Author: BradinMontana
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Crowdsourcing Science
In our increasingly connected world, field science is no longer strictly in the realm of graduate students in our University System. All across Montana it happens every day in empty lots, along stream banks, and on the trails traversing our hills and valleys. This collaborative movement is called community science- a partnership where people observe…
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First Full Day of Spring
Spring in Helena doesn’t arrive with a lush green carpet; it arrives in tiny bursts of color. We found six species in bloom today, each one marks a small victory over winter. There is something wonderful about kneeling in the dirt to get a closer look at a Kittentail, Yellowbell, or a small patch of…
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A Front Row Seat
Living in Montana isn’t just about having a scenic backdrop for your life; it’s about a fundamental shift in how you navigate the world. When the boundary between your doorstep and the wilderness thins – in, for instance, a place like Helena, where a 100-mile trail system serves as our collective backyard, and Freezout Lake…
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Pileated Woodpecker
While at work today, in a quick, impromptu discussion about a work item, I heard a call outside the window and thought “pileated”. Then it flew past the window. One of the other participants waited for a break in the discussion and looked over at me and asked “What was the bird?” I replied that…
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Spring Migration is Starting to Trickle In
A week into the month, we’ve only managed two days of quality birding, but we already have nine species logged. Mountain Bluebirds often show up in February, so I tend not to use them as a reliable indicator of the shift. Nevertheless, we saw our first Mountain Bluebird yesterday along the Missouri River. On rare…
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Watchable Wildlife
Watchable Wildlife could be a great gift to Montana In Montana, our collective identity is connected to the landscape. For generations, that identity has been defined largely by the “hook and bullet” traditions of hunting and fishing. While those roots run deep and remain vital, a new frontier of conservation and connection is emerging. Watchable…
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A Simple Question
I had a lovely conversation a couple of weeks ago where a simple question stopped me in my tracks: “What do you think your 7-year-old self would think of your life now?” It didn’t take me long to answer. I think that kid would be amazed. “Whoa, wait! You go out and look at flowers, rocks,…
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On A Good Roll
The weekend arrived, offering a bit of space for a few more “pushes” to expand the year list. The mornings remained quite cold, though the late afternoons teased us with a flirtation in the 30s. At 9:00 AM Saturday, the Lab and I were walking down a dirt road through hundreds of acres of stubble…
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Bit cold right now
We’re off to a very good start from a birding perspective. We are currently sitting at 70 species to date – which is great, considering we usually average about 53 by the end of February. Meanwhile, The Middle Daughter (TMD) is in Hawaii racking up an impressive 19 or 20 life species at the halfway…
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Four Owl February!
I’ve been taking Obi to the Tenmile every morning at about 7am since late January. I’ve been hoping to hear, or see, a Great Horned Owl. I know from previous experience that they could be in that area, and since I had seen three species of owls, I became a little obsessed with adding a…