First Snow

Winter arrived early this year when we woke up yesterday to two inches of snow on the ground!  And just when we were finally catching our breath from the heat and smoke of summer...

The trail to the creek is both littered with leaves and dusted with snow, a space caught between seasons. Autumn hasn't even had time to complete its cycle and winter is already creeping in!

On my way down near the creek this little White-tail buck crossed my path.  With the rut just beginning, he was feeling pretty bold and stood there stomping his feet at me as I approached slowly.  But he decided that it was best for him to move on, and he did - circling back on me once - then moving on, but slowly and stopping often to look back at me.  I wasn't sure if he thought of me as a challenger or a suitor!   

The light dusting of snow didn't leave a "winter wonderland", but it is pretty nonetheless.  Frosting the still bright colors of autumn only adds to the beauty of it all.

It will be short-lived however, as the temperatures are forecast to get up into the low 40s today, which will melt all of the snow and leave a very nice batch of MUD.   This is the time of year to have towel hanging by the back door now, so the dogs won't track muddy pawprints into the house...

And while most people are beginning to store away their camera gear for the winter, I begin chomping at the bit. The flocking on the trees, hoar frost on fences and animal tracks in the snow make winter photography both challenging and interesting.  I think winter is the BEST time for photography!

Fall is in the Air, Along with all of the Smoke!

Well I suppose I have to eat my words (see post of May 26), as this is definitely the worst fire season we’ve had in my memory. While in other years the fires themselves may have been worse, at least we didn’t have smoke lingering in the valley – and our lungs – for weeks at a time. Montana now has eight fires burning, but Idaho holds the title with eleven, most in the northern panhandle. There are currently 35 fires burning in the northwest (including Alaska), and the number of fires that have been contained so far? ONE…    

                                                 

It’s been five weeks since the fires started; we’ve had the smoke hanging over us for at least a month, and quite frankly I’m really getting sick and tired of it. The smell of smoke is everywhere, in everything, It makes me cough and sneeze like crazy, my eyes itch, my sinuses are hurting, and I wake up every morning with a headach.  I'm faring (so far), better than some, many people are getting quite ill from it. 

I do have to admit however, that it does make for some amazing photos...

I did venture out at around 11:00, only because it makes me even crazier to be cooped up inside. There was actually some blue sky out there! First we’ve seen in weeks. Wandered down to the creek just to take in the sounds of the woods. There were only a couple of chickadees out and about, a doe with a fawn and one lone pine squirrel. The creek however, was reliable with its song, and I sat on a log to enjoy its comforting babble.

The squirrel was quite active and I watched as it scrambled about on some downed tree limbs, deftly scurrying under and over each fallen branch and rustling through piles of leaves as it searched for what was apparently its larder, for it soon popped up with a chunk of a mushroom almost as big as the squirrel itself. After a few quick nibbles it scooped up the tasty treat in its teeth and hurried off to a small pine tree to enjoy a feast.

A flock of about 30 turkeys also made an appearance, gobbling up grasshoppers and seeds, then wandering off into the cottonwoods for the afternoon.

In spite of all the smoke, autumn is sauntering in… The dogwood leaves are changing to a dark, rich rust color, and its bright white berries are beginning to form. A few willows along the creek have spots of yellow, but the cottonwoods are only barely beginning to turn. While the days are getting shorter and the sunlight less, we’ve just not yet had any freezing temperatures to encourage the trees to begin shutting down for the winter. But they’re on their way!!

Where Did the Mountains Go?

We’ve been tolerating smoke from surrounding forest fires for weeks now, but never so much as the past couple of days. It cloaks the surrounding mountains and the smell permeates everything. Lungs labor to breathe, eyes itch and water, throats go dry and scratchy. Even the animals are coughing and sneezing. There is a constant, eerie haze that blocks out most of the sun, and even though the temperatures are finally tolerable, most folks stay inside because any activity causes respiratory stress. I wake up in the morning to the smell of it and go to bed at night feeling like I'm surrounded by one giant campfire.


These two photos were taken from the exact same spot along the river just outside of town. The first was taken earlier this summer, and the second taken just today. No color enhancements have been made - the air really is brown right now...

