Road Trip to Western Montana

Birdnerd: So I think one memorable moment of our trip to Montana was when we saw the truck with a Christmas tree and a dead deer roped to the roof. What was it you said..... "Gettin 'er done Montana style"?
Birding Associate: My most memorable moment was NOT getting our deer while driving up the Swan Valley at dusk. Fortunately, the cervids kept themselves to the side of the road and somehow resisted the urge to leap in front of our headlights.



BN: Spending Thanksgiving with Emily, Jonathan and Jacob was so much fun! Making churros Saturday morning was a good send off for the rest of our trip.


BA: Good, yes, but I'm still oozing oil, I think.

BN: Going to the carousel in Missoula the day after Thanksgiving was a blast. Do we look dizzy? Nah!


BN: I really liked the hike up to Holland Lake Falls. Lots of people, happy dogs, a few chattering pine squirrels and one Hairy Woodpecker. A really cool hike.


BA: It was a beautiful hike. I was happy to note that on the second to last day of deer season my red bandana seemed to protect us from stray gunshots!
Holland Lake is dramatic in any season and it hadn't changed much in the twenty years since I'd last visited. Oh, except for the rope swing tree that had recently fallen........


BN: What was our best bird?
BA: It was a toss up between the Rough-legged Hawk at the north end of Flathead Lake......



And the Merlin at the south end of the lake right in downtown Polson. A large group of House Sparrows were quite spooked by its presence.......and disappeared into a thick fir tree.


BN: I like this picture. "What do we want? Mo Fisch! When do we want it? Now!"
You were scoping for coots again? Seems like Coots and Common Goldeneyes were the most abundant.
BA: Yep, I believe I was.....

BA: I think here you were looking at a Red-necked Grebe......


BA: Here's the sweetie Rez Cat at the south end of Flathead Lake. Charmer, isn't he?



BN: We didn't see spectacular sunsets but the fading afternoon light was always nice.


BN: You wanted to stay, didn't you.

BA: Yah......I did.
BN; Me, too.