UPPER MISSOURI NATIONAL WILD AND SCENIC RIVER
GOING NATURE’S WAY By Kate Crowley Two thoughts ran through my mind last week as we began a canoe trip on the Upper Missouri River in central Montana: “The River is Life” and “Life is Like a River”. The first was evident as soon as we arrived at Coal Bank Landing, a campground and launch site for the river. Tall, thick cottonwood trees hugged the shore and other trees in the campground were filled with birds. Late May, of course, is a time when migration is still underway in these northern regions and that added to the number of species we saw. Three Western Flycatchers chased one another from tree to tree in a chattering dispute over nesting territory; Yellow Warblers sang their courtship song from interior branches of the trees; and a pair of Barn Swallows flew in and out of the porch that fronted the Visitor Center, occasionally landing near a mud nest under the eaves. These were just three of the most obvious bird species that entertained us for an afternoon and evening