Category: Uncategorized

So, that heading is not quite enturely true- we did see a few birds. But considering we went from Marysville to Sieben to Lake Helena to Mt. Helena, we had hoped to see lots of birds. We didn’t, but the fun is in the trying- not always in the succeding. To that end, we did…

Middle daughter and I always take the Labrador and circumnavigate the valley trying to get as many species as we can on the first day of the year. Today’s count was not huge, but we did manage to see two species that can sometimes be hard to find. In the Scratchgravel Hills, we found a…

Somewhat sluggish end to the birding year. Although, 25% of the birds ID’ed were lifers! Despite the end of the year running a bit slowly, the year was quite good; 205 total species ID’ed. November came in cold and snowy. It was the 8th coldest November on record in Helena. It was also very snowy.…

Tempora mutanturLoosely translated- changes brought over time. At my point on the globe, today, December 10, 2022, is the start of the celestial dance that results in the light winning the battle over darkness and slowly streaming back into the northern hemisphere. One portion of this dance is the winter solstice, but the solstice is…

I’ve taken three walks across the Ambrose and Prairie Trails since the fire. So, I’ve been able to piece some things together. I walked around the western edge of the fire scar a couple of times and it looks like this little spot (pictured above) is the western-most and most downhill location of the burn.…

Summertime sees birding slip deep into the doldrums. I am seeing lots of birds- just not lots of new bird species for the year. The fall migration is starting- which could bring me a lot of new species, but I am not able to drop everything and go find the Whooper Swans south of Townsend,…

August 31, 2022 I was awake at 4:45, I was on the Prairie Trail by 6:45, and hit the 3-mile mark by 7:45. Today was the first day that people were allowed back on the trails on Mount Helena. I got up and got ready to go because I wanted to make sure I got…

August 28, 2022- Mt Helena is burning. It appears that the fire started in the vicinity of the water tank above the “scars-dale” subdivision. It is about 2/10th of a mile from our doorstep as the crow flies. City and Vol Fire equipment were the first on the scene, then Helicopters. Fire personnel spread out…

Last month I thought 4 was a paltry number. July saw only one positive ID. A Common Nighthawk on the 26th of the month. I’m glad I was blanked out completely. And, at least the Nighthawk sat for some nice images. Common Nighthawk

Well. four species is better than nothing, and I suppose that the success we had in May has something to do with our single digit addition to the annual list. That, and the fact that I am deeply engaged in wildflower ID right now. It is hard to keep an eye on the flora, an…