Category: Birds
Snowy Egret – A Twisting, Turning Takeoff (and a defense of “common species”)
I suppose that my post this morning is my petulant way of responding to something I saw posted on Facebook last night that raised my hackles a bit.
Status Report (with current photo) Of The Barn Owl That Was Entangled In Barbed Wire
Regular readers will remember my post of two weeks ago where I documented the heartbreaking story of this Barn Owl entangled in barbed wire in the Centennial Valley of Montana.
Loggerhead Shrike Devouring An Impaled Vole
Loggerhead Shrikes are often called “butcher birds” and this one demonstrated for me how that moniker was earned.
Juvenile Burrowing Owl – A Dynamic, Athletic Takeoff
This dynamic push-off from the perch at takeoff reminds me of a sprinter coming out of the starting blocks.
Prairie Falcon With Prey
This young female Prairie Falcon had just claimed her prize after a successful and well-planned hunt.
Adult Swainson’s Hawk, Perched And In Flight
This light morph Swainson’s Hawk challenged my photo gear-swapping technique as I photographed it perched and taking off.
Western Grebe With A Channel Catfish?
Four Poses From A Northern Flicker On An Old Post
This male Northern Flicker chose a perch that in my experience is more typical of one preferred by a raptor.
Sharp-shinned Hawk – An Innovative And Effective Hunting Technique
Raptors can be ingenious in adapting their hunting techniques and available skills to the terrain they are hunting and this juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk was a perfect example of such flexibility.
Juvenile Swainson’s Hawk – A Leap Of Faith (or at least of hope)
I’ve been watching a mated pair of Swainson’s Hawks near Monida, Montana all summer and for several reasons I believe their first nesting may have failed and they started over.
Merlin Takeoff- What Long Toes You Have!
Falcons tend to have long toes but I thought those of this Merlin in flight (2nd image) were especially well seen. Merlins are bird-hunting specialists and they often snag their quarry right out of the air in flight so the bigger “net” they can throw the better.
A Predictable, Cooperative Merlin (and their history in falconry)
The Mystery of the “Electrified” Abandoned Pickup is Finally Solved
Several weeks ago I presented this mystery to my readers because I was at a loss to figure it out myself. None of us found a logical explanation so on my latest Montana trip I decided to investigate a little more aggressively.
Landing Juvenile Swainson’s Hawk (with an observer)
These two sibling juvenile Swainson’s Hawks were sorely lacking in patience as they waited for their parents to deliver voles to them.
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Snowy Egret – A Twisting, Turning Takeoff (and a defense of “common species”)
I suppose that my post this morning is my petulant way of responding to something I saw posted on Facebook last night that raised my hackles a bit.
Status Report (with current photo) Of The Barn Owl That Was Entangled In Barbed Wire
Regular readers will remember my post of two weeks ago where I documented the heartbreaking story of this Barn Owl entangled in barbed wire in the Centennial Valley of Montana.
Loggerhead Shrike Devouring An Impaled Vole
Loggerhead Shrikes are often called “butcher birds” and this one demonstrated for me how that moniker was earned.
Juvenile Burrowing Owl – A Dynamic, Athletic Takeoff
This dynamic push-off from the perch at takeoff reminds me of a sprinter coming out of the starting blocks.
Prairie Falcon With Prey
This young female Prairie Falcon had just claimed her prize after a successful and well-planned hunt.
Adult Swainson’s Hawk, Perched And In Flight
This light morph Swainson’s Hawk challenged my photo gear-swapping technique as I photographed it perched and taking off.
Western Grebe With A Channel Catfish?
Four Poses From A Northern Flicker On An Old Post
This male Northern Flicker chose a perch that in my experience is more typical of one preferred by a raptor.
Sharp-shinned Hawk – An Innovative And Effective Hunting Technique
Raptors can be ingenious in adapting their hunting techniques and available skills to the terrain they are hunting and this juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk was a perfect example of such flexibility.
Juvenile Swainson’s Hawk – A Leap Of Faith (or at least of hope)
I’ve been watching a mated pair of Swainson’s Hawks near Monida, Montana all summer and for several reasons I believe their first nesting may have failed and they started over.
Merlin Takeoff- What Long Toes You Have!
Falcons tend to have long toes but I thought those of this Merlin in flight (2nd image) were especially well seen. Merlins are bird-hunting specialists and they often snag their quarry right out of the air in flight so the bigger “net” they can throw the better.
A Predictable, Cooperative Merlin (and their history in falconry)
The Mystery of the “Electrified” Abandoned Pickup is Finally Solved
Several weeks ago I presented this mystery to my readers because I was at a loss to figure it out myself. None of us found a logical explanation so on my latest Montana trip I decided to investigate a little more aggressively.
Landing Juvenile Swainson’s Hawk (with an observer)
These two sibling juvenile Swainson’s Hawks were sorely lacking in patience as they waited for their parents to deliver voles to them.