Just about this time of year we start getting light dustings of snow high in the surrounding mountains, cooler daytime temperatures and noticeably colder weather at night. This seemingly drastic change helps to calm the forest fires and brings much needed relief to the fire fighters. This year however - particularly this week, the temps are in the high 70s to mid 80s, and only down to the mid 40s to low 50s at night. They say we're not going to see any improvement in the air quality until (quite possibly) mid October! So we have three to four more weeks of this mess. The best we can do to tolerate it is to keep from doing any escessive outdoor activities. Keeping the smoke out of the house is near impossible, it creeps in from everywhere.


The only (somewhat) positive note in all of this is that at least these fires, for the most part, are not close by. While there is one fire about 50 miles south of us, most of them are in neighboring states, Idaho and Washington to be exact. On the down side, most of the air currents from both of these states move east off the ocean - right into western Montana.

The entire area is relatively quiet. Drove onto Blue Mountain this afternoon, and where there is usually a large crowd of hikers, dog walkers, folf players and the like – I had the entire mountain pretty much to myself. In a way it was nice, but the fact that all of the smoke makes it difficult to breathe, I chose not to stay and headed home after a couple of photos of the surrounding mountains – or lack thereof.

There seems to be a trend in the past decade or so, that we have these nasty forest fires every three years. 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2012 were all bad fire years. Sure would be interesting to know what's causing this pattern.

"Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"

For the past couple of months now, there have been forest fires raging all around us – yes, history does repeat itself! (refer to post of May 26). While Montana has fared reasonably well in regard to fires (only three fires of 20,000 acres or less and several under 500 acres), Idaho has suffered terribly. A large fire near Boise and eight in the Nez Perce National Forest (across the northern panhandle); have raged out of control for weeks. The one in Boise is 145,000 acres and only 60% contained, and the fires in the northern part of the state comprise over 50,000 acres and are in such steep and rugged mountains that it would be too dangerous for the smokejumpers. All they can do is try to maintain it with water and slurry drops, and hope it will soon burn itself out. What we need is several days of solid, soaking rain with no lightning to settle this mess, but there is not a drop in sight. Oregon too, has almost 100,000 acres on fire at the moment.

The smoke from these fires has been filtering into our valley for a few weeks now, some days worse than others. The wind, when we have it, usually blows the smoke away. But today, it all blew into the valley instead. There is an eerie, yellowish haze to the sky, and the mountains are practically invisible. This evening as the sun headed downward into the western sky, it took on a myriad of colors, from orange to red, to bright salmon pink. There is even an occasional light downfall of ash, somewhat reminiscent of Mt. St. Helen’s, although not nearly in the same capacity. The smoke burns my eyes and wreaks havoc with my allergies. The smell of smoke is everywhere, on everything, and embedded into my brain.

In spite of the smoke and haze, we adapt as best we can and life goes on. Went down to the river at Council Grove today, to observe the changing of the season. Now that school has started, there are far less people there and I’m able to sit and watch the goings on uninterrupted by noise and human intrusion.

The young flickers and Lewis’ Woodpeckers were as active as I’ve ever seen them. The Lewis’ do migrate, so it’s understandable that they would be feeding heavily to prepare for their long flight ahead. But the flickers are here year ‘round. Maybe they’re stuffing themselves in preparation of a long winter… At least they’re stuffing themselves on fat grasshoppers and ants. Only one of the three Osprey chicks are left in the nest, high above the river, its parents having flown south weeks ago. It sure sounded lonely up there in the nest, chirping away with no one left to answer. In another week or so I imagine it will be joining the rest of its family on their southbound journey. The magpies are returning from the higher elevations and the geese are beginning to form large flocks.

It’s getting colder at night, and the forecast for this Tuesday night is 33 degrees! Guess maybe it’s time to start closing some windows at night? Time to relight the furnace too! I so hate letting go of summer, it never seems to last nearly long enough. This year we went from continuous rain to 95+ degrees daily, with no pleasant, comfy, breezy mid-range summer weather. It was like going from a rain forest to Death Valley…

The tomato plants are beginning to turn yellow, even with plenty of water, and there is still plenty of unripe fruit left on them. Some are slowly ripening but many are not going to. But they won't go to waste - I can just hear those slices of fried green tomatoes, sizzling away in the skillet!

