Dusky Grouse Hen (Blue Grouse)

These photos were taken fairly high up on the south side of Sweathouse Creek. My puppy and I walked through thick beargrass on our way up a ridge and flushed this hen and her clutch of at least 10 chicks. They flew into the trees before she did. She waited for the last one to fly before she flew into this burned tree where she "froze." She sure is camoflauged.

The Dusky Grouse, Dendragapus obscurus, is a species of forest-dwelling grouse native to North America's Rocky Mountains. It was formerly known (until 2006) as the blue grouse and is the second largest grouse on our continent, measuring 12 to 15 inches in length. Only the Sage Grouse is bigger.

• Montana Field Guide for Dusky Grouse by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

To see all the photos in a new window click Merle's SmugMug Dusky Grouse link.

Whitetail Male Fawn

This little guy was walking through a mowed area in a field bleating for his mom. It isn't often I can tell the sex of a new fawn, but he proceeded to squat and urinate. It was then obvious he was a male. He was so intent on his "job" he hardly knew I was there. I hope Mom stays closer to him in the future.

To see all the photos in a new window, click Merle's SmugMug Whitetail Male Fawn link.

Cow Elk on my hike today - where is her calf?

My chesapeake puppy, Freda, and I hiked up a ridge south of Sweathouse Creek and crossed over to another ridge just north of Gash Creek. Coming down, Freda found a deer shed (antler) and I am running after her trying to see how big it is and scoop it up to take it home.

As I look up, a cow elk is standing nervously in the draw and she doesn't bolt. I had actually seen her in almost the same place on the way up, but now I am very curious why she didn't move on and why she isn't bolting from me.

I sat down trying to hide myself under a shrub while taking photos of her. As she moved, I "snuck" around more shrubs and watched/photographed her as she circled from down in the draw to the right up the draw, across a hillside above me, down again on my left, and back to where I first saw her. Finally, she retreated behind some grass and, I think, crouched down. Now this really didn't take long and I realized she probably had a calf and I should move on and leave them alone. All the time, my puppy was taking a nap in the shade. That was a good thing. I called her and we continued down the mountain.

That wasn't all, near the bottom of the hike I saw a downey woodpecker grabbing a large bug from a dead cottonwood snag. It flew about 3 feet to the next snag and disappeared in a neat hole to feed it's young. I think I will try to go back tomorrow to get photos. They are so darn quick, you have to be really patient to get a decent photo. For today, I was out of time.

To see all the cow elk photos click on Merle's SmugMug Cow Elk photo link.

Whitetail doe and her fawn

This Whitetail Doe actually had twin fawns but only one of them presented itself for the photos. They look so sweet and healthy.

See the slideshow below for more photos. To see all the photos in a new window, click Merle's SmugMug Whitetail Doe and Fawn photo link.

Turkey Hen and her last Chick

Yesterday on my hike, as I was walking over the top of a gentle ridge, I came around a bush and just about stepped on this wild turkey hen. She didn't move for a second, then she flew over a pile of dead wood.

As I looked down, there was this lone chick. They usually hatch lots of chicks, so I assume she lost all the others to predators.

Our puppy didn't see them and was out ahead of me. I hurried to catch up with her and leave this sweet little chick to its mother.

To see the three photos in a new window click Merle's SmugMug Turkey Hen and Chick link.

Whitetail Bucks near Bell Crossing on the Bitterroot River

As I drove by this field that is adjacent to the Bitterroot River, these bucks were frolicking in the grass. Beautiful.

More photos from our Bison Range field trip include Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta) . Both my sister, Linda, and I took photos using my Canon. Linda took the close-ups you will see here.

The specie is a favorite around here. In fact, it has the honor of being the state bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon and Wyoming. Sheez...

They are a member of the blackbird family. Males often use fence posts as perches while singing - actually staking out their breeding territory which can be up to 15 acres. The males have more than one mate, up to three females, nesting in their territory.

Meadowlarks are ground nesters and ground feeders eating both insects/invertebrates and some seeds.

While foraging, if they feel threatened they freeze close to the ground "disappearing" (yellow chest down and their brown and white back feathers blending) in the vegetation while casting a wary eye towards the danger.

To see all the photos in a new window, click Merle's SmugMug Western Meadowlark - take 2

Bullock's Oriole on the Bison Range

The Bullock's Oriole is fairly common according to Kenn Kaufman, but I haven't seen many. This one was near a creek bottom on the Bison Range, Moise, MT.

This one is a male. It resembles the Baltimore Oriole but has an orange face, more white in the wing and different tail pattern. The female is usually orange as a female Baltimore Oriole, with grayer back, whiter belly, and darker eyeline. This bird is often less musical than the Baltimore Oriole. You will hear whistles, chatters and creaks.

See the slideshow below or click on Merle's SmugMug Bullock's Oriole link to see the photos in a new window.

Indian Blanketflower or Firewheel

Gaillardia pulchella (Asteraceae) The common name of this annual is Indian Blanketflower, Firewheel, or Sundance. It has volunteered near a mountain road I use to access one of my hikes. As I took a short cut through a meadow/field, I saw one other site with this flower - also in full sun. It really stands out because it is the only flower on this hike that has bright orange or maroon in it.

The branching stem is hairy and upright, growing to about 1 1/2 or 2 feet tall. The 1-2 inch long leaves are alternate and mostly basal (low on the stem) with edges smooth to coarsely toothed or lobed. The pinwheel, daisy-like flower clusters are 1-2 inches in diameter and vividly colored with red, orange and yellow. The central disc florets of the flowerhead tend to be more red-violet, with the outer ray florets being yellow.

A hardy, drought tolerant annual native to the central United States, it seems to thrive in hot, dry sites. One of my sources says it is an excellent cut flower with a vase life from six to ten days. I haven't picked it because I enjoy it so much in the wild and there are only a few at this site. Maybe I will order seeds and give it a try at home.

For more photos, see my SmugMug Indian Blanketflower/Firewheel slideshow.

Elk Cows, Calves and a few young bulls

I have been hiking a closed road area where I have seen elk cows and calves in years past. It is quite a steep, long hike which is good for me, but takes a while. For days now, I have been quietly walking through the woods looking for the new calves. I see plenty of birds and deer, but so far no elk.

Well, today, when I get down to the valley floor, and to my surprise I saw a group of about 14 cows, 7 calves, and maybe 5 young bulls. They were milling around in a grassy meadow and stayed long enough for me to get quite a few photos. I will post one today and add a slideshow later.

Click on the photo to see it in a new, larger window. It is worth it!

Whitetail doe on a gravel bar in the Bitterroot River

We floated and fished the Bitterroot River yesterday. The water was high, but clear. That meant we had debris to dodge - new trees and wood lodged in the river - but lots of wildlife and bugs to see and fish to be caught. This slideshow focuses on the whitetail doe we saw. To see a blog about the fishing visit our Montana Fly Fishing Blog entry for this day.

To see the SmugMug slideshow in a new window click Merle's Whitetail Doe on the Bitterroot photos.

Palomino Horses

It seems I am on a horse theme for now. I was driving back from a photo shoot on the Bitterroot River and these horses caught my eye. Their manes and tails are incredible and they really liked me and the camera. See the slideshow below for more photos or click the link Palomino Horses to see the album in a new window.