4th of July Party at the Rattlesnake Gardens

If you haven't been, you need to go to the 4th of July BBQ put on by the Rattlesnake Gardens - (406) 543-9962
2501 Rattlesnake Dr, Missoula, MT 59802 Get directions Cross Streets: Near the intersection of Rattlesnake Dr and Powell St.

Located near the Historic Lower Rattlesnake District

Jack's band, Pinegrass, played the music there this year. I had never been and had no idea this was their 10th annual party! I can see why they have been so popular. The family picnic atmosphere was amplified with the great food, beverages, and ice cream. There was plenty of seating in the shade and some in the sun. Music was both the feature and the background.

So many people of all ages seemed to grin, visit, eat, dance and be merry from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. When it was over, the crowd left by bike, foot, and car and with in minutes, the place was quiet and clean. Amazing!

If you want to see for yourself, see the slideshow below. There are lots of photos so you might want to open it in a new window and buzz through it. Or, you can come for yourself next year!

Click here to view all in a new window - feel free to download copies

Get your own

Jack will be doing a benefit float on the Clark Fork River this Tuesday and Thursday for the Clark Fork Coalition 320 Float. They will be doing 320 miles in 20 days! Whew. He has decided to use the Rattlesnake Gardens for his lunches. That will be tasty! Lucky floaters.

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.