Long days

I am starting to come around to enjoy the sunrises over the sunsets here in Montana.

Slowly I've been given more responsibilities. Monday I did my first bird count on my own, I didn't sleep that well the night before - out of nerves I'm sure. But it was a success heard a veery, saw bobolinks, and northern flickers even saw a fox. It had rained the weekend before, when it rains here it turns the ground into a sticky liquid, everyone calls it Gumbo. You cant drive in it so for a couple of the points I walked out to I had 2-3 inches of gumbo stuck to my boots, very heavy and hard to walk with.

Wednesday I was scheduled for another independent bird count. I get to where the map looks like I need to be, turn on the gps ask it to find the nearest point which should be this point 7 I think I'm near. Well it dosent show up, I have to call Josey and see if she can help me figure it out. So I wait bout an hour, still looking for this gps point 7. I realize Joanne didnt upload the points on to my gps. When Josey arrives she concludes the same thing. So instead of an independent adventure of bird counts, I hop in the truck with Josey and go with her on her points. This is the River josey and I have started a love affair with. Our work is based along the stretch of the Milk River, with all its species, and all its habitat.

We were quite blessed Thursday, in seeing something most people don't get to experience. There is a large Wildlife Refuge in Montana, one of the largest in the continental states - Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge. The land is in a state that is close to the way Lewis & Clark experienced it on their journey west. We were out there to do a Big Horn Sheep Survey, the group counted 50 sheep, our team of interns saw 34 of the 50. Team of good eyes. We also saw 2 rattlesnakes twice, elk. The biggest event was this heard of nine sheep being chased by a female elk and 3 male elk. It was quite a thing to see, I feel very lucky I don't think many people get to say that. That was a long day left at 4:30 am got back at 8:30pm, I was in bed by 9.Miss HurricaneGroup of Big Horn Sheep LadiesviewView of the refugeElk. you can click the picture and hold shift and it will open large in a new windowTeam Good Eyes

Friday after work I bought my fishing license went fishing and caught my first Northern Pike, I was pretty thrilled, very cool fish has teeth. Mine was kind of small for a pike, but an accomplishment for me none the less.