A Day at the Pond

Frenchtown Pond started out as a swimming hole, located just off of the frontage road alongside Interstate 90, but was turned into a state park some years back. State ownership has its good and bad points; can't swim our dogs there anymore, but it is very well maintained with a nice dock, and a pleasant place to spend a day. It's been well stocked with fish as far back as I remember, but not sure if they're there naturally or if they were "planted". Either way it makes for a nice morning of drowning worms...

This morning I headed out there before sunrise, to catch the early morning light, and I was not disappointed. As the sun rose, I realized that I had never really noticed before, that the clouds seem to cast shadows on the sky above.

The water was as still as stagnant summer air, save only for the occasional splash and ripple of a fish as it fed on insects that landed on the water's glassy surface. A solitary heron and its mirrored reflection stood frozen in the shallow water in anticipation of a morning meal. In the cottonwoods and willows that lined the banks, magpies, grackles and warblers greeted the sun with an avian chorus, while red-winged blackbirds called from the cattails below, and dragonflies darted in and out among the reeds. An osprey circled the pond, landing in the top of a small cottonwood at the far end, and a family of nine Canada geese grazed at the edge of the pond and then suddenly took to the air, noisily announcing their flight. As I walked along the bank, a cluster of turtles that had been sunning themselves on a log ker-plopped into the water, scurrying along the shallow bottom and burying themselves in the mud.

I stopped at Council Grove on the way home, and was surprised to see Nodding Onions still blooming. They're not very tolerant of hot weather and I would have thought this past week's heat wave would have done them in. But there they were, in the shade of the cottonwoods alongside the river. Not a lot of activity here, as it was already the middle of the day and about 90 degrees already. Only stayed an hour before heading home to dive into the pool!

Montana Traffic Jam

Those of you living in "the big city" have most likely experienced more than a few traffic jams in your busy lives. But I have no doubt that unless you've spent some time in the country, you've never experienced the type of traffic jams we have here in Montana. I'm not talking about bumper to bumper traffic - that is of course, unless the "bumpers" are white and wooly.


Located on the northeastern edge of Missoula is Mount Jumbo, an important wildlife habitat and very popular recreation area. The mountain was being inundated with knapweed, until several years ago when a local rancher began pasturing his sheep up there during the summer months. And today was the day the sheep were moved. About 100 ewes and lambs, several Border Collies & Australian Shepherds, a couple of Great Pyrenees guard dogs, one ranch hand on horseback, and several "assistant shepherds" on bicycles made their way down a normally busy highway, across equally busy train tracks, and along some back roads and side streets. Within only a couple of hours they made their was from a few miles west of Missoula to the "North Side", past the old city cemetery, and beyond the city dump, heading for the lush, green, hillside meadows.


The animals and bicycles made for an interesting procession, followed by a truck and horse trailer to catch stragglers (sheep, not humans). Unaware motorists found themselves stopped dead in their tracks, surrounded for a few moments by the bleating (and somewhat stinky) flock of sheep.


Trying to stay ahead of them was a bit tricky. I needed to let them get close enough for decent photos, but not get caught behind them in the dust. I did manage several good photos before leaving the flock to head off to work.

What's Up With This Weather??

Not an extraordinary day today, but a good day. First thing this morning I spotted a fox along the road and quickly pulled over to get some photos. This is the same spot I photographed the fox last year, but not sure it's the same fox. Last year she really wasn't concerned in the least bit but this year the first click of the shutter startled her. Could be that she's forgotten about last year, or this could be one of her pups from last year, taking her place. Can never be certain - they all look alike to me! But she pounced on - and caught - a ground squirrel right before my eyes. Unlike last year, she didn't gobble it up in front of me, but instead hurried over the hill with it in her mouth. If she has pups they're about six to eight weeks old by now, and still needing mom to provide dinner, but most likely catching grasshoppers and mice on their own.

The Pond Lilies are in bloom - finally! I was expecting the flowers to open up more, but it doesn't appear that they do, as I noticed a couple of them already fading and not open much more than this one. There are a lot more of them now, however. And, after several weeks worth of trips to the pond, wading through a sea of tall, tick-infested grass, where did I find this one? Right alongside a paved walking path... go figure!

