Dragonfly Larvae are as bad-ass as it gets!

This is one of the coolest nature videos I have ever seen.  One of my favorite hatches of the year is the damsel and dragonfly hatch on Georgetown Lake in Montana.

Tie up some of these bad boys in the nymph and adult forms.  Watching a 25" rainbow sip your damsel dry in 3 feet of water is pretty fun.

Missoula area fishing report

Downtown March browns getting pelted with raindrops

Gorging swallows

Brown water fishing report:

The rivers are all huge!  There was a drop yesterday but the upcoming warm weather is going to make everything crazy.  This spring has been tough for fishing with all the low elevation snow.  Every time it rains or gets warm, there is a huge push of water on top of the already elevated flows.

Clark Fork (around Missoula)
Big and brown with the occasional tree.  Two days ago, I witnessed a very heavy March brown spinnerfall during a light rain/snowstorm.  There was a massive showing of shore swallows.  Some dinks noticed them as well.  The large trout are eating other things subsurface.  If you just need to fish and you don't have a plan B, you can make it happen here.

Fishing the Clark Fork during high water is possible and can actually be really good sometimes.  You just have to safely locate the various places in the river where the fish go when the water is high.  When the river is high and crazy, the amount of places that trout can hold is reduced.  Find these places and you'll find happiness. Don't be afraid to fish irrigation canals, side channels, and slow winter-type water (if you can find it).  The mouths of the tribs are the safest bet.  Throw your junk into the mud and let it drift into the clean.

The Clark Fork trout are generally less put off by colored water, relative to the other streams in the area. Sometimes, they will even eat on top.  Generally though, using bright worms, large rubber legs, bead head nymphs, and eggs is the most effective.

Bitterroot River (around Missoula)
See Clark Fork Report.  The upper river is fishing great but I have not been up there to give an accurate report.

Lower Rock Creek
The creek is also huge.  It will be a struggle to access fishable water on the lower stream but if you find it, there will be a lot of fish.  Going around the P-burg way and fishing the upper reaches is the way to go.  The problem with that is, you drive right past Flint Creek.  Flint Creek fishes great during high water.  Those brown trout love it.  Anyway.

Area Lakes/Ponds
This is a great time to diversify your fly fishing world.  All of the area lakes and ponds are fishing great.  The lake hatches should start with the warm weather and I'll report on that when it happens.

CSI Montana

I came across this crime scene on my walk home from fishing downtown yesterday.  I suspect this trout was dropped by an osprey due to a lack of any other logical explanation as to why there was a rainbow trout in the middle of 3rd Street.  The missing head provides further evidence, as trout heads are a known osprey delicacy.

Looking west on 3rd St. in Misosula

Rainbow trout crime scene

Just imagine if it fell on your windshield - or shoulder. Ha!

Three flies for spring BWOs

For the nymph stage:

The Beer Head Nymph

For the emergent stage:

The Flashback Purple Haze Soft Hackle

For the surface emerger/cripple/adult stage:

Purple Haze Quigley Cripple 

Spider from Mars

Royal PMX

Uh oh! RBM spent the time to learn how to take super-macros without a macro lens. It's lowest F value possible, appropriate shutter speed for light, manual focus ONLY, and the zoom feature is totally fine in this application.  I'm so freaking happy right now.  Look forward to much better pics of bugs, both living and fake.

One of the best flies on the face of the planet, one of the best albums on the face of the planet.

Stream restoration volunteer event tomorrow Sat. April, 26 in the Bitterroot Valley

The Bitterroot Waster Forum is holding a volunteer event to assist with revegetation efforts on Doran Creek in the Bitterroot Valley.

FROM THEIR WEBSITE:

April 26th BRWF will be hosting phase one of our new restoration project at Doran Creek, a willow cutting event. Phase two we will be planting these willows to increase shade and reduce sediment on this tributary of Cameron Creek and will take place on May 10th.

 When: Saturday, April 26th from 10:30am to 4:00pm

*There will be limited parking space on site─ we will meet at 9:30 am at the Safeway in Hamilton (101 E. Main St) to run a carpool.

