Kayaking on the Bitterroot River

Some goof on a piece of plastic

It was a hot day, and to escape the heat, we took the kayaks down to the Bitterroot River for a 8 mile float. I brought along the GoPro Hero4 for a little scene capture. The sun shined above us, and below many trouts, whitefish, and other fish scattered from the shadow of the boats. […]

One Weekend, One Montana

A weekend in Montana, is there anything better? We went birding, drank a great beer, took a road ride, rode the WaveRunners, and went for a hike…another great weekend in Montana

Lochsa – Rough Waters – Shooting Day 1

Lochsa - Rough Waters - Shooting Day 1

The start of the Mountains. Rivers. Beer. Project, we travelled to the mighty Lochsa River in Idaho to video Jason Shreder of Zoo Town Surfers surfing on Pipeline. The Mountains. Rivers. Beer. Project seeks to combine our love of the outdoors and our love of fermented grains. This result of the project will be 5 […]

The Newly Discovered Cedar Sculpin

Cedar Sculpin

Late summer sun filtered through the thick and lofty boughs of the western red cedars that hung over this small stream. Pools occasionally formed in the downstream sides of the buttress roots. Searching for the Idaho Giant Salamander, many of the pools were without the amphibian, but many contained small, dark ancient-looking fish. I assumed […]

Mindful Big Year Prologue: 60 on the Christmas Bird Count

“Virginia Rail!”, Tom shouted. Rushing over, we catch a glimpse of the dark rail as it slipped through the dead blades of grass and cattails. The thin air bristled at the pig-like grunt call of this secretive species. This rail had taken us all-day to find, and it was our 60th species on our portion […]

Wolves: God’s Perfect Mistake?

The bumper sticker on the truck tailgate reads “Smoke a Pack a Day” with wolves in silhouette with an overlay of scope crosshairs. To the left of this disgusting affirmation of violence is a the ubiquitous Jesus fish emblem. I stood and ponder this display of opposing paradigms illustrated upon the same canvas. One decal […]

Coeur D’Alene Salamander – A long time in coming

I remember cracking open the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest, and seeing the enigma  – the Coeur D’Alene Salamander. The range map showed that its distribution included northwest Montana. I had never seen one, or even know they existed for matter. I had seen Long-toed Salamanders before and countless numbers of frogs. I learned […]

Blodgett Canyon of the Bitterroot Range

Blodgett Canyon is filled with the enticing aromas of shiny-leaf ceanothus and wild rose that hang heavy in the rapidly warming air of a June day. Pale swallowtails and Rufous Hummingbirds flit and hover at the technicolor sex organs of the flowers. Sheer granite walls rise some 2000 feet above our heads as we set […]

Finding, Harvesting, and Eating the Oyster Mushroom

Every year at this time, oyster mushrooms appear from the stumps and fallen logs of cottonwoods along the Bitterroot River. This particular species (Pleurotus populinus) had inoculated a downed cottonwood. Ecology: Saprobic; growing in shelf-like clusters on dead and living wood of Populus species, primarily quaking aspen; causing a white rot; spring, summer, and fall; widely […]

BAIKAL TEAL near Missoula, Montana

Today while birding along the Maclay Irrigation Canal, just south of the Maclay Recreation Area near Missoula, Montana. Within the canal and keeping company with a pair of Wood Ducks was a pale-headed teal. Upon glassing the presumed teal, it seemed to be a Baikal Teal. I managed to fired off a volley of photos (see below). […]

Greg Miller – The Big Year – More Than Birds – Episode 12

Straight from the pages and silver screen of the Big Year, I chat with Greg Miller. Birding from childhood, Greg was prepared to undertake the ultimate birding adventure in  1998, the ABA Big Year. A member of the 700 Club (not the Christian TV show), Greg weaves a story of birding and places it will […]

Kenn Kaufman – More Than Birds – Episode 11

Birds took over Kenn Kaufman’s life when he was six. At 16 he went out hitch-hiking all over to see as many birds as he could, as described in Kingbird Highway. He has 9 books in print now, in 3 languages, including his own series of field guides. He’s in demand as a speaker, and […]

Transitions in the birding year

The first full day of spring, which in Montana means weather straight out of the ADHD mind of the godhead. Warm sun, thunder, torrential rain, freezing rain, snow, and, finally sun again, arrives with much faith and hope for the eager birder. Just as the weather is a chaotic mixture of winter and spring, the […]