Sunday, April 25, 2021

Mosaic Monday #128: Montana Spring

April in Montana is a trickster.  One day the warmth of spring sunlight on my face spreads hope and tranquility through my entire being.  The next day?  Snow, and a vicious wind tosses branches against the windows like a petulant child.  But the snow doesn't last, and all around are signs that winter is losing its grip to spring.  At the farm of Dear Neighbor Friend, the evidence takes the form of fuzzy chicks and kids teetering on brand-new legs.


DNF's grandchildren have a ring-side seat to the miracle of birth.  They quickly bond with the animals and take caring for them very seriously.  But life can be closer to death than we like, and occasionally the family must cope with the loss of an animal.  This week, one of the recently born kids passed shortly after birth.  Below you can see the remaining kid, Amelia, using her mama as a jungle gym.





Over the hill at my house, I found this freshly dug hole, and trained the trail camera there to determine the culprit.  A bunny!


Shortly after these pictures were taken, the Moultrie trail cam acted up again, and Spousal Unit bought a replacement, a Stealth trail cam at Cabela's (the one we truly want is on back order until May.)  I placed it by the lake at the bottom of our property, in the hopes of capturing eagle photos.  (In my February 7, 2021 post, I wrote about golden and bald eagles feasting on fish, and I speculated about a lake awash with dead fish as the ice melted.)  It began to appear that theory might prove true - sometimes we observed as many as ten eagles at a time on the thin edges of the ice.  The three pictures below were taken with my phone through my spotting scope.  Not great quality, but you can count as many as 3 goldens and 1 bald in one of the photos.



Unfortunately, the camera did not catch any good photos of the eagles.  By mid-month, the lake was clear of ice and I relocated the trail cam to the beaver dam, anticipating that this clever engineer would begin to repair winter's damage.   Eureka!!!


 

As the ice disappeared, other water animals have arrived - cranes, Canada geese, and mallards.


I was not familiar with the ducks below - I am sure my professional birders will tell me if Ring-Necked Duck is the incorrect identification.


As you can see in the photo above, we had some snow on the 18th - the storm I mentioned at the outset with the ferocious winds.  It was enough to raise whitecaps on the lake.


I imagine the duck in the picture below was ready to pick up its wings and return south!!!


But never fear, wait a few days, and you will be rewarded with blue skies and calm waters once again!




Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
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Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 


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36 comments:

  1. We are in a similiar situation, Angie, we are between winter and springtime too.

    Early in the morning, cooking coffee and feel the fresh cold air, when took our Newspaper from the Mailbox. But the flowers coming! On sunday I saw first delicate buds on the appletree.

    Happy MosaicMonday

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  2. ...April can be like a tug-a-war winter and spring here. Thanks Angies for hosting.

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  3. I´m thrilled of seeing so many new lives. It is wonderful. Also the eagles and geeze. So great to have a cam camera capture wildlife. The busy beaver. :)
    Thanks for sharing.

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  4. We have the same theme this week, Angie! I posted about early spring in Colorado. We have muskrats instead of beaver in our ponds. All the wildlife is very busy getting ready for summer.

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  5. We sure enjoyed seeing all of those wonderfully cute critters!!!

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  6. I always enjoy your animal photos. Those kids are adorable!

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  7. Wonderful cam pictures as always. Our downstairs neighbor has recently acquired two pygmy goats that he has in his small front yard. I feel sorry for them as he only wants them for breeding. They cost a pretty penny and that means money when he sells. I wish I could take them to someone who really cares about them. They are the cutest things. April brought us a shower but then the heat came and it's near 100 F each day. Walks are not so enjoyable, shower usually required upon returning home. Sure is looking beautiful where you are. And you have much to keep you entertained. Take care. Have a good week.

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  8. Hello, Angie

    I enjoy seeing your cam photos, I love all the birds and critters.
    Neat shots of the ducks up close and the beaver. The last photo is a gorgeous view. Take care, enjoy your day! Have a great new week!

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  9. Oh, just look at all those sweet baby animals. I am glad for you that spring is finally having the upper hand. Love the beavers!

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  10. The trail cams are so much fun, you never know what you'll see! It's a good idea to move it to see another view too. The beaver is neat and fun to watch! He was born to be a film star! Happy MM!

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  11. Sorry you lost one of the newborns. Sad. Springtime looks lively in your neck of the woods.

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  12. Farm babies! The best harbringer of Spring. :)

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  13. We had a wobbly little baby girl in the church nursery yesterday finding her walking feet and legs. Fun time of year on a farm. It's fun to drive the farm roads and see the baby calves. Spring has had it's contrasts in your neck of the woods for sure. Happy last week of April to you!

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  14. The weather is very fickle and cold here, too. The animal photos are amazing. Babies are so cute. Sorry you lost one of the newborns.

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  15. Angie, Those waves look cold! New babies are always a boost. Thanks for hosting and sharing. Have a great week. Sylvia D.

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  16. Baby goats are so cute! I am on a different browser and it won’t let me link up.

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  17. I enjoy seeing the pics you get with your trail cam. And the baby goats are delightful! Stay safe and enjoy your week. I have another busy week!

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  18. Your very last photo sums up Montana to me, on IG I follow a few who post amazing photos of your state too. Such fun to see who has visited you on your trail cameras between the beaver and the eagles that all seems so exotic but is probably just run of the mill to you? Have a lovely week I hope you get to enjoy more of Amelia's antics!
    Wren x

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  19. Fantastic shots, Angie. We are firmly in warm weather already, t-shirts and sun screen are the order of the day.
    Amalia
    xo

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  20. sorry about the above. My iPad updated and is giving me fits. I had to re-login to everything. Anyway... loved your post when I read it Sunday and it is well worth today’s second read. All the new life, a real sign of Spring, much better than daffodils )). Wonderful that your dear friend’s grands got to share in the miracle. Your trailcam shorts ar3 wonderful also!

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  21. Great views from your trail cam, Angie. So much fun to see the beavers. How cute those baby animals are - such a great experience for kids.

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  22. Yes. Ring-necked Ducks there Angie. It's good that those eagles scavenge like they do providing a meal for themselves and keeping the lake clear of rotting fish.

    Good also that young kids learn about life and death and to not be sheltered from realities and become those snowflakes you are so familiar with.

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  23. I am happy to confirm that they are Ring-necked Ducks, Angie. The beaver sequence is quite remarkable.

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  24. Fantastic beaver captures. Lots of crittters to see and enjoy. We had some hail today and then the sun came out. Crazy spring it is. Have a great weekend, Angie.

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  25. So good to see the birds and animals that live around your place, the weather takes a while to settle with the change of seasons doesn't it. Lovely to see the baby animals and chick.

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  26. Oh my goodness!Look at all those animals.I especially love your eagle pictures. I remember once when we lived in Kalispell,hubby and I went up to Apgar to See the eagles in the fall.Down here, it finally looks like spring. Getting green And my 1st batch of tulips are Blooming.It feels good!I hope it's warming up where you are. Have a great weekend! Kit

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  27. Beautiful Images, especially the Beaver, far out.

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  28. so much cuteness!! and beautiful images, how wonderful it is to experience the miracle of birth!!

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