**If you can't make it to the carpool, call the BRWF office for directions. What to bring: Please wear sturdy shoes, dress appropriately (layers), and bring water. Let us know if you can bring loppers or gardening shears.

Lunch will be provided by BRWF.

 Please RSVP by calling 406.375.2272 or e-mailing katie.brwf@gmail.com

On meeting J. Gierach and dealing with high water

Last night, I met one of my heroes.  John Gierach is wrapping up a book tour for his latest book All Fishermen are Liars.  His last stop before going back to Colorado was Missoula.  I have read about Gierach's feelings toward book signings in the chapter "Book Tours" in No Shortage of Good Days.  I hope he still gets the chance at some pre-runoff fishing.  We here in western Montana sure don't!       

The flows on all the fish-able streams in western Montana are elevated.  Some rivers are straight-up blown out.  If you want to fish, you'll have to go as high up the respective drainage as possible (ie. Warm Springs, West Fork, P-burg route).  The lakes are fishing well and I'm anxiously planning a trip to the Missouri.  I hope on stopping by at Browns lake for a day.  I'll have a full report on the lake and spring hatches on the Mo.

"they spend their life like, going fishing..."

This is one of my favorite Dr. Dog songs.  Today is RBM's Birthday and I was looking for something a little sentimental to post.  I had never seen this live version and what he says at the beginning makes it great for the blog.



I do think some of us realize that it is not about the fish.

John Gierach in Missoula tonight!

John Gierach will be in Missoula, MT on April, 24 2014.  There will be a reading and book signing for John's latest book at the Fact and Fiction bookstore downtown starting at 7:00 pm.

Where my beer comes from

Old Missoula-based Highlander  beer can I found on lower Clark Fork

I think it would be safe to say that the official drink of fly fishing is beer.  It is certainly the official drink of the RBM Chronicles!

The Missoula area is lousy with local breweries and there are more on the way.  All of our breweries/taprooms provide, at the very least, a nice place to hang out.

However, there is one brewery/taproom that exists on a level well above all the others.

Southside Kettle House

  























The Southside, Myrtle Street Tavern, K-hole, original Kettle House, or whatever you want to call it, is one of my favorite places on the entire planet.

The beer selection at this location is comprised of some of the finest craft beers you will ever taste.  The classic Kettle House brews are available.
Cold Smoke Scotch Ale
Double Haul IPA
Eddy Out Pale Ale
Lake Missoula Amber
Olde and Fresh Bongwater - Fresh is pale ale and Olde is porter

Plus, this location acts as the Kettle House's "beer laboratory" so there is an expanded and ever changing menu.  There are tons of seasonal brews with new ones appearing every year.  They have a nitrogen tap which makes whatever beer they put on that tap come out like Guinness.  They also have a Randal which infuses beer with whatever they put it in (hops, fruits, etc).

Seeley Axe and Hip Stripped are "gluten reduced."  They are just covering their asses with the label.  These beers are brewed to be as close to gluten free as is absolutely possible.  Seeley Axe is brewed with all GF ingredients (sorghum, rice) and has dedicated delivery hoses/lines etc.  Hip Stripped uses the enzyme technique and is tested for certainty.  Direct your GF questions to Ryan if you call.

There is also home brewed soda for kids and non-drinkers.

The thing that really makes the Southside Kettle House special is the people that work there and the folks who drink there.  You'll find local and national celebrities, the entire conservation community, filmmakers, professors, scientists, lawyers, hippies, brahs, college kids and their parents, rednecks, hipsters, artists, rich folks, working folks, fly fishers, outdoors people, lots of kids, and a host of regulars to rival any sitcom.

There is nothing better after a day out on the water than warming up (or cooling off) at the Kettle House with a great beer and some peanuts.

Happy Earth Day!

Please take some time today to reflect on the history and future of the conservation and environmental movement.  As fisherpeople, we are land and water stewards who routinely reap the benefits of wild lands and unpolluted systems.  There are a lot of good, hardworking people who have gone through hell to protect earth's systems and creatures.  Some have given their lives.  There is a lot more work to do.

