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Another .1 of moisture this afternoon putting us just under 2 inches for the month of May. One could not order the quality of weather we have recently enjoyed. More thunderstorms are predicted for the coming week. Moria hopefully will share her sighting on the big reservoir soon. Four herons, double-crested cormorant, an eared and pied-billed grebe are some of the highlights. More on birds: a grey catbird has arrived and is singing all over the place, and the eastern kingbird is back. Only two birds yet to show up are the nighthawk and the lark buntings, or locally known as the rain birds. Here are the recent flowers marking late spring: Astragalus gracilis, Astragalus adsurgens, Astragalus agrestis, Vicia Americana, Orobanche fasciculate, Linum lewisii, Oxytropis besseyi, Penstemon nitidus, Psoralea esculenta, Rosa arkansana, Senicio canus, Plantago patagonica, Eriogonum flavum, Arenaria hookeri, Lappula myositis, and Tragapogon dubious. It is fun to google these species to learn more about their natural history and range.
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Almost warm this morning, then a quick thunderstorm blew in late in the afternoon dropping another .3 inches of moisture and bringing cooler temps. I moved cows to 6th and last split in North Griffith #2. Florin and Ryan fixed a broken hydrant at the west tank in North Griffith just in time for next cow move to North Griffith #7. I cut 2 bulls out of the young cows and trailed them east to the bull group. Moria pulled another calf, did her own tagging, and then cooked a lovely soup for dinner. A Brown thrasher was sharing its elaborate and diverse song as we headed for the last heifer check.  Brown Thrasher It was a cool morning, the clouds lifted and there was no moisture today. I moved the bulls, the young cows, and the older cows to the next split. I took a short walk in North Big Wall #10 to see if the curlews were again nesting in the NE corner. Yes, they have returned again. I heard another curlew group to the east in Goffene’s as well. Large fields of purple blooming Astraguls bisulcatus, our largest milk vetch are splashed liberally across the north hills. Abundant stands of winterfat, a high protein semi-shrub fill the clay loam flats below the hills. I also flushed an upland sandpiper near the creek in the greasewood flats.
More showers today. Four tenths measured. I drove to Helena and back to present and receive with other Musselshell Watershed Coalition members a Watershed Award from the Montana Watershed Coordination Council. All went well at the ranch. Ryan gave Moria a lesson in pulling her first calf.
More showers mid-day. The weather pattern of showers and cool weather is creating excellent growing conditions for grass. I moved young cows into first split in New North Griffith #2. I moved the bulls to the 2nd split in South Big Wall #2. A Poor will’s two note owl-like call at dusk was as comforting as it was joyful. A number of new flowers are beginning to bloom. I will highlight them at the end of the week. Moria arrived from Connecticut to help at the ranch for a week.
The warmest day in a while, but light afternoon showers,.2 inches,dampened and cooled things off. I moved the cows to 4th split in North Griffith #2. I spent parts of last three days on building permanent electric fence in New North Griffith #2. We had a set of twins-uncommon for us-out of a three year old cow. We quickly grafted on of the calves to a heifer that lost a calf.
A little warmer today mixed with spotty showers and even some light hail. I worked on new electric fence splitting NNG2. While laying out temporary line for the next split in North Griffith #2, I walked past an old ferruginous hawk nest site overtopping an old juniper. The nest was empty this year. I need to check out the nest site in the Cottonwood in South Griffith #6 to see if that site is occupied. Astragulus bisulcatus, a robust large milk vetch found in clay dominated sites is beginning to flower. The crested wheat is moving into the boot stage without much height. This could mean dry land hay will be light as well.
More dampness and overcast, yet no measurable precipitation. I moved the older cows to next split in North Griffith #2. While working on the temporary fence, I flushed a brewer sparrow off its nest concealed deep in a sagebrush bush with two turquoise blue eggs. I also flushed an upland sandpiper but could not find a nest. I saw my first eastern kingbird on North Willow Creek. Some meadowlark fledglings are already taking short flights. This week we also experienced the first mosquito hatch.  Brewers Sparrow Nest Overcast today with light drizzle. A steady, yet uneventful, calving day. Over 50 goldfinches, and a few siskins, are feasting on dandelion seeds outside my office window. More yellow, arrives with the Wilson warbler that Dana spotted in the garden. The Wilson warbler won't stay long-mostly nests in wetlands and riparian sites. I attended a soils workshop at the Charter Ranch. How do we/will we measure soil health?? When leaving for the workshop I observed the uncommon Red-headed woodpecker squabbling with a northern flicker on an electric pole. The red-headed is currently listed as threatened.
Pleasant again today. Moved the cows to next split in North Griffith #2. Ryan pulled two heifers after 4 days of no problems. While on last heifer check, I heard the poor will’s plaintive whistles for the first time this year in the pine sandstone ridge north of the headquarters. The nighthawks should not be far behind.  Poorwill |
Bill Milton
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