Surprises as I approached the Grove Creek

Every year I have observed female deer along the Grove Creek, which is south of our home. They have  fawns in the late spring and I watch them with my telescope as they graze in the pastures near the creek. With my telescope I have been able to determine the female is nursing based on the size of her utter. This is a photograph I took of one of the females from our deck with 400mm zoom lens.

I purposely avoid getting near them as the fawns are young to avoid scaring them and perhaps getting them injured. However, I said, now is the time to take my camera and get a close up of the fawns. I head toward the creek and all of a sudden, the first surprise. Ahead of me along the fence was a small yellow and black bird. I had not seen these before, so I had to take some photographs. This was the first one I captured.

It was a goldfinch. When I got back to the house, I learned that this little bird sheds these beautiful colors in the winter time. I had seen them in their winter colors around the barn but didn't know what they were. They left the fence and were flying around in the pasture, when I captured this image of one of them perched on this old sunflower.

So on to the creek. As I get closer, I seen two fawns. It must be another deers baby. I am getting closer and no long need the zoom lens to see the fawns. Now there are three fawns and I was guessing that the female that was near, must be in charge of the babies. This is the photo I took the the group.

Mother is in the lower right of the photo and the fawns are at the top. Now for the surprise. As I got closer, mother became alarmed and must have alerted the fawns, as they all took off together. Surprise - this mother must of had triplets as the entire entourage headed over the nearby hill and were gone. If these babies belonged to someone else, they would have headed to where their mother was. As they followed this mother, I gave her the nod as being the mother of all three.

We didn't have to go to Yellowstone

Either on our property on within a mile I have found these creatures in the last 2 weeks. As I leave the ranch I always have my camera sitting next to me on the front seat. I have my favorite routes to take either to Absarokee or Fishtail or returning. This picture was taken on the return trip on the Johnson Place, the Lower Grove Creek Rd. This time I was leaning on the open window pane to get this shot.
A few days later on my way to Fishtail, I spotted this Red Tail hawk in the middle of a pasture. Not sure if it was full and resting or awaiting something to aware in the field. Not as big as some but it posed nicely.

I was looking out the living room window and saw something unusally large along the fence near the shed, just north of the Grove Creek. I grabbed my spotting scope to get a closer look and guess what I saw, a porcupine. I was too far away even with my zoom lens so I jumped in the truck and drove down to the creek, expecting to take the picture from the truck. I didn't want to be picking quills from my body. This is the first picture, I framed it for a post card, liked the finished product, so you get a fancier image.

I was having trouble finding it's face, so I decided to be brave. I got out of the truck, crossed the fence and approached the critter. It didn't seem to act like I was even in the vicinity so I got closer and closer. Got this picture, no quills in my leg and returned to the truck.

Just 2 days later I was near the spot where I photographed the eagle you saw above and spotted another porcupine. I had good pictures already, so I just watched for a few minutes and was on my way home.

Another eagle. Not a day goes by that we don't see an eagle either flying over the property, in a tree, or enjoying a feast on a carcass. This one was content sitting here as I manuvered around to get it's picture.

I guess I am bored with all of the deer I see on a daily basis so today they are only memories. If we had traveled the 160 miles to Yellowstone I would have had some bison and elk, perhaps a coyote or wolf, and I just read in the paper that the grizzlies are out of hibernation. The neighbor spotted coyotes chasing his sheep last week and wolf tracks nearby. We will be going to Chico Hot Springs and Yellowstone in about 10 days. Come back again and see what I find down there.

An update from Marty & Clint

The winner of the Halloween costume award goes to Patrick McCarthy, our grandson who lives in Westport, CT. Patrick had just finished his football season in Westport and wanted to treat the neighbors with a Big Ten look. Go Bucks

When the family was here this summer, cousin Kate from Georgia fell in love with Johnny, one of our horses. When it came time to return to the southland, Kate had convinced Marty and as well as Kate's parents, that Johnny would look good at their stables. Kate and her father, Marque returned the weekend of November 5th for Kate to spend a few more days with Johnny. Looks like a great match up.