The movie A Fierce Green Fire premiers TODAY on American Masters on your local PBS station.  Check your local listing schedule here.

An excerpt from "Thinking Like a Mountain" by Aldo Leopold

"My own conviction on this score dates from the day I saw a wolf die. We were eating lunch on a high rimrock, at the foot of which a turbulent river elbowed its way. We saw what we thought was a doe fording the torrent, her breast awash in white water. When she climbed the bank toward us and shook out her tail, we realized our error: it was a wolf. A half-dozen others, evidently grown pups, sprang from the willows and all joined in a welcoming melee of wagging tails and playful maulings. What was literally a pile of wolves writhed and tumbled in the center of an open flat at the foot of our rimrock.

In those days we had never heard of passing up a chance to kill a wolf. In a second we were pumping lead into the pack, but with more excitement than accuracy: how to aim a steep downhill shot is always confusing. When our rifles were empty, the old wolf was down, and a pup was dragging a leg into impassable slide-rocks.

We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realized then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes - something known only to her and to the mountain. I was young then, and full of trigger-itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters' paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view."

Read the entire version here.

This is also a chapter of  A Sand County Almanac: and Sketches Here and There, one of the greatest books of all time!  

It's springtime in America

I looked through my logs and noticed that on this day in previous years, I was seeing Mother's Day caddis hatches on the Clark Fork.  We don't get monster hatches like the Yellowstone or Madison but we do get a solid showing if the conditions are right.  This has been a unique year and conditions have not been right yet and I don't know If they ever will be, so far as fishing is concerned.

Mother's Day caddis

March brown emerger

My old snapshot camera used to take great super-macro pictures like this old picture of a Mother's Day Caddis and March brown emerger.  I can't wait to get a macro lens for my real camera.

The Easy Mother's Day Caddis

HOOK: size 20-14 (18-16 is best)
THREAD: 8/0 color to match dubbing
DUBBING: Hand blend Super Fine dry fly dubbing in natural colors (tan, olive, yellow, brown)
WING: CDC oiler puffs
THORAX: Dub some CDC and develop a small thorax over where you tie in the wing

This fly is a great fly for teaching beginners how to tie dry flies.  This is a super effective fly and they are so easy to tie, you can do it while you are driving!


-RBM Chronicles does not promote distracted driving-

Western Montana Fishing Report

Ancient alien monolith near St. Regis

I've been out and about all week and here is the report of what is going on.  The next couple of weeks are going to be the last chance to fish the big rivers for a while.  Once runoff gets going this year, it's going to be especially crazy for some time.

Bitterroot River:
The Root is in full recovery with the flows leveling out and the water clearing.  Today is going to be sunny with some wind.  I'd expect the best fishing will still be with be nymphs or with dry/droppers.  If you do start to see surface feeding and the trout are ignoring your big foam skwala, put on a Goddard caddis for the numora.  Things could get really good on the Root later this week with some clouds.  Hopefully, it wont rain too hard and the river won't get huge again.

Blackfoot River:
I still have yet to fish the Blackfoot this year.  I drove alongside it two days ago and it looked to be shaping back up after the last push of water.  If everything stays stable, the Blackfoot may wake up, for real, in the next couple of days.  You may see an afternoon March brown hatch but a double nymph rig (turd and worm) is the safe play.

Rock Creek:
Rock Creek fished pretty well right through that last push.  Wading safely was more of a concern than anything.  Now that it's on the drop, I'd head that way if I wanted a safe bet on catching some great trout.  At this time of year, especially in the lower reaches, once you find one, keep fishing the same spot because there are probably 10 more right there.  I would also expect some action on top here in the middle of the day. Skwalas and march browns were hatching strong during that higher flow and I'm sure the trout are ready to munch them now.  If my life depended on catching a lot of great trout today, I'd go to Rock Creek.