We've had the strangest weather this year! 80 degrees in February, then snow in March; then 91 in April, and today it is snowing in the Bitterroot Mountains. Maybe April was summer for this year. The National Weather Service says this is going to be one of the worst forest fire years in a very long time. What? Worse than 2000, or 2003, or 2006, or 2009??? I see a pattern here - every three years we have a bad fire season, so does that means that this year - 2012 - history will repeat itself?

Here Kitty, Kitty... I mean GO AWAY Kitty, Kitty!

Living in Montana, you are more likely to see wildlife than in many other places. Just about ten minutes in any direction from Missoula, you're in a National Forest. Because of this, the wildlife sometimes gets a little "disoriented" and wanders into areas they are best to stay out of. People living in the outlying areas will often find bears in their yards - attracted by gardens, orchards and bird feeders. Deer are regularly seen wandering down the main streets of town; and foxes and coyotes are not all that uncommon either. And occasionally a mountain lion will wander in.

That's exactly what happened Sunday night in my little half acre heaven. At around 3:30 or so in the morning, I heard what sounded like someone banging on the side of my house. I got up, turned off the fan, and leaned into the window screen to listen - nothing. Turned the fan back on and went back to bed. A few minutes later I heard it again and repeated the process with the same results. By now my dog was awake and wanting to go outside to potty, so I opened the back door and let her out. It was a very pleasant night and I stepped out onto the back porch in my nightshirt and bare feet, and within a few seconds heard the banging noise again. Thinking now that there was a prowler in my yard, I hurried the dog back inside and shut the door, pulling the curtain back to peek out the window.

At the back of the yard are the dog kennels, covered with a tin roof which itself is supported by a 2 x 6 post in the front. In the front of the house is a street light, and in that light I noticed a shadow moving across the face of the kennels. Completely confused by what in the world it was, I watched it move across the kennels until it transferred to the back of the neighbor's garage, which is just behind my back fence. What I saw completely unraveled me - a mountain lion was walking along my roof!!

Knowing that it had probably been sitting up there watching my dog, and possibly only a few feet over my head, I felt myself begin trembling uncontrollably. I watched its shadow stroll across to just about the end of the trailer, then stand there with its tail switching. I quickly called 911 and reported it, not knowing if they even cared, but said they would send someone out to investigate. As I waited I could hear it walking the length of my trailer, first one way and then the other. Moments before they arrived I heard it back at the other end, scraping its claws on the siding as it scrambled down onto the ground. By the time the two sheriff deputies arrived it was gone.

They drove up and spotlighted my house and I opened the front door to let them know I was still up and waiting for them. They walked up to my porch as I stepped outside and told me there was nothing up there. I told them it had jumped down and that it might still be in the backyard. They circled my entire house, and even spotlighted a couple of large spruce trees in my neighbor's yard, but did not see anything. Then one of them said what I probably saw was a house cat!! I told him that I would not hear a house cat's footsteps on my roof, nor would it cast a shadow as large as the swamp cooler. They did say that they would patrol the surrounding streets to see if they could spot it, but I never heard anything back so I'm guessing they did not.

On Monday I called Fish & Game to report it, and received a message back from them, telling me that there was usually "a lot of mountain lion activity in your area"... Well, thank you - I needed to know that. Today I received another call from a gentleman who works for Fish & Game, telling me he was a tracker and if I saw it again to call him anytime day or night and he would bring his dogs out to track it. He also said it was probably just a house cat. REALLY??? Probably thinking this is just some hysterical woman who thinks she's seeing things? Do these people think I'm so stupid that I can't tell the difference? I'd be willing to bet a year's salary that if I had been a man calling to report this, it would have been the top story on the evening news...

And by the way, I never did figure out what that banging noise was. At first I though perhaps it was using the tall, thin arborvita trees to climb onto the roof, or sharpening its claws on them. But it was already on the roof when I heard that banging noise as I was standing out on the porch. Or was it? Was it still on the ground just 15 feet away from me and jumped up onto the roof while I was standing outside? Were there two of them??? I don't think I even want to know!

