Montana Duck Hunters Rejoice....

...season opens tomorrow. But with temperatures expected to soar well into the 80s it might not be too ducky a day, eh? No dedicated ducker by any stretch, I decided to fore-go getting baked and instead open the season early...And while we won't be dining duck anytime soon I did manage to nab a couple keepers...as always click pix for a larger view...

These blue-winged teal don't know how lucky they are...cuz presented a set-up like this well hell even I could hardly miss...right? Right!!!

Ain't never et a goldeneye...anyways no regrets this time around; actually damn glad to have the camera in hand instead...pretty nifty shot if I don't say so myownself...

Took some doing to finally get this guy to hold still long nuff to press the shutter and...well as you can see the pose could have been a lot better but as someone once mentioned an eye is an eye or...perhaps more to the point you can't win 'em all...

Then too someone once mentioned "even a blind hog finds a acorn once in awhile" To whit...sort of standin' on my head trying to focus on the wild licorice failed to note the two spiders...as I say...well hell...

 Like the bugs, not much a do 'bout duckin', just another nifty shot...'specially when you add in holdin' back Kate one hand workin' camera tother...I say way ta go Gale!

Big Hole skwala hatch is in full swing; but the bad news is the early runoff is in full swing also.

Visibilty at Glen yesterday afternoon was still in the ballpark, barely, but this morning the river is up to 1700+ and still rising. SO...who knows. On another mission we stopped to check out the bugs and walking just a short piece of the bank below the FAS ramp found several. Gale shot this adult while I did my best to keep it on the stone.

Bowing to temptation I rigged up and fished a wooly worm from the bridge downstream 100 yards or so with nary a bump. Duty calling, on that note, derigged and we continued on our way. Proving? I guess actually nothing more than wrong fly, feeble attempt, bad timing (rising river and all), bad fishing...all the above? As I say who knows?

We found this handsome honey-moon couple, a drake and hen hooded merganser,  swimming in a slough of the river, as yet not much affected by the runoff...my guess is won't be long until it too turns brown and ugly.

Snowmelt Ponds Attract A Wide Variety Migrating Waterfowl

Each spring snowmelt ponds attract legions of migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. In our area the upper Big Hole is at times nearly wall to wall running and ponded water and every sort of water bird imaginable eventually shows up there. Though viewing wise, yesterday was on the slow side compared to most early spring days.

But still we spied numerous teal, such as this pair of cinnamons as well as blue and green winged, widgeon, pintails, goldeyes, Canada geese, northern shovelers and probably a few ringnecks, although too far out to really make a positive ID. In addition we saw several pairs sandhill cranes (like the water birds not nearly as many as usual), numerous hawks (ferruginous, northern harriers, one redtail, several ospreys) and a couple golden eagles. Songbirds other than ubiquitous robins and redwing blackbirds and non-descript sparrows and such (non-descript in that we did not take time to ID) were also for some unknown to us reasons in short supply also. Maybe too early who knows? Ravens and magpies were of course everywhere and so were antelope, most of which, especially in the morning, were on the move. Though we didn't see any elk we did spy several big bunches of mule deer. Add one pile fresh moose turds not far from Miner Creek and as you can see the day weren't all bad.

Still too early for a real wildflower show but we did see sagebrush buttercup and a small penstemon blooming. And while the occasional willow was laden with pussies most were still barren?

Surprising to us the upper Big Hole was not at all as high and off-color as usual. Actually quite fishable but alas we had the dogs along and didn't feel like dealing with the usual chaos their first fishing trip of the year always brings. Maybe next time. 

Local Waterfowl Habitat Shrinking Fast

These days open water is a scarce item around this neck of prairie

With the onset of winter local waterfowl are faced with either jumping ship for warmer, more user friendly climes or toughing it out in a habitat that grows increasingly smaller with each passing cold front. Those that stay are forced into larger and larger concentrations, huge flocks swarming whatever limited food resources and open water with an urgency that defines the idea of survival of the fittest. The draw of course is that around here most of the grain fields remain snow free or close enough and many of the ducks and geese currently living in the area are no doubt refugees from harsher landscapes. Yesterday one pivot contained so countless mallards and just about as many geese. The geese were sort of spread out in bunches but the mallards packed in such they looked almost connected.