Clark Fork River (above Deer Lodge):
The release out of the ponds is over.  The flow is right back at the historical mean.  This is also another good fishing option for the next couple of days.  Nymphing and streamers should be productive but keep an eye out for sneaky rise forms in the foam lines.  A very small red/orange wooly bugger can be the bee's knees up here in the spring.

Clark Fork River (below Missoula):
I did a great float yesterday with a former and well known Clark Fork fishing guide and his friend yesterday.  It was a day in the classroom for me.  I love chances to fish with people that are worlds better at fishing than me. Just like with any skilled craft or art, fishing with folks that are better than you is the best way to learn and get better.  The Clark Fork is on the drop overall although, there was a small bump yesterday.  The water has still got a bit of color, but is shaping up.  There was a solid march brown/grey drake hatch in the afternoon but it went mostly unnoticed by the trout.  We were hoping to hit the flying skwala hatch but we didn't even see one big bug.  The hatch must be right on the cusp though because the hot fly was the rubberleggs.  It out-fished the worm so....  During the hatch, the fish were higher up in the water culumn and the dry/dropper rig with a rubberleggs or p-tail/hare's ear dropper worked good.  Most of my fish were caught when the dropper was getting dragged.  I suspect that swinging a size 16-12 soft hackle in some swirlies could be tons-o-fun.  Then, later in the day, the deeper nymph was more effective. 

Area Lakes and Ponds:  
Beavertail is fishing great.  Bring a box of buggers and get to it.  In the next couple of weeks, there will be hatches of really large chrironomids.  They are about a size 16.  The fish target the huge nymphs right as they are hatching. All of the fish are brood stockers and have live thier entire lives in a tank so don't think to hard.  I just grease a hare's ear and give it micro wiggle in the film.  One fun thing that happens at the pond is when there are large flying skwala hatches on the Clark Fork which is just across the highway.  A handfull of the skwalas actually fly over and oviposit in the pond.

Harpers Lake is also fishing great for brood stockers.  They are a bit more picky here than at Beavertail.  I think that the only logical reason for this is that the water is crystal clear and they can see better.  A brown wooly bugger has been the key here.  You'll want to have a boat for fly fishing although, it is not absolutely crucial.  These fish will also eat on top but they are stupid fish so don't over-think it.  I was eating sunflower seeds and spitting the seed shucks in the water.  The huge brood stockers were eating them off the surface.  I guess they look like hatchery pellets.

Browns Lake is currently having some access issues.  The majority of the shoreline (especially where people like to fish on the eastern banks) is private.  I guess the landowners are now enforcing their no trespass rights.  Stream acsess does not apply to lakes, so don't go here if you don't have a boat.        
    

The Flashback Purple Haze Soft Hackle

The Flashback Purple Haze Soft Hackle is a great fly pattern and is effective in all sizes but works best in sizes 22-16.

FB Purple Haze SH

HOOK: Size 22-6 (best in 22-16) - scud or nymph
THREAD: Purple 6/0
RIBBING: Black small diameter wire
FLASHBACK: Medium pearl tinsel
BODY: Thread in small sizes, purple dubbing for larger sizes
THORAX: Hand blend dubbing mix in natural or bright colors with some rabbit fur for texture
SOFT HACKLE: Partridge hackle tips for small sizes, palmered partridge for larger sizes

This fly (in the appropriate sizes) works great for midge, baetis, and caddis hatches. I love to fish soft hackles. When you are doing it right, it is as much fun and requires as much, if not more, skill than dry fly fishing.

Making something look alive with respect to its natural movements can be more challenging than making something look dead or still.    

Book tease: Opportunity, Montana - Big Copper, Bad Water, and the Burial of an American Landscape

I am halfway through this great book about the Clark Fork's obliteration due to 100 years of industrial scale mining. Today, I came a cross a great quote that I wanted to share. There are many analogies which seek to make this same point however, this one is my favorite:

"I tend not to trust extremist and ideologues.  It's not about preferring the middle of the road, it's that 'road' is too rigid a metaphor.  On a river, you can't afford to hug strictly the right or left bank and still hope to arrive downstream. You have to follow the current where it leads, left, right, or center.  Sometimes you have to get out and walk."

