O’Brien Creek: A “hidden” hiking treasure
While Blue Mountain sees throngs of hikers, dogs, and urban refugees, O’Brien Creek does not nearly the sheer volume of users even though it is only a couple miles away. In fact, it is weird to meet someone else on these loop trails. [sgpx gpx=”/wp-content/uploads/gpx/O’Brein Creek.gpx”]
Waterworks Hill up the Randolph Homestead
Waterworks Hill lies to the northeast of Missoula, and it sports a nice network of trails over and around its grassy slopes. The hike to the “summit” (you can’t call it a summit, can you?) is a quick one mile and around 700 feet up, but the real fun is in extending your trek to the […]
Mount Sentinel via Pengelly Ridge
Normally, I think of Mount Sentinel has the M with its constant flow of folks making their way to the whitewashed concrete letter, but Mount Sentinel is a large area with an extensive network of trails. On a sunny day, Vida and I decided to tackle the slope from Pengelly Ridge to the top, and we […]
Blue Mountain National Recreation Area – Trails 3.06 & 3.03
Living near Missoula, Montana, we are fortunate have the Blue Mountain National Recreation Area just outside of the city limits. This 4,900-acre recreation area includes 41 miles of system trails, and on this day I hiked along trails 3.03 & 3.06 for a quick 3 miles. In the video, I rant against the militia currently occupying […]
Blue Mountain Lookout above Missoula
Clouds rolled overhead while they release precious few drops of rain. Strengthening light reveal Ruffed Grouse and Snowshoe Hares foraging on the slopes of Blue Mountain, which stands over Missoula. This is my first time hiking the final portion of the Blue Mountain National Recreation Trail (or Trail 3.01 for the locals). The trail switchbacks […]
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). […]
Great Gray Owl – Naturalist Minute – Ep. 2
Within the maze of ponderosa pine limbs, a gray specter sits silently as it casts an intense gaze my way. A magical experience, finding a Great Gray Owl comes all too rarely to the birder. Like most owls, they make their living by remaining stealthy while night hunting and go unnoticed during the day. The […]
American Dipper – Naturalist Minute Ep. 1
The American Dipper is the enigma of the songbirds…it swims and dives for its food. Living on the wildest of mountain streams, American Dipper is uniquely at home in the torrent. The Dipper has an extra translucent eyelid for seeing underwater. The Dipper’s feathers are water repellent, and it flies, yes FLIES, underwater. The dipper […]
More Than Birds Field Trip – Owl Banding – Episode 1
I spent the day with Denver Holt and staff of the Owl Research Institute as they captured Long-eared Owls for their research. We were also joined by a dozen students from a local high school as part of their wildlife biology class. We observed 12 Long-eared Owls, a couple of Great Horned Owls, and one […]
The Avian Collection of the Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum
Recently, I had the immense pleasure of perusing the drawers of the avian collection at the Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum located on the campus of the University of Montana. In each of drawers, there were lined with preserved skins of many birds, including representation of almost the entire Montana native bird community. The specimens date from […]
Cassin’s Vireo from Mount Sentinel
Harsh questions and answers resonate through the Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine. The first note is always an upward, plaintive infliction, and the following an answering second, upward note. This questioning is relentless as if I am being grilled in a Turkish prison. The Cassin’s Vireo is one of three members of the former Solitary Vireo, which was split into […]