Just before Kate and her dad arrived, we observed the horses starring at the road. Was it Kate and her dad arriving to see Johnny? No, it was too early for them. Could it have been some type of critter? No, most of the critters are hiding as the Montana hunting season is now in full force. But it wasn't hunters either.

It was a neighbor taking their sheep down the Grove Creek Rd, moving them from one pasture to another. Do you suppose our horses were jealous that they were not participating in the drive?

Remember the photograph of the owl that I took last winter while I was cutting wood for the fireplace. Well, it's time to get more wood and I was at the same place cutting logs for the winter ahead. Just as I did, January 5th to be specific, I looked over my shoulder as I was heading for the house with some wood, and guess who I saw. Of course I didn't have my camera, so quickly to the house, grabbed my camera and returned to the Grove Creek. It was still there, but after I compared these phot0's with the ones I took in January, I believe it was a different owl. I looks smaller and not was colorful as the prior owl. Go to the January 5, 2010 posting for a comparison.

Has winter settled in Montana yet? Well, the first weekend in October in 2008 we had 42 inches of snow, the same weekend in 2009 we have 24 inches of snow, and this same weekend in 2010 it was 83 degrees, obviously, no snow. If you go to the October 9, 2009 posting you will see pictures from these 2 weekends. So what was it like last weekend when Kate and Marque were here. The sun was shining and the temperatures were in the mid-70's on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It all changed yesterday. The weatherman predicted 12-18 inches of snow in the mountains, there would be no accumulation at our elevation as the ground was still warm. This picture confirms that the weatherman at least knew what he was forecasting. Our altitude of 4500 feet missed the snow, just one ridge away, the white stuff was accumulating and the mountains really got hit.

As most of you know by now, Emma and Baxter, 2 great dane puppies arrived about a month ago. By now they have settled in, take a morning walk to get the paper with Marty, Kenya, and I, are underfoot most of the time and can last 4 - 5 hours between bowel movements. They are gaining weight at the rate of almost a pound a day. Here they are. We got them winter blankets 3 weeks ago and they have almost outgrown them. Stay tuned for more adventures of Emma and Baxter.

Who invited you?

It usually happens about once a year, it is usually in the summer, and a critter that is not common to our part of Montana, appears on the scene. Yesterday, I got a call from a neighbor who had spotted the bear in one of our pastures as they drove by our ranch. I quickly grabbed my camera and got a couple pictures before it headed north across the road and up the hill.

Where it had been and where it was going is anybody's guess. A bear normally has a range of 10 square miles and the rate at which it was running across the pasture, it was in a hurry to get somewhere else.

It did not appear as if it had been on our property very long, as the horses who shared the pasture where I saw the bear were not aware of it's appearance and the horses in the adjoining pastures were calm and under control as well.

Sure signs of spring in Montana

As you drive down the roads of rural Montana at this time of the year, it's a sure thing that you will start seeing young calves in the pastures with their mothers. We will probably still be seeing day old calves at least until May, but the pastures are getting full and the calves are a sure sign.

Several days ago, I started hearing a pounding noise on our bay windows, at first I thought it was one of the dogs scratching or gnawing on something. Then I followed the noise to one of our large picture windows to discover a robin flying into the window. He could have been telling me they had returned for the spring and summer but experience tells me he saw a reflective image in the window and was either attacking it or trying to get in the house. Here he is in a resting position before his next attack.
The other site driving down the roads are herds of deer. You will see in this photograph that the girls have accumulated around the "man of the hills". You should also note that there is only one of these guys with the antlers. For now this is his harem, and you better not mess with his women.
There are calves, birds returning from their winter habitat, the female deers have selected a mate to share with their lady friends and there are many other critters starting to show up. If they have been around, they have found a warm comfortable place to stay, not to far from food, but now that it's getting warm and the snow is about gone, they are venturing out. This one was walking down the middle of the Grove Creek Road as I headed home the other day. I gave him a wide berth and waited for him to realize that I needed to get past him before I proceeded home.

