Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge

The 2062 acre (834 ha) Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge is about 25 miles (40 km) south of our home in western Montana. We drive past the refuge several times a month, often stopping with binoculars and spotting scope to look for trumpeter swans, ducks, gulls, herons, and many other birds. Migrations with the change of seasons bring more opportunities to spend time in the refuge. It's a lovely area, with the Mission Mountains to the east and the Salish Range to the west.

The photos in this gallery are of the refuge's birds and landscape, or of the surrounding areas—pictures made from within the refuge.

Click an image below to see a larger version. Mouse over the larger picture to see navigation controls for the previous or next picture, or use your keyboard's right and left arrow keys. To visit the Galleries page, click the link in the table of contents at left.

January fog fills the Mission Mountain valley beyond the cottonwood trees in the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge. This is a crop of a full-frame slide, making an image which appears to be a panorama.

Pre-dawn light casts a blue glow on the mountains south of the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge in western Montana.

The Mission Mountains are reflected in a kettle pond in Montana's Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge.

The Mission Mountains and cottonwood trees in autumn colors reflect in a small pond near Ninepipe.

The Ninepipe Connector stream flows between sections of the wildlife refuge.

The Ninepipe Connector stream flows between sections of the wildlife refuge.