Blue Goose ~ Day 24

June 24, 2014 ~ Missoula, MT to Polson, MT.

Jeez louise, Missoula is a busy town, but busy towns have coffee shops, and this was my first stop - a Starbucks on the south side of town, before heading 25 miles to the Florence / Stevensville area to one of the prettiest NWRs  yet, the Lee Metcalf NWR.

Lee Metcalf NWR - MT

Mr. Metcalf must have been an extraordinary man to have this refuge named after him. He was born in Stevensville, became a lawyer and then a US Senator with an impressive record of doing whatever he could for people and the environment. I will definitely read and learn more about him.

The Visitor Center was full of taxidermied specimens and skins and skulls, books, pamphlets, educational opportunities, and a friendly woman was answering questions and handing out loaner binoculars to a small group while I checked things out (trail maps, recent bird sightings or possible irresistible book purchases).

I walked two miles, accompanied by singing Common Yellowthroats the whole way, but seeing only one. Black-billed Magpies were ramming around raucously vocalizing and a Lewis's Woodpecker flew back and forth from the highest point of an old dead tree. Even though it was the middle of the day and much warmer than I expected, I saw flycatchers, swans, pelicans, ducks, waxwings, a Yellow Warbler and an osprey flew overheard.

The narrow trail wound through chest-high grasses in places, so I had Rocky Mountain Spotted fever on my mind (tick-borne disease). If I get it, I need doxycycline right away; that much I know now from googling. It's hard to diagnose and not a good thing to have. But I didn't see any ticks in my cursory checks.

I got overheated on the trail and drank a bottle of orange juice and lots of water when I was back in the parking lot and revived quickly, but I need to pay better attention to this, along with using sunscreen and wearing something on my head.

I have a cousin who lives in the hills above the refuge and debated whether to just stop by but didn't. Mostly I needed a long hot shower. "Hi Mark and Katie, Can I use your bathroom for an hour?" I was completely, totally sticky and gritty.

Should I just spend another night in Missoula? or continue to the National Bison Range. If I went on, I had to start the Red Sleep Drive through the range by 7 p.m. in order to be finished by gate-closing time, which I figured I could easily do.

National Bison Range - MT

I've been here several times; it's an 18-mile drive, and more than once on past visits, I had to slowly edge past massive bison or wait while they moved off the road. Remember, Steve and Andree, the time we went and right at the opening gate there was a huge bison looking at us with no apparent concern? However, in any human vs. bison encounter, the humans wouldn't have a chance. There are signs warning people to stay in their cars, and the bison must generally have placid dispositions. They could even do serious damage to a vehicle. I was here once in early spring when there were their reddish-colored calves all over and even then I didn't feel the parents were threatening. This time, although I rode past a large group of calves and adults a mile or so south of the range and confined in a pasture, I only saw a few adults on this particular drive and one elk. Red Sleep Drive has seriously steep switchback grades, which seemed much steeper than I remembered, which I attributed to driving a Subaru versus a Dodge. I sit higher in the Dodge. Really, the down-hill  trip was mostly braking, trying not to get distracted by the incredible views of the Mission Mountains to the east.

There has been an ongoing discussion about whether or not the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (Flathead Indian Reservation) should also be included in the management of the bison range. As far as I could tell from a quick search, they are not currently involved but the issue is not resolved to their satisfaction. This is interesting in view of the what historically has happened to Native Americans.

There is a fascinating account of the origin of the bison on the NBR at: www.bluegoosealliance.org/info/origins-foundingbison-nbr.pdf.

With a couple of hours of daylight left, I went to Ninepipe / Pablo NWR, another expanse of wetlands and hundreds of small glacial lakes. This refuge is on the Flathead Indian Reservation, and I think the Salish / Kootenai Tribes are involved to some degree in its management. Since I drove US 93 last, there are new signs along the road in both English and Salish, an animal bridge over this busy highway (Missoula to Kalispell) and a new divided road through the small town of Arlee on the reservation.

I had to find some roads in the refuge on my phone; there were only a few, but I stopped on the side of one of them and immediately saw an Osprey perched on a  post right in front of me, chocolate brown with white belly and head.

Osprey at Ninepipe NWR - MT

It flew after a few minutes with prey in its talons. For most of the hour I sat by the marsh, a Great Blue Heron moved zen-like through the reeds nearby while other herons flew in the distance. When I was about to leave, I looked behind me and saw a large dark bird perched in a tree top in the distance. I was almost too lazy to get my scope out and tried convincing myself it was a Swainson’s Hawk, but when I focused, it was a Golden Eagle, a bird I haven’t seen for a couple of years. So my watching hour had this perfect raptor beginning and ending.

As day gave way to night, I drove to Polson, found a brand new and upscale Walmart and stayed there.