Weather report - SNOW!

[LadyFisher]

I have been snowed on every month of the year in Montana, including today, right now!
We are very concerned for our baby bluebirds in their nests, not just because of the cold, but not very many bugs are flying either, and the babies need to be feed. This could be just awful for the bluebirds.
I also feel sorry for those who are fishing today, either on the spring creeks or whereever they have been able to find fishable waters. Cold, snow and wind. Yuck.

[popperfly]

93 degrees and sunny in Middle Tennessee

I hope bluebirds see some warm weather soon, have a good holiday!

[JohnScott]

Deanna -

I for sure feel badly for the baby blue birds.

The anglers - not so much.

John

[Uncle Jesse]

I have never taken the opportunity to visit Montana and feel that is my loss, which I hope to correct in the next few years. I am under the impression in addition to the mountains, plains and streams one of the attractive features about Montana is the wide open spaces which are uninhabited. Without the snow and cold weather that would be less true, look at what has happened to California and Florida, both known for their wonderful weather.

[TyroneFly]

Leave a few sliced bananas near the nesting sit. It will attract flies and other flying insect the bluebirds love.

[Panman]

Lady Fisher: Don't feel lonely. Snowed a bit last yesterday and the ground was covered this morning.

Tim

[EdD]

LadyFisher, you can go to a pet shop and buy some meal worms &/or crickets for those baby bluebirds. You can set the mealworms into open containers with high enough wall to prevent their escaping and just mash up a few crickets at a time. In fact, you can put the mealworms into a pan with oatmeal and a couple of fresh slices of potato and kept them and the resultant darkling beetles for the bluebirds all summer. They need to be under some sort of cover to keep them from getting rained on. I'll think wistfully of your snow when mowing the lawn in 90+ degree heat this weekend.

Ed

[ScottP]

Got caught in a blinding snow squall right around Memorial Day on Lake Koocanusa back in the late 80's. The boat ride back across brought to mind convoy duty in the North Atlantic; fishing was pretty good up to that point (think I got a kokanee on a fly). Sorry to hear about the bluebirds. Just got a note from my friend at Montana Audubon, Ben Deeble, who runs the state's sage grouse studies; he said numbers were about the same, maybe a bit lower from last year's counts due to the prolonged snow and cold, wet spring in 2011. He's a bit worried about the snow forecast for +5000'; peak hatch time and parents may have a tough time finding bugs to feed the chicks if there's snow on the ground.

Regards,
Scott

ps - if you want to see Ben and his grouse, check out this edition of Backroads of Montana at the 18:00 mark (the whole show's worth watching); can't wait to get back out on the leks next spring

http://watch.montanapbs.org/video/2238400559

[Grizzly Wulff]

I KNEW it was going to snow: I set out my tomato plants last Saturday.

[The Chronicler]

Thanks for all the advise about the bluebirds, but I don't think some of you get the picture. These are Mountain Bluebirds, and there are nesting in the 100+ boxes that we maintain. [Myself and my assistant] They are spread along a route that is 10+ miles long up in the foothills of the mountains. Most of the boxes are above 5,000 feet. In addition, there are 300+ other boxes in a two county area that are also a part of this bluebird trail. The rest of the boxes are maintained by other volunteers. Putting out bananas or feeding them with mealworms is not an option. Each year we have some weather event, snow or an extended period of cold wet weather, that takes its toll on young bluebirds. This year, because of the warm and dry early spring weather we had numerous boxes with young birds and this will undoubtedly prove to be disastrous for many of these birds.

The Chronicler
Master Federal Bird Bander