It was such a relief to finally reach Jen and Erics home in Hamilton, Montana. After the hugs and kisses we set down to plan our week. Jen told us that they had hikes already planned and by the time we finally left we had walked over fifty thousand steps, and some steep ones at that!
Two of the days were hikes at one of our favorite places, Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a short drive from their place in Hamilton and we were able to self-guide these days as we had been at the refuge last year, (and they were at work).
On the first day, we stopped to visit with another birder who told us we had to see the Great Horned owls. A pair often nests in a trees cavity which had formed when a large branch had broken off. Telling us exactly how to get there, we looked for the owls without any luck.
Our problem was solved when another birder pointed one of them out to us, The male was in the pine tree almost over our heads. It acted owl acted aloof and stared away from us. It was almost impossible to get a picture of its face, but it finally decided to look our way. We also took pictures of the nest, but the female was not around, apparently they had not laid any eggs.
Taking another trail we heard woodpeckers, but we couldn’t get any pics. A pair of northern flickers chased each other and posed on a dead tree, occasionally stopping to feed. It was hard to get a good pic as they seemed enamored with each other and chased each other around the forest.
There are natural springs in the woods, it’s along the Bitterroot River, and we flushed mallards and a female barrows goldeneye and caught her as she flushed from a spring filled tributary.
Black capped chickadees, and mountain bluebirds were everywhere but both were hard to photograph as they were flitting through the woods. We also took some distant pictures of a red-tailed hawk and bald and golden eagles, both of which are common here in Western Montana. Leaving we spotted a flock of snow geese which had landed that morning, after starting their migration from Northern California.
On another day we returned to the refuge and after visiting the great horned owl we took a different path. A pair of northern flickers fed on the ground, and we were able to get their pictures. Walking further a hairy woodpecker landed in the tree next to us and perched.
It’s similar to a downy woodpecker but smaller in size with slightly different markings.Black Billed Magpies are in their breeding colors and the blue really stands out!
Noticing ground movement, a pair of California Quails posed for their picture to be taken.
They seldom fly and instead quickly flee on their short legs. It’s funny to watch them scurry away. Retruning to our car we then drove to the refuge Headquarters. The visitor center is small but filled with mounted birds, skulls of local mammals, and reptiles.
The staffer asked if we had seen the newborn goslings and as we watched the parents proudly swam near us , as if they were showing off the new ones. There are northern pikes on the stream here and we hoped we wouldn’t witness a large swirl as the pikes do feed on the small birds.
As we drove down the refuge road a red-tailed hawk perched and fed on what looked like a snake and if as it flew over us carrying its meal. It’s not the first time we have seen birds eat snakes but this time we could see the snake’s head.
Not finished with the birding, a mountain blue bird perched on a split rail fence and a flock of wild turkeys gobbled to each other.
It was a perfect ending to our second trip to to Lee Metcalf.
Clear skies
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