The Photo Gods Are With Me

Another good photographic weekend! On Saturday I headed down to Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge for a “quick jaunt”. I really don’t know why I tell myself it will be a quick trip; it always ends up being at least four hours.

Started out on the road just outside of Stevensville, where a friend has been seeing a Snipe, although usually much later in the day. I did not see it, but did get to photograph a female Wood Duck in the exact same location I shot the male a few weeks ago. This leads me to believe they must have a nest in there somewhere.

While I was watching the Wood Duck, I heard the call of a Sandhill Crane that sounded like it was coming from back in the trees; although they prefer the open grassland or marsh. I continued on down the road, carefully scanning the open fields and cattails for any sign of a crane, when an older gentleman in a pickup truck heading the opposite direction flagged me down. He asked if I was bird watching, and when I replied that I was, he said there was a crane “down next to the old barn”. I thanked him and headed in that direction. As I approached the barn I slowed and again carefully watched for the crane. Then suddenly as I passed a row of shrubs that lined an old road to the barn, there it was – right alongside the road! It peeked out at me from behind the shrub, and I very slowly approached it (in my car). When I got to within a reasonable distance I began shooting photos. The bird cooperated fully, strolling through the grass in the bright sunshine so that I was able to get several dozen photos, before wandering away from the road toward the barn.
After I left the crane, I headed to the ponds to see what was there, and was tickled to see a small flock of Wilson’s Phalaropes at the edge of the water near the road. These are odd little birds, in the way that they feed. They spin around and around and around in one place, stirring up the water, then drill in the water like a woodpecker, snatching up whatever tiny morsels surface within their personal whirlpool. It almost made me dizzy watching them all!

Along with the Phalaropes there were Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teals, Cinnamon Teals, a Gadwall or two, and a Great Blue Heron wading through the shallow water, hunting for its dinner. I had a good vantage point and got several nice photos of the Heron until someone else drove up and stopped directly in front of it, scaring it away. It flew to the larger pond just beyond the visitor center. I pulled forward to get a good angle and continued photographing it. It crouched very low in the water, its neck stretched out and its head held sideways. In this seemingly painful position it continued its search for supper. Suddenly it began scurrying across the water – half running on its long gangly legs and half flying; flapping its wings awkwardly. As I continued shooting it shot its neck out like a spear, plunged its head into the water and came up with a perch that any respectable fisherman would have been proud to land! I ended up with a sequence of about 12 photos to document this. SCORE again!
I’ve been so fortunate the past few weekends to be able to photograph these amazing wild creatures. I think I need to leave some sort of offerings to the photo gods!

Weekend of May 12 & 13 (posted a week late)

It’s been an amazing week for me, photographically.

Last Saturday (May 12), I headed up to the National Bison Range for the opening of the road over Red Sleep Mountain – or as the locals call it, the “tourist road”.

Between Arlee and Ravalli I passed a small stock pond and noticed two birds that I initially thought were sandpipers, wading in the shallow water. it took me another quarter of a mile down the road to

realize they were Avocets and I turned around to get some photos, as they are rather irregular in their wanderings and I may never see them there again. Glad I did because upon stopping and walking down to the pond I saw that there was a whole flock of these birds and got several good shots of them. (And by the way, they were not there on my return trip home).

At the Bison Range, I started out with an early morning bird walk along a trail I never knew existed (“early” being 9:30, when most birds have settled in for their mid-day snooze), with one of the staff. While I never saw any birds that I haven’t seen before, I did learn that the small pond we started out at was home to a Sora Rail; a bird I have not seen before, and plan to go back and try to photograph. Also plan to walk that trail again, at a slower pace and possibly sit someplace and see what comes along. They told us that mountain lions are sometimes seen there – I’d sorely love to photograph one – at a safe distance!

After the walk I headed up the South Prairie Loop – the “short road” that remains open all year long. Typically if I see nothing else I will see Pronghorn here, but today the Pronghorn were either pastured elsewhere, were already resting for the day, or I just flat didn’t see them. But there were lots of bison out and about; they must have brought them in from the back pastures for opening day of the road. One of the largest bulls I’ve ever seen stood right on the side of the road next to my car, making my car look terribly small by comparison.

