One of the reasons I like to see iridescence in Black-billed Magpies is that it brings out detail in those areas of the deep blacks where you normally don’t see any. Flight shots are inherently more difficult than static shots but ironically I find it easier to get the iridescence to show in flight than I do when they’re perched.
The Wilson’s Snipe is an odd little shorebird, both in appearance and in some of its behaviors. Though common, they’re also elusive and shy so over the years I’ve been able to get very few quality images of them. But my luck with the species changed for the better three days ago.
This past summer I photographed several active Ferruginous Hawk nests and was impressed by their size differences and the variation in elevations of the nests from the ground. Each of these nests was photographed in southwest Montana in June of this year.
Yesterday morning we encountered several cooperative Greater Yellowlegs at Farmington Bay and this one found a rather unusual prey item.
Northern Harriers are occasionally known to play but it’s something I’ve seldom seen. Harriers are normally all business as they pursue simple survival in a harsh and unforgiving world but a week ago today I watched and photographed as one of these hawks had some apparent “fun”.
I have a complicated relationship with Phragmites. Though some strains are native to North America, much more vigorous invasive varieties from Eurasia haven taken over many of our wetlands and proven to be extremely difficult to control. Dense “reed stands” of Phragmites with their dramatic seed plumes waving in the breeze can be strikingly beautiful but they’re a huge problem in our wetlands.
When Northern Harriers choose to hunt along the edges of the dirt roads I frequent they sometimes give me interesting looks as they pass by. This is one of them.
Because of their flocking habits and unpredictable nomadic movements Cedar Waxwings have always been elusive for me. My best luck with them has always been in Montana and each of these shots was taken in the Centennial Valley in the southwest part of that state
This post is a bit of a change of pace for me – a fledgling Cliff Swallow, one the more common birds in North America.
This year I decided to make an attempt at getting into the Halloween spirit with this Great Horned Owl image. I think this birds “blown” eye contributes to the effect.
I have many images of Short-eared Owls carrying prey in their talons in flight but very few where they’re carrying the prey in their beak. This is one of them.
I sometimes see hawks buried so deeply in trees that I can’t help but wonder how they’re going to fly out without injury or at least feather damage. They occasionally appear to “think” about their escape route just before take-off, which implies “planning”. Some images I took yesterday brought the question to mind once again – are hawks capable of “planning”?
Like most bird photographers I find American Kestrels to be a very difficult subject, largely because they’re so difficult to approach. But occasionally, under the right conditions, one can find a calm and cooperative bird. This female exceeded all expectations.
It was one of those classic frosty mornings at the bay where everything was covered with the thick hoar-frost that I tend to love in my settings.
Ferruginous Hawks are our largest and most powerful buteo but they’re also secretive, wary of humans and often roost on the ground so they can be difficult to locate.
