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.
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.
I sure do miss this woodpecker and its mate. I photographed them for parts of two breeding seasons in Clark County, Idaho but about a month ago some idiot chopped down their nest tree (the one in these images) and I haven’t seen the birds since.
Photographs of wildlife in wilderness have special meaning for me. If I’m aware that an image was taken in a truly wild setting it changes the context in a positive way.
I was delighted almost to the point of giddiness to see this many Short-eared Owls concentrated in a small area.
I’m delighted to see government agencies and conservation groups working together to protect vulnerable nesting birds.
Starlings, cowbirds and even magpies have an interesting relationship with the bison on Antelope Island.
The older I get the more I root for the underdog and this merganser has been near the top of my underdog list for three years now.
Mountain Plovers are uncommon throughout their range and rare in Utah but I’ve had my moment in the sun with them and it was an experience I’ll never forget.
Managing species in distress can be a complex and potentially contradictory endeavor.
As a bird photographer my attitude toward excrement-stained perches has evolved, especially when it involves raptors.
Based on what I’m seeing in the field I’m wondering if some birds aren’t being tricked into spring activities too early.
My recent camping trip to the Mojave Desert of southwestern Utah was slow on birds but I didn’t come home “skunked” either.
This lonely fir tree at the east end of Montana’s Centennial Valley has had some interesting history over the last several years.
