into its frozen prison once again. The only sound was my footsteps in the crusty snow.

The silence was short lived however, for as I returned home and approached the steps of my back door, I heard a loud crack and looked up to see a white-tail buck crashing through the brush in the cottonwoods, headed in my direction at a high rate of speed. Angered that a neighboring dog was loose and running the poor critter, I watched as it exited the trees. To my great surprise, it was not a dog that was chasing the deer, but a mountain lion! Once the buck cleared the trees there was no chance of the cat catching it, and it stopped to watch its Christmas feast disappear over a fence and across the open fields. It was panting heavily and short puffs of steam escaped its mouth into the frosty air. It was quite a large animal - long, sleek and muscular. As it turned to head back into the trees it spotted me, and for a few brief moments we stared at each other in mutual surprise and amazement, its gold eyes piercing into my soul, almost hypnotizing me with both fear and awe. It let out a low, frustrated growl and faded back into the woods.

It was a perfect opportunity for a photo of this elusive creature, and as the cat disappeared into the trees I became suddenly aware that I had been standing there with camera in hand the entire time, but had been so awestruck by this entire scene that it hadn't even occurred to me to attempt any photos. So the image is forever etched into my mind, to be seen only be me.

I've seen plenty of the cat's tracks in the cottonwood bottom this time of year, but have never actually seen it. While they are primarily nocturnal, they must hunt when the game is available, which means they must also be active in daylight hours if need be. This was my first sighting of one of these magnificent creatures, and as I went inside I considered myself fortunate to have been able to see it so close - hopefully as close as I'll ever get to one,especially one that's so hungry...