Mpg ...

... ranch ...

... not as in "miles per gallon" but as in MPG Ranch in the northern Saphire Mountains just south of Missoula MT.

They got this bunch of trail cameras going 24/7 that pick up all kinds of wildlife on their very large conservation oriented piece of land. Bears, mountain lions, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, moose, elk, deer, otters, badgers, marmots. Only one wolf so far in a couple years of watching, and only a couple pronghorn antelope, which are really rare in the Bitterroot / Saphire ranges. Plus some feral horses.

Also, there are a good number of live video feeds, a couple of which are identified for osprey nests. The cameras have 360* rotation plus up / down adjustment and a zoom feature. Its possible to scan a very large area of wildland and occasionally find wildlife to observe. Presently, both of the osprey nests are occupied, and the hens should be laying eggs shortly. There is also a kestrel nest, but the kestrels haven't done well the past couple years, for a variety of reasons.

Anyway, it's an interesting place to go when you have to stay at home, and even when your don't.

John

That sounds like a great place to visit John, I wish they had not put it so far away.

Thanks for the tip John, this link to get started if interested.

MPG Ranch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wqgvRuBr24

Steve et al -

To get to the Ranch's website and access the trail cameras and live video feeds, go to --- mpgranch.com.

When you get to the homepage, use the horizontally barred ( menu ) icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen to reach the links to the trail cameras and videos.

John

Just a couple more notes.

Watching the osprey from nest building to the point when their chicks begin leaving the nest, fishing on their own, and finally leaving the nest has been a really enjoyable experience for me personally the past couple of years. I'm thinking there are a lot of younger people and children who might also enjoy watching that unfold day by day.

This is the season of birth on the ranch. Expect to see this year's new bear cubs, lion kittens, elk calves, deer fawns, equine foals, etc starting any day now. ( Only one new elk calf and one foal so far this year. And one new cub. )

Also, there are a number of different water fowl and some raptors, like bald and golden eagles that make occasional appearances on the trail cams, and one of the ponds on the live feed has a large population of turtles, which can be quite amusing.

Besides the live and daily activity on the live feeds and trail cams, there are a whole bunch of videos that can be quite entertaining and informative.

This ranch is a real resource in so many ways. And while it is in my back yard in western Montana, it is available to anyone with an internet connection.

John

Thanks to you John , I will be late to the office this morning,
I did get out over the weekend for our season opener . the county
I reside was one of the ones to stay on the April date, a few others on the river
but many spots were vacant and made for a great time on the water.


Take care.

Interesting!! Thanks John.

... if you scroll back on the trail cameras to about 7:15 a.m. on 5-6, you will see a cougar with two or three kittens. Hard to tell just how many kittens there are, but then again you don't often get to see them before they are born. That ain't a fat cat, it's an about to be a momma again cat. A rare opportunity for most, and a once in a lifetime opportunity for many. Enjoy, and bring along the younger people while you are at it.

Also, on the live video feeds, the female osprey on the north and south osprey nests are ready to lay some eggs, if they haven't already. The females don't lay down on the bottom of the nest until just before laying, and once they lay eggs they seldom, if ever, get out of that position until the eggs actually hatch, a couple months from now.

And in the for what it is worth category, osprey eggs are, at least to my eye, as beautiful as any eggs you'll likely see. Exquisite.

John

P.S. Quite a few of the mares are ready to foal, the cow elk are getting to close to calving, and the does will be dropping fawns shortly. And the bull elk and buck deer are just starting to grow antlers, in the velvet. If you got young'uns around ........

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JohnScott

...Also, on the live video feeds, the female osprey on the north and south osprey nests are ready to lay some eggs, if they haven't already. The females don't lay down on the bottom of the nest until just before laying, and once they lay eggs they seldom, if ever, get out of that position until the eggs actually hatch, a couple months from now.

And in the for what it is worth category, osprey eggs are, at least to my eye, as beautiful as any eggs you'll likely see. Exquisite. .......

---

... the south osprey nest now has two new occupants - future occupants, anyway. Uncharacteristically, the female was off the nest leaving two eggs unsheltered and unprotected just a few minutes ago. Seems like that happened with this osprey a time or two last year, but it really is a rare occurence.

And the female on the north osprey nest is almost certainly laying on eggs at this point.

John

... delight.

If you go to the trail cameras at 5-15-20 18:37 p.m. ...

... you will see a new foal with spectacular coloration. Dare I say unique ??

John

P.S. It looks like three osprey nests now have eggs - didn't mention the Sainfoin Bench before but there has been a pair hanging around the past few days and there is a single egg in the nest this morning.

... slow this spring.

But today, on the live camera feed, there are a bunch of kestrel chicks in the Sanfoin Bench Kestrel nest, and two new eggs in the Sanfoin Osprey Nest.

The kestrels have not done well the past two years, with some kind of predation of the chicks two years ago and a die off last year, with no suvivors.

Last year, the Sanfoin Osprey Nest had a couple eggs, which the parents abandoned early on. But so far they're looking pretty good this spring.

The couple on the Osprey Nest South have apparently abandoned their nest this spring, with no sightings or activity for several days now.

On the other hand, the Osprey Nest North couple have produced two healthy chicks each of the past two years, and looks to be on track this year.

John

... as in three new osprey chicks on the Osprey Nest North, hatched out since yesterday.

Things get much more interesting over the next 8-10 weeks for these little guys, assuming they make it. Last year, one of the three chicks on this nest was a runt which lasted only a week or so before it disappeared, for whatever reason.

Still looks likely that the Sanfoin Bench osprey nest will have some chicks shortly.

And it can't be much longer before there are bunches of deer fawns, elk calves, and equine foals populating the area.

In the meantime, about the only things growing are deer, elk and moose antlers in the velvet.

John