Quick Roadtrip- Sun River Country

I had a very nice excursion today. I took a day trip up into the Sun River country. I’ve always taken a right turn in August and headed towards Fairfield or Choteau, but I’ve always been curious about the sign suggesting that there was a reservoir ‘out there’ if I went straight at the intersection.

Today, I went straight.

I didn’t go all the way to the Gibson Reservoir, but I did get to Diversion Lake. My goals were wildflowers and birds not water recreation. I was interested in the area in general, rather than any specific destination.

My goals were achieved.

At one point, I was just sitting and listening to the calls of a Willet as it flew around me in circles calling and calling. I suppose it was trying to divert my attention from its nest. Just as I was preparing to leave, two Long-billed Curlews joined the fray. Th calling was nearly constant, and it was so wonderful to hear.

Then I found the Sun River Wildlife Management Area. So, we stopped and walked for a bit. A cascading torrent of water has cut a nice little gorge through the prairie and that sound, too was wonderful. The flowers were so thick that we only managed about 2/10s of a mile of actual (and careful) walking. But the stop was totally worth it.

I learned that I have a comfort zone that does not include solo walking in bear country where there are lots of “perfect bear hiding places”. More than once on a short walk along the Sun River, I realized that I would be more comfortable with a walking companion or two. That, plus the Labrador’s urge to get in running water and the state of the river, cut that walk a bit short.

A bit later, I was standing and watching Cliff Swallows flitting about and, I suppose I must have attracted a bunch of insects, because the swallows all came over and flew around me for a good 60 seconds- like a living tornado of Cliff Swallows 40 or so strong. The sound of their chirps and chittering and the ability to see their coloration so clearly was (yet again) wonderful.

We also spent a bit of time traipsing around the Augusta airport (landing strip?). Birders have been hearing and seeing a Marbled Godwit and Thick-billed Longspur there and a few weeks back I saw two Ferruginous Hawks there. I was successful on all counts, and I saw a Northern Blue Butterfly. And as a bonus, the Blue sat still for a couple of pictures.

Several new wildflowers and birds for the year and a road trip into terra incognito– that was, indeed, a wonderful day.