As the days are getting longer and daylight savings time means it's darker later, we know that there will be at least another snow and that summer is next.

Kenya had a great day, look what she found

We spotted Kenya running down the lane toward the house after our morning walk. She seemed in a happy mood and was moving at quite a rapid pace. We noticed something strange, take a look closely and see if you see what we saw. I agree, you probably can't see what's unique, in fact, I had to look several times after Marty told me what she had seen. The real question will be not what it is or where she got it but how it became hooked on her dog blanket under her neck.


If you still haven't figured it out, it is a bone from most likely a deer carcass, most likely a front leg and from the joint there are 2 bones that have created a hook that is lapped over the top of the dog blanket under her neck. Whether she was rolling on the carcass or the bone, it was most likely the way it got bound on the blanket.

This may be the best angle to see the bone. Barlo was either not interested or had been told by Kenya to stay away from her bone. Ultimately, when Marty took off the blanket the bone was deposited in the trash barrell. But that was just the morning scenario. We took them for an afternoon walk towards the mountains, turned around at the gate at the Johnson place and as we started back towards the house, guess what. Kenya had found another prize.

It was obvious what she had found this time. It was the remains of the head, neck, and some of the pelt of a deer. Whether the morning find was related to this part, we will never know. The close up will give you a better perspective of this prize.

Kenya was ultimately asked to drop her prize. With much chagrin, she relented, Marty grabbed her collar and I tossed her token into a field with a good fence so that she could not return to the scene of the capture. Whether it's old age or a predator, these carcasses are not rare and a dog on the loose is always attracted to the parts that remain.

Winter is returning to the Circle B Bar T

In case you haven't read the weather report, we're due for another round of winter weather. In preparation, Clint filled the space next to the fireplace with plenty of wood. After the horses have been cared for, Marty and Clint snuggle up in front of the fireplace, read a book, get the latest from our friends on Facebook, Twitter, or your favorite spot. As you can see we're ready.
This will last for at least 5 days and maybe a week. But Clint is prepared, in anticipation of the cold and snow, he has just finished stockpiling another week to 10 days supply under the deck, next to the back door to the downstair's fireplace. We have options, upstairs or downstairs.
And you ask, where did all of this wood come from. It's only January and we have already burned thru at least 2 cords of wood, but fear not, there is a lot more where this came from. Yes, over the shoulder's of the turkeys there is an abundance of wood along the Grove Creek. Clint has been harvesting the older vegetation that voluntarily grows along the creek as well as an occasional tree that gets destroyed by the wind and weather. He hasn't made a dent in the opportunity.
This is a close up of where Clint spends his days in the winter, as he did today, cutting the wood that you saw above in the back of the Gator and stacked along the wall under the deck. Clint spent close to 2 hours with the chainsaw, axe and wedge. This limb is obviously dead and will ultimately be on the ground where it is easier for cutting.
and now to test your eyesight. As Clint was leaving the Grove Creek with his second load of wood, after almost 2 hours of working and sawing (a lot of noise as well) he glanced around at the area only to see on the opposite side of this limb something that had been observing his actions. As soon as he got to the house, he grabbed his camera and returned to take this picture.
In case your eyesight has failed you, the owl that had been observing Clint's activities is nicely camoufloged in its nest.

Guess what I found

Today was the first day in almost 2 weeks that it wasn't raining and cold. I was driving the Gator through the pastures looking at the potential for hay when I happened to see a deer at the opposite end of the field I was in. I stopped and watched, she was definitely watching me, finally she started to move as if she was going to move out of the pasture, then she stopped. I thought I saw a fawn, but wasn't sure. She made another move away from me and finally she took off across another pasture. If she had a new baby, she would probably be trying to distract me to keep me away from the fawn.

