Archive for the ‘marmot’ Category

Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Stayed a few days at Henry’s Lake State Park, a little south of West Yellowstone, just so I could visit the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. I had put off visiting it before because you have to drive more than 25 miles over a dirt road. Was glad I did not try and drive my trailer over the road. Found it to be a mix of washboard, rock, and potholes…really bad. Making it hard to get to probably is a good thing. It is one of the most beautiful and remote wildlife refuges I’ve been to and being hard to get to probably helps keep it that way.

Picture above: Upper Red Rock Lake. The Centennial Mountains are seen when you look in the other direction.

Passed over Red Rock Pass and into Montana on the way to the refuge from Island Park, Idaho.

Taylor Mountain, around 9,500 feet, near the refuge. There is still some snow on it.

Part of the Upper Lake Campground. I would love to get my trailer here for a few days. You are really in the wilderness without having to backpack into it. Next year I’m going to try going through the west entrance to the refuge to see if that road is any better than the east entrance that I traveled.

Had a staredown with this marmot. Kept thinking it would run away. Finally said, ok, you win, and left. It may have been protecting a nest.

Below: Think these are prairie falcon fledglings, though I’m not good at identifying falcons and hawks.

Posted in Island Park, falcon, marmot, wildlife refuge | No Comments »

Glacier National Park

Friday, August 7th, 2009

Have started backtracking, to slowly start making my way south. Stayed two days at  St. Mary Campground at Glacier National Park with the goal of walking the Hidden Lake Overlook trail from Logan Pass. Took the shuttle up to Logan Pass at 8:00 am. There were not a lot of people there that early and the weather was fantastic. When I stopped by here about a month ago, it was really hot.

Top picture, Hidden Lake as viewed from the overlook.

Second picture, some people take advantage of a photo opportunity at the start of the trail. The trail is 90% on a wood boardwalk.

Third picture, the wildflowers were just breathtaking.

One of the reasons I wanted to take this hike, was to see some mountain goats. You are rewarded after a 1.5 mile uphill hike by both the view and by mountain goats. This mother and baby must be the site mascots. They stay at arms length and don’t beg, but they are definitely used to people. The mom was shedding her outer coat.

Hoary marmot

Looking down the trail as a mist rolls in. It is just 1.5 miles (3 miles roundtrip) to the overlook, but it really had me huffing and puffing. Had to sit down a few times. On the way down, when it was getting crowded with a lot of people just starting the hike, saw I was not the only one to be challenged. Definitely glad to have had the cooler weather.

Read an article in the Los Angeles Times that listed Glacier National Park as one of the lesser known and visited national parks. You could not tell this by the crowds that I saw. When I took the shuttle back down to the campground from Logan Pass, the parking lot was jammed, with a lot of honking horns. All the turnouts were also filled with cars. You have to get out early or late to avoid the crowds. The campgrounds also regularly fill up. They have a website that shows the open and full campgrounds in real time. It would be good to check this out before you come.

I might have stayed more than two days, but there was a severe weather alert for 2 to 7 inches of rain, hail, and thunderstorms. Next year would like to stay a week or two.

Congratulations to Bai Yun, the 17-year-old female panda at the San Diego Zoo. She gave birth to her 5th cub this week. The zoo has a webcam of her and her newest offspring. The picture above is of her and Zhen Zhen (her 4th cub).

Posted in National, St. Mary, goats, marmot, panda | No Comments »

Benton Lake National Wildife Refuge

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge is near Great Falls, Montana at the western edge of the northern Great Plains and 50 miles east of the Rocky Mountains. It has many of the birds I saw at Camas Refuge in Idaho, with a few differences.

Above, eared grebe with offspring. Still seeing some young ones riding on a parent’s back. The other parent dives for food for the baby during this time. Have seen some young ones like the one above, start diving. The just stay under water a few seconds though.

Breeding sora in the marsh.

Ibis

A standing yellow-bellied marmot. Have also seen a muskrat.

Upland sandpiper

Willet

Long-billed curlew

Phalarope

A night heron carrying a black bird in it’s beak, with the black bird’s significant other chasing after them. The heron disappeared with it’s prey into the marsh foliage.

A pair of western kingbirds are nesting near the refuge visitor center. They fuss at you when you pass by. Have also seen eastern kingbirds.

When I first got to Great Falls, I stayed two nights at Walmart. During the day, I took my trailer to the refuge. One night, there were around 25 other rv’s staying in the Walmart parking lot. After two days, I moved to Fort Benton. It is an unusual small town, in that it’s in a canyon made by the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark thought this area was paradise when they stopped here. It later became the last stop for steamboats from St. Louis and then a major railway stop. The fort was built to protect people from outlaws and indians.

In looking on the web for information on the Upper Missouri River Breaks, found that cattle have caused a lot of problems here, as they have elsewhere.

“The BLM reports that past grazing management has resulted in almost complete elimination of important woody shrub species such as red-osier dogwood, chokecherry, serviceberry, currant, and gooseberry – all of which are highly important as food sources for mammals and birds. Another grazing related problem is the impending demise of riverside cottonwood forests. Presently almost all of the cottonwood trees along the river germinated from seed in the 1880s, before grazing was occurring on the river. As cattle grazing became an entrenched use on the river, cattle have systematically eliminated virtually all young cottonwoods, leaving no replacement trees to take the place of the old and dying mature trees.”

Posted in Fort Benton, Ibis, White Falls, grebe, heron, kingbird, marmot, phalarope, sandpiper, sora, wildlife refuge, willet | No Comments »