10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2012

If we get close enough we might see a pink maw and slivers of white teeth, ready to take a prairie dog by the throat and choke the life out but also rather perversely adorable. Ferret 492 — a black-footed ferret, Mustela nigripes — raises her head from a black-tailed prairie dog’s burrow, sniffs the April night.

Ferrets 167

Ferrets Prairie Dogs Coyotes Kittens 167

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2012

Russell National Wildlife Refuge , more than a million acres of prairie, badlands, coulees, and the massive Fort Peck Reservoir on the Missouri River. The soil is heavy with clay, great for holding prairie dog burrows but not so wonderful for making unsurfaced roads that stand up to the weather.

Wildlife 180

Wildlife Ferrets Montana Prairie Dogs 180

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2024

We also saw Prairie Dogs , Bison , Mule Deer , Abert’s Squirrel and Coyote. Although careful preparation, sophisticated intel from real ornithologists and a lot of planning had been derailed by half a meter of snow, we ended up scoring 63 species over the weekend. I ticked off 9 lifers.

Denver 143

Denver Colorado Ducks Mules 143