Bald Eagle Leveling Out After A Steep Dive
Very few Bald Eagles remain in Utah during summer so I almost never see them in that season except on my Montana camping trips.
Category: Diurnal Raptors
Juvenile Swainson’s Hawk Take-off
In my experience there’s a huge range in the approachability of juvenile raptors, even among siblings. And overall, Swainson’s Hawks seem to be the most approachable of all. This variability was demonstrated during our trip to Montana’s Centennial Valley last week and once again it made me nervous for the safety of the bird.
Merlin With Prey In Approaching Fog
On our recent Montana trip I spent two morning sessions with a cooperative Merlin at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in the Centennial Valley.
Rough-legged Hawk – Hopefully A Harbinger Of Birds Soon To Come
Rough-legged Hawks are one of the salves that help me get through our cold, dreary winters. When they show up…
Ferruginous Hawk Showing Off Its Long, Pointed Wings
Ferruginous Hawks are noted for their long, tapered and pointed wings and I thought this image demonstrated that field mark well.
Intermediate Morph Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
I spent yesterday morning cruising the back roads of Utah’s west desert with the primary goal of finding and photographing raptors.
Red-tailed Hawk Take-off In A Sunflower Setting
For some, raptors and flowers may seem like an incongruous combination but I like the contradiction.
Fighting Red-tailed Hawks
Two days ago this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk was hunting from a sign post and everything seemed to be calm – to the point that I was enjoying the sunflowers in the setting and the irony of the sign it was perched on. That tranquility didn’t last long…
Red-tailed Hawk Carrying Prey in Beak Instead Of Talons
In my experience Red-tailed Hawks in flight most often carry prey in their talons but this molting adult surprised me a little.
Swainson’s Hawk Underwing Plumage Patterns
Typically I tend to not be a fan of flight shots where the bird is already past me but though this Swainson’s Hawk has already done so I keep coming back to the image for a combination of reasons.
Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
This is the time of year that Swainson’s Hawks usually begin to converge on the Centennial Valley to feast on grasshoppers and believe me the area produces grasshoppers in abundance – probably more of them than I’ve ever seen elsewhere (and I grew up on a Montana farm where grasshoppers were unfortunately one of our most successful crops).
Landing Red-tailed Hawk
This image goes back into my archives about as far back as they go. It was taken on October 1, 2007 – just a few months after I became serious about my photography. I was still shooting with my first digital camera, the Canon Rebel XTi which I still have. It’s an entry-level camera and I still remember what the camera salesman said when I told him that I was planning on mounting that small camera onto a huge Canon 500 mm lens – “well, it will work but don’t you think it’ll look a little silly?”
Ferruginous Hawks – Strange Behavior With Nesting Material
On our recent camping/photo trip to southwest Montana I observed and photographed a Ferruginous Hawk behavior that has me baffled.
Dark Morph Swainson’s Hawk Taking Off From A Hilltop
On the mornings when we leave Montana’s Centennial Valley the 27 miles of dirt road until we hit pavement are always a little depressing because we’re so reluctant to leave that wonderful place. But occasionally our melancholy is assuaged and our spirits lifted by birds and other wildlife we see on the way out.
Shrike Sneak-attack On A Red-tailed Hawk
Believe it or not it was at that moment that a Loggerhead Shrike with a chip on its shoulder swooped in out of nowhere to harass the hawk. Because I was ready for it I was able to get two shots with both birds in the frame. In this first one I don’t believe the hawk yet knows the shrike is there.
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Juvenile Swainson’s Hawk Take-off
In my experience there’s a huge range in the approachability of juvenile raptors, even among siblings. And overall, Swainson’s Hawks seem to be the most approachable of all. This variability was demonstrated during our trip to Montana’s Centennial Valley last week and once again it made me nervous for the safety of the bird.
Merlin With Prey In Approaching Fog
On our recent Montana trip I spent two morning sessions with a cooperative Merlin at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in the Centennial Valley.
Rough-legged Hawk – Hopefully A Harbinger Of Birds Soon To Come
Rough-legged Hawks are one of the salves that help me get through our cold, dreary winters. When they show up…
Ferruginous Hawk Showing Off Its Long, Pointed Wings
Ferruginous Hawks are noted for their long, tapered and pointed wings and I thought this image demonstrated that field mark well.
Intermediate Morph Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
I spent yesterday morning cruising the back roads of Utah’s west desert with the primary goal of finding and photographing raptors.
Red-tailed Hawk Take-off In A Sunflower Setting
For some, raptors and flowers may seem like an incongruous combination but I like the contradiction.
Fighting Red-tailed Hawks
Two days ago this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk was hunting from a sign post and everything seemed to be calm – to the point that I was enjoying the sunflowers in the setting and the irony of the sign it was perched on. That tranquility didn’t last long…
Red-tailed Hawk Carrying Prey in Beak Instead Of Talons
In my experience Red-tailed Hawks in flight most often carry prey in their talons but this molting adult surprised me a little.
Swainson’s Hawk Underwing Plumage Patterns
Typically I tend to not be a fan of flight shots where the bird is already past me but though this Swainson’s Hawk has already done so I keep coming back to the image for a combination of reasons.
Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
This is the time of year that Swainson’s Hawks usually begin to converge on the Centennial Valley to feast on grasshoppers and believe me the area produces grasshoppers in abundance – probably more of them than I’ve ever seen elsewhere (and I grew up on a Montana farm where grasshoppers were unfortunately one of our most successful crops).
Landing Red-tailed Hawk
This image goes back into my archives about as far back as they go. It was taken on October 1, 2007 – just a few months after I became serious about my photography. I was still shooting with my first digital camera, the Canon Rebel XTi which I still have. It’s an entry-level camera and I still remember what the camera salesman said when I told him that I was planning on mounting that small camera onto a huge Canon 500 mm lens – “well, it will work but don’t you think it’ll look a little silly?”
Ferruginous Hawks – Strange Behavior With Nesting Material
On our recent camping/photo trip to southwest Montana I observed and photographed a Ferruginous Hawk behavior that has me baffled.
Dark Morph Swainson’s Hawk Taking Off From A Hilltop
On the mornings when we leave Montana’s Centennial Valley the 27 miles of dirt road until we hit pavement are always a little depressing because we’re so reluctant to leave that wonderful place. But occasionally our melancholy is assuaged and our spirits lifted by birds and other wildlife we see on the way out.
Shrike Sneak-attack On A Red-tailed Hawk
Believe it or not it was at that moment that a Loggerhead Shrike with a chip on its shoulder swooped in out of nowhere to harass the hawk. Because I was ready for it I was able to get two shots with both birds in the frame. In this first one I don’t believe the hawk yet knows the shrike is there.