Jeff Clarke's Winter Observations

Windstorm, sage thinning, pileated woodpecker, pine grosbeak, willow rub

January was unseasonably warm and snowless this year.

On February 1st, a warm windstorm surged through the Bitterroot and Missoula Valleys.

he distant call of pileated woodpeckers echoed through the North Floodplain.

I also watched several squirrels retrieve cones from the snowless forest floor

We removed the protective metal fences from a couple of our willow restoration plantings

An ungulate rubbed this native juniper many years ago.

This old skull reminded me of a time when white-tailed deer were more prevalent on the floodplains.

Black-capped chickadees are one of the most curious birds in the forest

A flock of pine grosbeaks made their way up the Woodchuck drainage.

Spores turn the fluffy virgin’s bower seeds yellow as they await transport.

pair of coyotes and aA great blue heron followed the same path in search of their next meal.