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Marty’s photo of the day #4554: This is a motion-sensing camera shot of a coyote crossing the Essen Wildlife Refuge (in Montana). Both coyotes and wolves cross the refuge, and as winter approaches the coyotes are all fluffy, inducing double-takes to make sure they aren’t actually wolves.
Marty’s photo of the day #4546: Living in red-state Montana can be frustrating, but moments like this, at the Essen Wildlife Refuge*, make me forget that I’m surrounded by people who voted for bigotry, hate, and lunacy. *The 25 acres surrounding my house that I protect for wildlife.
Marty’s photo of the day #4542: At the Essen Wildlife Refuge, we get the shrubs trimmed around our house for free.
Marty’s photo of the day #4526: Greetings from the Essen Wildlife Refuge! Getting a good coyote photo from the motion-sensing cameras I have set up is difficult. Usually, the coyotes pass through at night (when my cameras shoot in infrared mode) or, if in the daytime, they are moving too fast to appear in good […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4474: “Tell me again what JD Vance said about cat ladies.” (Canada lynx, rescue animal, photographed at the Essen Wildlife Refuge in Montana.)
Marty’s photo of the day #4471: The dragonflies have had a prosperous summer, eating mosquitos at the seasonal pond on the lower level of the Essen Wildlife Refuge. Last night, this dragonfly flew to the upper level, where my outside office is, and said, “Please, I can’t eat anymore. I must rest!” This is a […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4466: Pileated woodpecker, photographed at the Essen Wildlife Refuge, Montana.
Marty’s photo of the day #4453: Here’s a little bear cub cuteness for your Sunday. Photographed on the Essen Wildlife Refuge, Montana.
Marty’s photo of the day #4441: Here’s another motion-sensing camera shot from last week on the Essen Wildlife Refuge. This fox lives on the lower level of the refuge, frequently passing by the camera near the seasonal pond.
Marty’s photo of the day #4440: Here’s a motion-sensing camera shot from last week on the Essen Wildlife Refuge. The “talking elk” made me laugh and think of some of the weird Republicans on TV with their lip injections.
Marty’s photo of the day #4806: “Hello! I know you’re in there, watching me.” Motion-sensing camera shot from the Essen Wildlife Refuge.
Marty’s photo of the day #4804: “Hey Mom! Look what I can do!” Photographed via a motion-sensing camera at the Essen Wildlife Refuge (Montana).
Marty’s photo of the day #4793: Flowers have been in bloom all over the Essen Wildlife Refuge these past two weeks. Despite living here since 1996, neither Deb nor I had thought to identify this flower until she did it a few days ago. It’s a yellow salsify, which, unfortunately, is a flower introduced from […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4788: In the summer, I move my office/writing room out to the front porch, which allows me to gaze out at the top level of the Essen Wildlife Refuge. I also have a motion-sensing camera that is roughly 100 yards straight out from the house. It doesn’t surprise me when […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4781: The short story of Deb and me moving to Montana is that we had rented a cabin from a friend-of-a-friend on the East Fork of the Bitterroot River at the far southern end of the Bitterroot Valley. It was 1992, and we were driving home to Minneapolis after renting […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4779: At the Essen Wildlife Refuge (i.e. the 25 protected-for-wildlife acres where my wife and I live) we have an upper and lower level. The lower level is lush forest with a seasonal pond. Since we moved to Montana, in 1996, that pond has filled itself every spring and emptied […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4759: Two days ago, I checked the motion-sensing cameras that we have hidden among the trees in the Essen Wildlife Refuge. This creepy guy showed up in a spot where he almost had to walk right past one of our many No Trespassing signs. If someone makes arrangements ahead of […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4758: The “wild” in wildlife is pretty much a guarantee that whatever it is will refuse to be predictable. My wife’s college roommates and their husbands came to visit from Minnesota this past week, and most had heard about all the wildlife we have at the Essen Wildlife Refuge. But, […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4744: Our dog, Nellie, gets the credit for this photo. Last night, we were out for a walk in the Essen Wildlife Refuge, when she insisted something to play with was under a log. I thought she’d found a mouse, but it turned out to be a western skink. When […]