I stayed at the gate for several minutes, until I was sure I saw the fawn, drove the Gator to the house, got my camera with the 400mm lens and headed back to the pasture. I did not want to get too close to the fawn and disturb it or it's mother. Mom was no where to be seen so I planted myself far enough away that I would not be spooking the fawn in hopes that it would be close enough for a picture. Twice in 30 minutes it peeked it's head out of the tall grass, I got 8 pictures, this is the best one.

It's still spring

Susan and John McCarthy, Westport, CT sent the picture of the day. I had to post it because it was so fitting. Believe it or not, although it has been like summer for the last 3 weeks, today was spring. Temperatures in the 50's and 60's, mist started around noon and it's more like rain now, predicting snow tonite. Woke up to see our horses all excited about something, it was the neighbor's horses who were not in their pasture because someone left the gate open, traveling up our road and visiting the other neighbors horses.

I took a load of manure to the pasture where I spread it and chased the neighbor's 3 horses toward their pasture, they entered our field where I spread the manure. By the time I was thru spreading the stinky stuff, the neighbor's wife had arrived to help move the horses. I took the spreader off the Gator so that I could help, only to realize the bolt that I had found on the road last week was used to hold the bed of the spreader to the axel. I was in trouble. Horses were back where they came from, and 2 trips later to Absarokee and the lumber company, I had the nuts and bolts I needed to fix the spreader.

The rain started, one of our horses jumped a fence to be with it's buddies and I didn't get much done. Tomorrow the 3000 sheep will be moved down the road to another pasture and another neighbor plans to leave 200 head of cattle on the South Grove Creek Road over nite on their way to their summer pasture.

Clint needs to get better

As I was traveling toward Fishtail yesterday with my camera by my side, I saw at least a 5 foot snake crossing the road. I had the wrong lens on the camera and by the time I had the correct lens, the snake was gone. I got out of the truck, walked through the grass and couldn't find. That's when I found the sheep and the spurge that I talked about yesterday.

After stopping at the General Store, the dump, the lumber company, the bank, the post office, and the IGA, I started down the Stillwater toward the Grove Creek. I spotted a female deer, stopped the truck and with my 400mm zoom lens I took its picture. Not until I saw the picture close up on the computer, did I realize it was not a doe about to have a fawn or perhaps a doe with a fawn. I was too far away to tell when I took the picture.

It is the time of year for the female deer to start having their babies. They usually separate themselves from the rest of the herd to have their baby, that's why I thought I might have found one. Sooner or later, you'll see a picture of a doe with her fawn.

A stinky mess

It took 2 days to have the trap in the correct setting, but this morning the evidence was in the trap. The best way to move the critter is to cover the trap before you try to move it to avoid the stinky spray. I picked up an old sheet with a garden hoe and attempted to put it over the trap. The critter sprayed the sheet and when I tried to get the trap completely covered, my right glove got a good coat of the perfume.

For those of you who might think that trapping the skunk and then disposing of it is cruel, you have never smelled one this close and more importantly, Stillwater County is one of 5 counties in the State of Montana that is quarantined for rabid skunks. Therefore, to protect the our livestock as well as our neighbors, we had to disposed of the critter. These are the 2 pictures that I promised when I set the trap.

It was a day of branding

In the two prior blogs you saw that the ranchers had arrived with their pickup trucks and trailers along with some horses. They would round up the cattle and calves first at the Donohoes and then the Redmans, close to 300 cows and 300 calves in total. The cowboys would separate the cows from the calves, and then the ropers would lasso a calf, remove it from the holding pen, and other cowboys and cowgirls would hold the calves while they were branded, the young bull calves were casterated, and they all got an immunization shot. They calves would then rejoin their mothers. At the conclusion of the branding at the Redmans, everyone was invited to enjoy dinner of beef. There was a beer and soda truck available from the start to the finish. Bud Lite was the beer of choice.

