Montana Outdoors: Spring migration heating up...

Clark Canyon is mostly open along the south shore and mouth of Red Rock River. Every piece of open water is more or less duck and goose city; swans, while not near as many, nonetheless are easy to find. Gale thinks this one we shot below the dam is a trumpeter but is just a bit too far to be sure...lack of big lens angst strikes again.

Mallards, teal, goldeneyes, mergansers and wigeon are most abundant; occupying a large part of all the open water and especially the river. Below the dam we saw our first big flock of mountain bluebirds since last fall. And more invasive starlings and european sparrows than seems healthy.

It seems not all that long ago goose hunters were crying the blues; sure ain't so these days. The ubiquitous Canadas are everywhere--on the water, in the stubble, in the air; nesting in the trees, in the great blue heron rookeries and in the grass. Many we saw yesterday were paired up but a lot more were still in gangs. With the warmer temperatures forecast this week no doubt more water will open up and make room for even more migrants...In spite of the recent snows hard to argue spring is indeed sprung...bring it on.

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.