Back at the visitor center I noticed the bison making their way up the mountain. It was warming up considerably and they were heading over the Pauline Creek where there was lots of shade and it was much cooler for them. But these bison have learned that there is an easier way of getting over the mountain – that being by walking along the road. And so I was able to document some early morning Montana commuter traffic, as well as a Montana traffic jam; that being several vehicles interspersed among the buffalo.

I did see some Mountain Bluebirds in one of the nest boxes near the small pond, and got some fantastic shots of the male; it’s the first time I’ve ever been able to photograph one. Also got a few photos of a Gray, formerly Hungarian, Partridge right alongside the road.

The big “catch” of the day however, was when a friend who lives in the same area called to find out what I was doing, and said to stop by on my way home to take some photos of a BADGER that was denning right behind his shop. His shop is built into a slope at the back of his property, so a few of the windows are pretty much at ground level. The problem with that however, was that the auto focus on my camera was grabbing the grass in front of the badger instead of the badger itself – and she moved to fast for me to manual focus. So we stepped out the side door of his shop for an unobstructed view – only about 30 or 40 feet from the den. I made sure he left the shop door open because badgers are known for their nasty temperaments, and if she took a mind to she could be upon us in just a few seconds! I wanted a safe exit (or in this case, a safe entrance), to get out reach of both her long, sharp claws and her dangerously sharper teeth! To my relief, while she did keep an eye on us, she didn’t really pay all that much attention to us. When she left to go hunting for dinner, two of her kits came out and watched us watching them for a short time, allowing for some very nice photos! SCORE!!!

The next day (Sunday the 13), I was informed that the foxes were making their annual appearance at Fort Missoula and made plans to be out there early in the morning when they were more active. I arrived at 7:30 am and was not disappointed. There is one den out there that’s been sort of a fixture for many years now, and is known by many local photographers and wildlife watchers. This den is about 30 yards off the west side of the road; a safe distance for the kits. What I discovered however, is that there are now two dens, the other being immediately off the side of the road to the east. This closer den had four pups romping about in the grass so I pulled over and began shooting, not even needing to get out of my car. I had the best vantage point of these pups, only about 15 feet from my car. Three of the four kept a bit further away from me, but the fourth was an adventurous little soul. She sat right down, only about 10 feet from me and observed me as much as I was observing her. She picked up a small piece of paper and stared at me with it hanging out of her mouth as if to make sure I knew it was hers. Then she “killed” it, pounced on it, “killed” it again, then got bored with the entire game and started stalking a small bird in the grass. When the bird flew off she bounded up the slope to join her littermates, but got distracted by a noise in the grass. I focused the camera and got ready and sure enough, she went straight up into the air and pounced on a mouse – caught it too! She carried it back to the opening of the den and had a nice breakfast. When one of her siblings came running up, her ears when straight back and, nose to nose, she made certain it knew that was her mouse!

Just in that one spot I took around 410 photos in 45 minutes… almost an entire day's worth! It takes five times that long to go through them all and edit them.

Who's Really There?

It was a reasonably pleasant day today so I decided to treat myself to a little picnic, of sorts.  Sat outside in the sunshine and was casually eating my lunch, when I heard what sounded like the telephone ringing.  I got up to answer it but there was no one there, so I figured it was a wrong number and went back out to finish my lunch, only to hear it again.  After three trips into the house to answer the phone with the same results, I decided whomever was calling was just going to have to call back later.  Then I heard a rooster crowing, but there are no chickens near my house, and I wondered if perhaps it was lost or had been dropped off alongside the road.  I tried to follow the sound of its crowing and ended up at the foot of a power pole... When I heard it again, it seemed to be coming from above me and I looked up to see a bird perched on top of the pole -but this bird was not a rooster at all.  Instead I looked up to see a Starling, sitting on top of the pole, crowing!   

As I stook there listened, a second Starling joined him, obviously a female, judging by the dull brown plumage compared to his bright, irridescent feathers.  When the female arrived, the male went into his entire repertoir of "songs".  This single bird imitated a cat meowing, a dog barking, a cat yeowling (as if in a fight), a duck, a goose honking, a hawk, a meadowlark, a siren, my telephone (so that was the culprit), a cricket, a seagull, a ground squirrel chirping, air brakes from an 18 wheeler (don't know where that came from, he must have moved out here from the city), the sound of someone whistling for their dog, and a chicken clucking.

