Black-backed woodpecker! During an afternoon hike with George Wuerthner, an expert on fire ecology (among other things), we spotted a black-backed woodpecker flying through the burned ponderosa just southwest of the prairie dog town. These woodpeckers are rare and are only seen in areas recently burned by stand-replacement fires. This is also on the very south edge of their usual range. In all, it was a fantastic sighting, and one we will certainly try to repeat!
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During a fantastic wilderness walk with the Montana Wilderness Association, our group of 11 hiked all the way to the ridge. A clear, calm day gave us a fantastic view of six different mountain ranges: the Bighorns, Pryors, Beartooth, Absaroka, Crazies, and a view of Heart Mountain in the distance. Last summer in Dave Coppock’s geology program, we learned about Heart Mountain sliding 100km in 30 minutes from the Absaroka range to its present position. We could also see the tops of the Bull Mountains and knew that the Snowies were visible just behind the ridge to the North. Elk tracks and scat were everywhere, and the prairie dog town was busy on the warm day. A small herd of mule deer and a few pronghorn were spotted, as well, along with a raven and a rough-legged hawk.
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