Ruffled feathers: Blackfoot-Clearwater owl nest pits FWP vs. photographers

<p dir="ltr">For at least a decade, a pair of great gray owls have made their nest each spring in the top of a broken cottonwood tree trunk on the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range northeast of Missoula. They fledge chicks almost every year, and they&rsquo;ve become increasingly popular with wildlife photographers &mdash; including professionals &mdash; who appreciate the nest&rsquo;s easy access and visibility from the ground.&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">So it made sense that some photographers were upset this spring when they learned that the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife &amp; Parks planned to remove the nest.</p> <p dir="ltr">Why would FWP do that?</p> <p dir="ltr">Mainly because of the photographers themselves. And because the nest wasn&rsquo;t actually natural.&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">With me today is Joshua Murdock, outdoors and natural resources reporter at the Missoulian. He visited the nest with an FWP biologist and met with photographers.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>