After doing a little bit of research, I found that the Starling is very closely related to the Myna Bird, which explains the abiltiy to imiatate so many sounds.  They are called "the poor man's myna".   While I have long grumbled about the Starling invasion in this country (they push local birds out of an area and take over nesting sites), they really are pretty birds and, as I discovered today, rather entertaining.

Is It Spring Yet?

After a long, cold, snowy winter; spring just may finally be here... maybe.

After what seemed like weeks of snow and cold, dreary days, it was a BEAUTIFUL morning on Friday! Clear blue, cloudless sky, bright warm sunshine, and a forecast of 56 degrees. Wanting to take the most advantage of this glorious day, I hurried out the door with my camera in tow and headed down to Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge.


I first stopped off at the ponds near the Florence Bridge to see if any Wood Ducks had made their way back yet. As the ponds were still quite frozen, I would have to say - very emphatically - NO...

At the refuge there wasn't much in the way of songbirds yet, nor had the Sandhill Cranes or Osprey returned, but the ducks were already well represented. The pond on the south side of the levee (the main road), was still half frozen, but the open water at the far end within the reeds and cattails, hosted a number of "puddle ducks".

In the pond on the north side of the levee were Canada Geese, Buffleheads, Goldeneye, American Wigeons, Green-Winged Teals, Coots, Pintails, Gadwals, Canvasbacks, Mallards, a few Northern Shovelers and Scaups, and a single Eurasian Wigeon.

In the visitor center I was informed that there were a number of Swans in pond number 10. Pond 10 is a two mile hike down a small path that travels atop a low bench overlooking the marsh, at times winding downhill and skirting the marsh itself along a mucky, slippery trail (and as I found, the tripod can also come in handy as a walking stick on questionable footing). At the end of this path is a small, covered pavillion and a permenet scope with which to veiw the wildlife.

I was not disappointed. Among the numerous other waterfowl were 19 swans, a mix of Trumpeters and Tundras, although still too far off for my 400mm lens (what I really need is one of those mega mm lenses that cost more than my car...) Any Secret Santas out there?



The hike back out, other than unsuccessfully trying to photograph a very elusive Belted Kingfisher, was uneventful. I spent more time at the two main ponds, then headed to the walking trail a little further down the road. As I rounded the end of the south pond, I stopped to take a few last photos of the ducks. Using your car as a blind is a great idea; it disquises your shape. To the critters you don't look like a two-legged predator, and they'll approach fairly close. As I was taking photos a Marsh Hawk (aka Northern Harrier), flew over in search of a duck dinner. It was a young one, probably only in its first year, as it did not have the steel gray plumage of an adult. It circled and hovered, then dive-bombed the ducks, who simply dropped out of sight beneath the water. I flipped my camera to auto focus and followed the hawk's movements. Trying to get photos of a bird in flight is tricky at best, but thanks to high speed settings on the camera, I did manage a few decent shots.

While the walking trail didn't offer much more in the way of photo opps than the ponds did, I did capture this Kestrel alongside the road near the trailhead.

Even in the months of almost spring, if you can accept it for what it is, there's still some beautiful scenery.

Sadly, this spring-like weather did not last long. After a two day stint, the sky is once again gray and dreary, and there is snow in the forecast for the next week. The past two days only served as a teaser for the warmer weather to come. But it won't be long now before Spring is officially, and finally upon us!

MUSH!

Ok, so they really don't say "mush"... "Hike", or "Let's go" usually does the trick. Actually, they probably don't need to say anything at all - these dogs just want to RUN!

Drove up to Lincoln, Montana yesterday for the official start of "Race to the Sky", a 350 mile dog sled race that has been held annually since 1986. It began as a sort of "fun run", commemorating Camp Rimini, a military post that was toying with the idea of using dog sleds to invade communist Russia during the cold war. The mission was eventually scrapped, but the men and women who worked there (and probably told many a story about working with these amazing dogs), and the memory of it all, lived on and on. Eventually a bunch of folks probably got together and wondered what it would be like, or bet each other that they could do it better... and Race to the Sky was born.

