American Black Bear along the Big Hole RiverAmerican Black Bear along the Big Hole River

Last Wednesday I took a scenic drive to the Big Hole National Battlefield in Montana. This is in an area of Montana I had not been to before, so as usual I was spellbound by the scenery as I looked for birds to photograph along the way.

After going through the visitors center, I got back on the road heading toward Deer Lodge County on a road that follows the Big Hole River.

Stopping right before Deer Lodge County, I had lunch a few feet from the Big Hole River while watching swallows skimming over the water to take food back to their young at the nests under the bridge.

After I finished my picnic lunch, I got back on the road that winds toward Divide where I could pick up I-15 again. As I followed the edge of the river, I wondered if bears came down to the river to feed.

In less than ten seconds I knew I’d just been handed a gift. I had been studying the shoreline where the tree line comes down to the river when what looked like a large dark boulder shifted.

Boulders don’t shift. The “boulder” had legs and the face of a Black Bear. I kept my eye on the bear as it moved in and out of the trees and their shadows, knowing how easy it would be to lose sight of it.

I didn’t get great images of the dark cinnamon colored bear but I was extremely tickled to have spotted it and to have taken a few images of it. For a few moments the Black Bear came out and stood on a large boulder in the bright midday light, not the best lighting conditions but I was happy just the same.

Spotting that bear just seconds after wondering about them felt almost ridiculous. The timing was unreal. I’m still grinning about it.

Life is good.

Mia

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