I’ve said it many times, I’m a bird photographer not a traditional birder. But an incident earlier this year gave me a taste of the excitement birders must feel when they observe a rare species and have that sighting accepted by the birding community.
Since you’re reading this you’re probably a birder, bird photographer or nature lover and have seen your share of “pooping” birds.
You have to get lucky to get good light on a raptor in flight when the sun’s high in the sky.
Five days ago I photographed an entire mating sequence of a pair of Swainson’s Hawks in Beaverhead County, Montana.
Yesterday this beautiful and unusually colored Swainson’s Hawk finally broke my string of bad luck on our Montana camping trip.
There are always interesting things to see on the island, some anticipated and some not. Some welcome and some not.
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a wild raptor with a more obviously bulging crop than this Prairie Falcon.
It isn’t often that I get a second chance at a male Northern Harrier in flight when things don’t work out the first time.
Grasshoppers are not typical prey for Prairie Falcons. Studies indicate that the main foods taken are other birds (Horned Larks and meadowlarks are favorites), small mammals and lizards but in a pinch they do consume flying insects, including grasshoppers. This bird was intent on doing just that.
Usually any photo opportunity I have with Golden Eagles is fleeting but this bird and a companion were the exception.
When I see something in my images that I can’t explain it piques my interest. Even when it’s something relatively minor.
I don’t often have opportunities with Peregrine Falcons in flight but this bird changed my fortunes for the better.
These images combined the old and the new – my “ancient” 100-400mm zoom lens and the new 7D Mark II camera.