Pictured below is the brands being heated, the actual branding of one of the calves, a mother cow watching her calf being branded, the look on her face says, "what are you doing to my calf" while one of the workers heads for another calf to immunize it, and finally this bucket will find its way to the Cowboy Bar and Supper Club for the annual Testicle Festival which is held at the end of the branding season.

What was happening?

Unless you spoke this past week with Marty or I, you will have to guess where we were and what we were doing. This blog does not tell the entire story, it's just the begining.















This is a hint, we weren't fighting fires even
though this is where the fire started 3 yrs ago
You say, there's no snow, it it spring, there's
cows and calves, got an idea yet.














You've seen the cowboys, is this some kind of
seminar, or maybe a rodeo.


you think you got it, a cattle roping contest.

The snow returned today. When we awoke this morning, I noticed the temperature was 37 degress, it was supposed to be 27. I said to Marty, it's 10 degrees warmer that it was supposed to be. She said, and it didn't rain. Then I looked out the window to see 3 inches of snow, you'll have to wait for the green.

A new bluebird

If you are familar with the pictures I've taken, you've seen a "mountain bluebird" that I photographed last year by the side of the house, another one in Yellowstone was on the blog on April 5th and I promised I would find the male and get his photograph eventually. I am conditioning myself for a 4 day field seminar in Yellowstone in May - they say we will be hiking 3 to 4 miles a day, and on my conditioning walk yesterday, I took my camera. This guy was near a "bluebird box" along the road to the Johnson Place on my outward trip and I failed again to get his picture. Then on the return, he was perched in the trees along the Grove Creek. This is my favorite of him. If you've seen last years, which do you like best. If you haven't seen last years, go to circlebbart.etsy.com, he's there and has had more visits than any other picture.

Does this look like spring?

The weatherman was very accurate in his predictions for Stillwater County and the Fishtail area andyou will see that the ranchers and wildlife were not prepared. The snow is not supposed to let up until Friday and that doesn't mean that it's over for the spring, as we have had 10 inches of snow as late as June 14th.

After we fed the horses their hay in the snow covered pasture this morning, they traversed to other parts, dug under the snow to eat the new green growth. I took a picture of our place from the Grove Creek Road, 3 miles from our house, today as I returned from Fishtail having mailed our tax returns. Does this look like April 15th, no, it looks more like April Fools ( you may have to doulbe click to see the house). I also happened upon a Meadowlark, compare this picture to the one I posted on April 7th.

Finally you will notice that these sheep got their wool removed a few days early, but this will not be the first time nor the last that mother nature has tried to dictate when the shearers should do their job. The black animals in the middle of the sheep are a couple of calves who got misplaced from their mothers when the rancher put hay at the other end of the pasture - - that's where the sheep are headed also.

We got water

This will be a spring to remember, at least from the standpoint of precipitation. The Montana Bureau of Mines has been monitoring our well for the last 7 years. When the well was dug in 1993 it was 105 feet deep, from the surface of the ground to the water was 43 feet and it pumped at a rate of 25 gallon per minute. The monitoring was a reaction to the concern for the drought caused by the lack of precipitation and the potential impact it could have on agriculture.

Currently, the water is at the highest level it has been in 7 years and very close to when the well was dug 16 years ago. In addition to the Grove Creek, which has always had some water flowing through it, we now have the Davidson Creek which starts north and west of our ranch, and crosses under the road that leads to the entrance to our home. The Davidson Creek has been flowing for over a month, the Grove Creek is flowing at a rate we haven't seen in years, and our spring tank, used to water the livestock in the northern pastures has been full since last fall.

We are currently in a winter storm watch, with 100% chance of snow and rain for the next 3 days, which means more water. The snow pack in the mountains was running 6% above normal about a week ago.

We should have great hay crops this summer but in the meantime we have mud like we haven't seen either. The drought which allowed the fires to be a major threat for the last few years should be under control, and the green picture that you have seen on our website may be a reality again. For those of you who have never seen the Davidson Creek, this is what it looks like as you drive up the hill to our driveway.