Category: Nature Walking/Hiking
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Why Is SW Montana Such a Biological Treasure Trove?
Yesterday, The Middle Daughter (TMD) and I took off for a mid-day excursion to connect with nature outside the Helena Valley. We encountered an impressive array of birds suited to various habitats, mammals typically associated with alpine areas, and flowering plants found in only a handful of western US habitats – all within about 30…
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A Break From Artificial Demands
I’ve taken several days off since early March – a couple of short breaks and a couple of longer stints. Life is returning to the Northwest, and even following a mild winter, experiencing the return of birds and flowers is something to behold. The upshot of this time off is 42 species of birds recorded…
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Obsidian Black Dog
April 11, 2026 update- we lost Obsidian at 4pm today. We had a terrific last day with him and he will live on in our hearts and memories forever. Original postThe chapter of my life that includes my long-time constant companion, Obsidian, is nearing the end. Late last week, we noticed him slowing down; he…
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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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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…
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Superb Owl Weekend 2026
A superb owl weekend it was, indeed! Last evening two daughters, the Lab, and I went into the hills a bit to listen for a Northern Saw Whet Owl that had been heard by a few other folks in the last week or so. So, as the darkness descended, we found ourselves walking up the Mini-Ridge…
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January Ends – 59 Species ID’ed
It’s dark out now, and I have just one last walk with the Lab planned for the evening. There is a small chance I might hear a Great Horned Owl if the wind dies down, but barring that, January is over. It closes with a new monthly record of species seen—and a lot of effort…
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The Value of Helena’s Wildland-Urban Interface as a Recreational and Economic Asset
I’ve been resting my partially torn Achilles tendon for the last few weeks, so my recent gentle trail walk on the Ambrose trail was a welcome return. I noticed that there has been a lot of new work mitigating fire risk from the middle to western terminus of the Ambrose; soon that work will include slash pile burning…