Today I had the good fortune to go with Sacajawea Audubon group on a trip led by Lou Ann Harris. We had a medium sized group of about 15 souls. Our destination was the East Gallatin Recreation Area. We had several spring arrivals and a reacquainting with old friends. We were able to score Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and American Redstart for the warblers. Wilson’s Snipe was visible and calling in a wet pasture to the north. So many birds that were cooperating, I brought the camera and began to…I forgot the battery for the camera.
We continued through the cottonwood-aspen bottomland forest and picked up the first flycatcher of the year…a Least Flycatcher. As we continued to the lake, we were able to find Western Grebes, a lone Ring-necked Duck, Gadwall, and Northern Shoveler. We circled the lake and the conversation turned to rare birds and dream birding locations. I meet an awesome couple who had just came from the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. They had a passion for birds and butterflies, and I was had gotten their names – I hope to run into them again. Speaking of Butterflies, we saw many Mourning Cloaks and the first Painted Lady of the year.
At the east end of the lake, a couple of Western Painted Turtles were basking on an exposed log. As we admired the turtles, Andrew Guttenberg (the wunderkind) spotted a Clark’s Grebe in with the Western Grebes. This was my Gallatin County bird…awesome. This is the aforementioned but.
As I stated before, I forgot my camera battery, so I returned to the East Gallatin in the evening. I managed to get images of the grebes and my first herp capture of the year, a Western Terrestrial Garter Snake who managed to stink my hand to a deplorable degree (see goofy self-portrait).
As I stated before, I forgot my camera battery, so I returned to the East Gallatin in the evening. I managed to get images of the grebes and my first herp capture of the year, a Western Terrestrial Garter Snake who managed to stink my hand to a deplorable degree (see goofy self-portrait). 