Eroded banks comprised of toxic mine waste below Warm Springs, MT

Mine waste stream bank

The Hellgate osprey are back!

Iris and Stanley are back on their nest in Missoula's Hellgate Canyon.  Click play to watch them live, 24 hours a day.

Soon they will start mating.  They'll do it every 30 seconds or so.

The AXIS P5534-E camera, computer infrastructure and internet connection were donated by the Riverside Health Care Center. Real time High Definition TV - available in Riverside HCC's lobby - was donated by Raptors of the Rockies. Logistic support provided by Northwestern Energy. This camera is also supported by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and their Bird Cams Project.

Check out The University of Montana Biogeochemistry Labratory's website for more information.

Beer Fish Eye

Close-up of the beer fish's eye.

The movie Damnation from Patagonia debuts in Missoula tonight

Damnation, a movie about our changing national attitude towards large dams and the new reality of dam removal, debuts in Missoula, Montana tonight at 7pm, April 15, 2014

The movie is showing as part of the Wildlife Film Festival at the Roxy Theater on the Hip Strip of Higgins Ave.

We are a town that has removed a dam. I got to play a minuscule part in that project. 

RIP Milltown Dam!

Major earthworks begin at the confluence of Rock Creek and the Clark Fork Rivers (updated 4/2015)

Remember that long, ugly berm that you drive past as soon as you cross the Clark Fork River on Rock Creek Road?  It's the one with the mullein forest growing on it that has served as a recruitment area for noxious and invasive weeds for the past couple years.

Well, it's being torn down and there is a big story behind it...

At the mouth of the Rock Creek Valley there is a beautiful, 200 acre swath of land. The borders are defined by the mouth of Rock Creek, the Clark Fork River, Rock Creek Road, and an adjacent property.  This property was almost destroyed - for ever- by an out of state developer who (origionally a Montanan).

The first known European settlers of the property were Paul and Anna Rinaldi, Italian immigrants who worked for the railroad and ranched the land.

The Rinaldi's Cabin?

The land continued to be utilized for agriculture for the next 100 years or so until it was purchased by Michael Barnes, an Oregon-based real estate developer.

It was Michael's plan to develop a 36 plot, Mcmansion filled subdivision on the property complete with a large, stocked trout pond!  Everyone knows that the one thing you need when you live right next to one of the world's finest wild trout streams, is a pond full of stupid stockers.

In 2006, Mr. Barnes went right to work tearing up the property with heavy machinery and installing infrastructure without some of the necessary permits.  He dug a massive, 5 acre pond and used the diggings to create that berm that went along the road.

Mr. Barnes' subdivision idea did not sit well with the locals and conservationists. Remember all those "No Rock Creek Subdivision" stickers?  Local groups formed and expressed their discontent to the Missoula County Commissioners who delayed and then tabled the plan.

Then in 2008, the housing market crashed and the property went on the market.

In 2012, Five Valleys Land Trust bought the property and have since:

• Worked with adjacent property owners to put over 500 acres of land under permanent conservation easement. 
• Removed tons of garbage, fencing, and huge agricultural equipment.
• Built a public access, parking, and trials to the Clark Fork River.
• Installed a bunch of bluebird boxes.

They've also worked with Trout Unlimited and the University of Montana's Wildland Restoration Program to develop an ecological restoration plan for the berm, pond, and the severely eroded banks of the Clark Fork River.

The major restoration work has just started.  Yesterday, I headed out there to check it out and talk to Grant Kier, the Executive Director of Five Valleys Land Trust.   

Tearing down the berm (ripping)

Tearing down the berm (grading)

The pond

Mr. Kier says that eventually, the entire property will be opened to the public; complete with trails and access to the confluence.

This is one of the rare cases where conservation won over development.  In this case however, I guess we owe a thanks to Wall Street bankers and their sub-prime mortgages for crashing the market.

