Most of my day was spent producing this:

A map.

A map of all 518 locations where the pilot and I have found one of our ten radiocollared elk.

This version is still uncaptioned, and I'm sure it is not how I'll analyze this information when all is said and done. But for the purposes of an end-of-year report, this will do. (Our year follows that of the critters we study and work with, here in the northern hemisphere. From the birth time of the new crop of youngsters, through their first year. 1 June through 31 May.)

On the map...

Blue = Dec, Jan, Feb
Green = Mar, Apr, May
Red = Jun, Jul, Aug
Yellow = Sep, Oct, Nov

Generally, these represent the four seasons but, truth be told, elk aren't that calendar conscious. Nor are they consistent. Some of these gals got onto winter ranges before December, some not until a couple weeks after that (the blue crosses sitting out by themselves in the middle of nowhere). Likewise for reaching their calving grounds.

But what first struck me as I looked at all those coloured dots, after finagling them through three different pieces of software to create this map?

Most of those dots represent at least one tight banking turn in the air. Many are figure eights, or more. Hundreds of tight little, nauseating turns and dips, all while I was punching buttons on the GPS and trying to read the display and write down the numbers.

And I only got sick once.

Wow.

We fly again tomorrow.