May 30 - June 5

- Spent time this week getting reciprocal transplant enclosures set up. Was fortunate to have three days of help from USFS in scouting out appropriate sites, construction and snake collecting. Two enclosures are now in place at Mahogany, and two at the Osprey Management Area just north of Wildcat. Am having great difficulty getting adult male snakes from the lakeshore.

- Saw two sandhill cranes at Colman. This is apparently a hard nesting year for them, as water levels are so low. They are at Papoose as usual but they are not, for instance, at Summit (according to Forest Service surveys).

- Disturbed a great blue heron on the shore at Pikes B while collecting snakes. The long-established heron rookery at the Osprey Management Area is apparently not active this year. Reasons unknown.

- First afternoon/evening thunderstorms this week. Strong winds, some rain. Yesterday and today have been COLD. Last night there was snow on the surrounding hills. Below are pictures from Gallatin beach (the white on the mountains is snow, the white along the shore is some strange, thick foamy stuff), and on one of the A1 turnoffs to Mahogany. Interesting weather, but it has not made snake collecting for the transplant proceed any faster!