I also went fishing (F-ing duh).  The creek is still pretty big and wading was sketchy.  Some big fish have moved up into the system with the elevated flows.  Most of the fish are hanging in side channels and winter-style water.  The big brown trout made a greater than average showing and the rainbows were especially hot.  The water is warm enough now that they're starting to perform big acrobatics.  I saw many skwalas and numoras, as well as a solid march brown hatch.  There were some rises but not enough for me to cut off my super productive nymph rig.

Degrees Of Gray In Phillipsburg

I love Phillipsburg, Mt.  In fact, it is a very special place for many different aspects of my life.  I was part of making the "Degrees of Gray" into the "Prettiest Painted Places in America" a few years back.  When I entered into the professional world of trout conservation, I cut my teeth in the Flint Creek Valley working with ranchers and their irrigation diversions during a low water year.  Yes, people told me they would shoot me, a lot.

Richard Hugo is awesome.  This is a video of a short interview and then, a short clip where he reads his poem "Degrees of Gray in Phillipsburg" to a backdrop of some P-burg and Granite footage.



Make a good stiff drink and listen to some poetry!
The Flint Creek Valley offers some fantastic fly fishing.

• Georgetown Lake
• Flint Creek
• Boulder Creek
• Trout Creek
• Upper Rock Creek
• Plus mountain lakes and secret creeks galore!

Two great Missoula area volunteer events in one day!

For the aquatic crowd, the 2014 Clark Fork River Cleanup

For more info, to volunteer, or to become a team leader for the Clark Fork Cleanup please email Liz Underwood at liz@clarkfork.org.
Sponsors interested in participating in this high profile event should cal  Jill at 406-542-0539, ext. 206.

And for the terrestrial folks, Mount Sentinel and M trail maintenance/weed pull 

Food and coffee is provided for volunteers
Love the M trail but can't volunteer? Donate any amount at MTrail.org.

For more info contact: marilyn.marler@umontana.edu

This is also a great opportunity to buy some great native plants for your garden from the University of Montana Society for Ecological Restoration!

To volunteer for this event, just go the the entrance to the M trail at 9am or so. 

Will You Do The Trick?

This is a great song from Dr Dog's Be the Void album.  If you plan on fishing the streams around Missoula anytime soon, you may need something that does the trick.  It's tough out there right now.

Bitterroot River:
The flow is pretty huge for this time of year.  The river is closed from Woodside to Tucker due to the dangers of that low head dam.  I'm sure you could get into some fish on the Root but your going to need a boat, some nymphs and split shot, and long drive up to the forks area.

Blackfoot River:
Again, you could probably get into some fish here but it will be very difficult.  The Blackfoot is also carrying a bit of color as well.  All standard nymphs and streamers fished on inside bends and right of the banks (if your in a boat).

Clark Fork River (near Warm Springs)
The folks that run the gate opened it up last week.  The water was as big as I've ever seen it there and was carrying a bit of color.  Mill Creek was low and clear.  Weird.  The fishing was tough but I did hook into some giants.  The river becomes pretty silted by the time it gets to Deer Lodge.  Stay tuned to the RBM Chronicles as I will be posting a report on the toxic sediment mediation and bank restoration that is taking place up there and closing part of the river.

Clark Fork (around Missoula)
Huge and colored.

Rock Creek
Even the Creek got huge with the push of flows starting last week.  I bet a bunch of big Clark Fork trout moved on in with these great spawning conditions.  You'd be very limited for fish-able water if your wading but it should shape up soon, I hope.  You can go way up high.

Area Lakes/Ponds
Beavertail is fishing great.  I caught another 30+" rainbow last week and had fun losing others and getting those hits that feel like you stuck into a log.  For fat old hatchery fish, they are really fun to catch.  One of the larger ones I caught actually did a double tail-walk like a brown trout on the MO.  I yelled and laughed, more because I was surprised that the fish could do it, rather than the fact that he did.  You better go to the pond soon though because the bait fishers clean it out quick.  By the time the weather gets warm enough for swimming, Beavertail Pond should only be considered if you are physically handicapped or want to take a kid out.