"Cool Dog", Race to the Sky's official mascot

When the Race to the Sky began, it was a 500 mile race that skirted the Bob Marshall Wilderness, some of western Montana's most rugged and beautiful scenery. Not too long after it was cut to 350 miles and eventually became a qualifying run for the mother of all dog sled runs, the Iditarod in Alaska.

Up until 1998, the race began in Lincoln and ended in a remote place called Gold Creek, west of the Divide. From 1994 - 1998 I was the Finish Line Coordinator. This job entailed checking in mushers as they crossed the finish line, and making sure they finished the race with all of the required equipment (axe, dog food, dog booties, sleeping bag, cooking utensils, etc.), counting the number of dogs they finished with (they are allowed to drop dogs along the way for various reasons), and entering their finishing time onto a stat sheet. Since most of the mushers prefer to run at night (it's easier on the dogs), you can imagine that I did not get much sleep for the three days and two nights I was there. I camped out in the back of my SUV, which you might think would be far too cold, but with a small air mattress, down sleeping bag, and my own two dogs in there distributing lots of body heat, it was actually pretty comfy. And the finish line location was in a small grove of pine and fir trees that handily blocked most of whatever wind might kick up. At night we would all sit around the fire, and the more experienced mushers would tell stories about running the Iditarod, the Beargrease 500, and other less known races around the US and Canada. We'd all turn in around 2:00 am, but... just as I would begin to sleep soundly, there would be a tap on the window, and a very cold and tired musher needing to be checked in. That was my life for three day each February for five years.

In 1999 the finish line was moved back to Lincoln, and the folks who own the High Country Beef Jerky factory offered their large parking lot as a starting and ending spot for the race - and also provided a very nice log archway to act as the official starting and finish line. This is where the race has been held ever since. Living 50 miles away made it difficult for me to recruit volunteers - most didn't want to drive that far and I didn't know anyone in the Lincoln area so I relinquished my job to someone local and became a spectator. I relish my experience and the commraderie I found with these people.

As the mushers arrive in preparation for the race, dog trucks are surrounded by a thick layer of straw and dogs are removed one by one, chained to the trucks and bedded down in the straw. To see a pickup truck surrounded by 12 to 16 dogs is an interesting sight on its own. Most are pretty friendly and spectators are welcome to visit and pet them. Some prefer to be left alone, and are not shy about telling you so. Sleds are pulled off of roof racks and out of trailers, bolts are tightened, runners waxed, brakes checked, and all required equipment is loaded into the sled bags. The mushers then meet with officials to review the rules and trail conditions, and final preparations are completed.

Spectators begin to converge at the starting line, picking out what they consider to be the "best" vantage point for observation and photo opps. As the dogs are harnessed, the excitement grows - they know they are going to run and a raucus chorus of whines, barks and howls begins. These dogs are bred to run, and they do it well. The teams are sent out at three minute intervals, and as the countdown for each team begins, the canine chorus grows into a deafening roar, and the dogs begin to jump about and lunge into their harnesses, held back by the mushers' assistants and a sturdy anchor at the rear of the sled. On the starter's signal the dogs are released and explode down the trail in a surprising burst of speed and strength. Within a mile or so they settle into their own rhythym and pace themselves for the long haul. These dogs are well trained athletes, doing what they do best and loving every minute of it.

This year I decided I wanted to get some photos without all of the cars and spectators, so I hiked about 3/4 of a mile throught the snow (which at times was almost knee deep), until I found just the right spot - a turn in the trail placed the beautiful mountains of the Bob Marshall Wilderness directly behind the dog sleds - it was worth the walk to have the perfect background!

A few of the teams carry passengers for the first five miles, interested persons who pay what I consider a handsome price for the privilege of experiencing first hand the thrill of traveling under dog power. One "passenger" stood on the runners in front of the musher, a mile wide grin on her face at the excitement of it. I've ridden on a dog sled, and had the opportunity to drive as well - whatever the price it's well worth it! There is nothing like the feeling of traveling along behind a team of these wonderful dogs, the only sounds being the "shoosh" of the sled runners and the dogs booted paws on the snow. You can have your loud, smelly snowmobiles, give me a dog sled!