I don't fish Frenchtown pond and now that it has thawed, I've got nothing to tell you until it freezes in the fall. There's ditch pickles bass in there.

Harpers Lake has to be thawed by now.  I've been meaning to get up there but it has been so windy it hasn't been worth it.  Harpers is managed just like Beavertail so, look for huge brood stock and throw a variety of buggers at them.  Harpers lake is a macrophyte dominated system so it is very clear.  It is also a natural lake and is quite pretty.  It is in a deep pothole so the wind isn't as bad down in there.  Sometimes, when it gets too windy at Browns Lake, Harpers Lake shines as a less windy alternate.

I imagine Browns is ice free too but the wind up there must be horrendous.  You got to fish early before the wind starts.  Browns Lake has always been a bit of a puzzle for me.  I want to work on that puzzle; maybe this week.

How to use Microsoft Power Point to watermark photos

Here are a couple of photos I took of Missoula yesterday evening.  I've been trying to figure out a decent, free way to watermark my photos but my searches only led to expensive software or having to download something.  It all seemed like a pain in the ass.  Then, like three pages into my Google results, I came across this super helpful page from Microsoft that explains how use Power Point to do it.  It is really easy and fast and gives you all of the watermarking options you could possibly want.  Once you set it up, you can add watermarks to your pictures as fast as you can click "insert" and "save as."  Just be sure to save them in the right format (JPEG or .jpg) as it will want to save them as JNP.

I hope you enjoy these nicely watermarked photos of my beautiful town.

Ranunculus glaberrimus- sagebrush buttercup

Dodecatheon pulchellum- dark throat shooting star

Fritillaria pudica- yellow bell

Missoula hippies on a walk

Mt. Sentinel bike

Missoula, MT. in early spring

Night lights 

The University of Montana oval at night

John Gierach book reading and signing in Missoula on 4/24

John Gierach will be in Missoula, MT on April, 24 2014.  There will be a reading and book signing for John's latest book at the Fact and Fiction bookstore downtown starting at 7:00 pm.

Whose leg do I have to hump to get a Moscow Mule around here?

A close family member. RBMark 2014

O Osprey, Where Art Thou?

Squeaky Oar Lock from Headhunters announced on the HH blog that osprey made it back to the Missouri River about 2 weeks ago.  After that, I spotted one on the Bitterroot that looked like he was still on the move.  Then on Tuesday, the Missoulian ran an article about the osprey couple that nest in the outfield at the Missoula Osprey's baseball stadium.  Last year, the pair was in the news and people were all upset because some geese claimed the nest before the osprey got there.  I see this happen around here every spring.  The geese, perched high up in the in the nest, just stand their ground and honk as the osprey dive bomb them over and over again.

This year, Dr. Greene from the Montana Osprey Project installed a "goose excluder" (otherwise known as a cone made out of chicken wire) on the nest at the baseball field.  It proved successful and those osprey are on that nest.

 

Osprey nest at Allegiance Field (baseball stadium) RBM 2008

So, while there are some osprey back in Montana, where the hell are the rest of them?  On his Facebook feed, Dr. Greene says, "...well over 90% of the osprey nests in Missoula still have no one there."  And most importantly, where are Iris and Stanley, our Hellgate Osprey Cam superstars?

MPG Ranch Montana

They are still on winter vacation!

The dots are satellite tagged osprey that summer in Western Montana.  If you visit the interactive map at MPG Ranch website, you can zoom into each point to get a closer view of exactly where they are and follow their voyage all the way to Montana.

If you just can't wait to see a western Montana osprey, in its nest, while you drink coffee, or whatever, check this out.




This nest is on the Dunrovin Ranch in Lolo, Montana near the Bitterroot River.  Meet Ozzey and Harriet, and what sounds like a billion other birds.  If you are stuck in a shitty place right now, turn up the speakers!

Stay tuned for updates on the Hellgate osprey etc.

A little push in the bush

Just keep telling yourself it's good for the trout.  It kinda works.