A Sage Thrasher Kinda Morning
On average I probably only have good opportunities with the elusive Sage Thrasher two or three times per year. This year the last day of June was one of them..
Category: Favorite Locations
A Wet, Winking Great Horned Owl Fledgling
I love the half-closed, fuzzy eyelid and the ear tufts or “horns” that are just beginning to form on this young owl.
An Unlikely Alliance To Save The Greater Sage-Grouse
The Greater Sage-Grouse is a spectacular bird in many ways. They’re our largest grouse – males may approach 7 lbs. The dramatic breeding display of the males on the lek is mind-boggling. And to have one of these birds flush at your feet is literally a heart-stopping experience – something I know from experience.
But these birds are in great danger of extinction due to dramatic loss of habitat.
Western Grebe Mated With Clark’s Grebe
In the years I’ve watched and photographed the behaviors of both species I’ve never before seen a Western Grebe mated to a Clark’s Grebe. Mixed species pairs are uncommon to rare so to have seen this natural but unusual behavior was pretty special for me.
Fledgling Loggerhead Shrike Begging For Food
I photographed a family of very cooperative Loggerhead Shrikes last week on Antelope Island. The young birds had already fledged and were very actively exploring their world, strengthening their wing muscles by flying from perch to perch and testing a variety of objects for their potential food value.
And they were gutsy! Several times a juvenile landed on the tailgate of my pickup as you can see here.
Horned Lark On Mullein
For the past several weeks Antelope Island has been awash in the glorious yellows of moth mullein. It doesn’t cover the entire island but there are areas where entire hillsides have been festooned in mullein yellow.
Pied-billed Grebe On Nest
Yesterday morning I was very surprised to see this active nest so close to the loop road at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Both parents incubate and the sexes are similar so I don’t know if this was the male or the female but the apparent mate of this bird was hanging around in the general vicinity.
Pronghorn Fawns
On our last trip to southwest Montana a few weeks ago we encountered a doe pronghorn and her twin fawns. This is cold, high country and fawning season had just begun so other than these two we saw very few fawns, even though pronghorn numbers were high.
I’ll try to avoid the word “cute” throughout this post but it won’t be easy.
A Shrike, A Deer Fly And A Feathered Photography Update
I thought this image was particularly interesting for several reasons.
This juvenile had been enthusiastically begging for food when a deer fly (I believe) unexpectedly appeared on the scene. A split second prior to this shot the bird had its wings out, its beak open and was squawking to be fed but the focus of its attention changed immediately when the biting insect appeared.
My Favorite Shrike Flight Shot
I spent some more time with my favorite Loggerhead Shrike family yesterday morning and was able to get this image of a juvenile soon after lift-off. This may be my favorite shrike flight shot so far.
Juvenile Loggerhead Shrike Take-off
Many of the young Loggerhead Shrikes on Antelope Island have now fledged and are learning the ropes. They’re ornery, fun, fierce and fearless. Twice I’ve had one almost fly into my open pickup window, another one very nearly landed on my lens hood sticking out a window and yet another landed on the pickup itself.
Sage Thrasher Attitude Adjustment
Three days ago I had some more fun with Sage Thrashers on Antelope Island. I don’t know why little things like this interest and amuse me. But they do.
Long-billed Curlew And Fledgling
Long-billed Curlews spend most of the late spring and early summer at mid-elevations on Antelope Island while nesting and raising their chicks but by this time of year they begin to bring the youngsters down to the shoreline. That’s where I photographed this lone adult with a single youngster yesterday morning.
The Sage Thrasher And The Wasp
The best fun of the morning was provided by this wasp as it unexpectedly intruded on the personal space of the thrasher. The gaze of the bird locked on to the wasp like radar.
Red-tailed Hawks – Creatures Of Habit
Last summer (these first two photos were taken July 22, 2012) I photographed this mated pair of Red-tailed Hawks in western Montana. On most mornings and some evenings I could almost count on finding them perched in the same old snag and even on the same branch of the dead tree.
Earlier this month on my first Montana camping trip I found the same mated pair on the same perch (male at bottom, female up top).
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A Wet, Winking Great Horned Owl Fledgling
I love the half-closed, fuzzy eyelid and the ear tufts or “horns” that are just beginning to form on this young owl.
An Unlikely Alliance To Save The Greater Sage-Grouse
The Greater Sage-Grouse is a spectacular bird in many ways. They’re our largest grouse – males may approach 7 lbs. The dramatic breeding display of the males on the lek is mind-boggling. And to have one of these birds flush at your feet is literally a heart-stopping experience – something I know from experience.
But these birds are in great danger of extinction due to dramatic loss of habitat.
Western Grebe Mated With Clark’s Grebe
In the years I’ve watched and photographed the behaviors of both species I’ve never before seen a Western Grebe mated to a Clark’s Grebe. Mixed species pairs are uncommon to rare so to have seen this natural but unusual behavior was pretty special for me.
Fledgling Loggerhead Shrike Begging For Food
I photographed a family of very cooperative Loggerhead Shrikes last week on Antelope Island. The young birds had already fledged and were very actively exploring their world, strengthening their wing muscles by flying from perch to perch and testing a variety of objects for their potential food value.
And they were gutsy! Several times a juvenile landed on the tailgate of my pickup as you can see here.
Horned Lark On Mullein
For the past several weeks Antelope Island has been awash in the glorious yellows of moth mullein. It doesn’t cover the entire island but there are areas where entire hillsides have been festooned in mullein yellow.
Pied-billed Grebe On Nest
Yesterday morning I was very surprised to see this active nest so close to the loop road at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Both parents incubate and the sexes are similar so I don’t know if this was the male or the female but the apparent mate of this bird was hanging around in the general vicinity.
Pronghorn Fawns
On our last trip to southwest Montana a few weeks ago we encountered a doe pronghorn and her twin fawns. This is cold, high country and fawning season had just begun so other than these two we saw very few fawns, even though pronghorn numbers were high.
I’ll try to avoid the word “cute” throughout this post but it won’t be easy.
A Shrike, A Deer Fly And A Feathered Photography Update
I thought this image was particularly interesting for several reasons.
This juvenile had been enthusiastically begging for food when a deer fly (I believe) unexpectedly appeared on the scene. A split second prior to this shot the bird had its wings out, its beak open and was squawking to be fed but the focus of its attention changed immediately when the biting insect appeared.
My Favorite Shrike Flight Shot
I spent some more time with my favorite Loggerhead Shrike family yesterday morning and was able to get this image of a juvenile soon after lift-off. This may be my favorite shrike flight shot so far.
Juvenile Loggerhead Shrike Take-off
Many of the young Loggerhead Shrikes on Antelope Island have now fledged and are learning the ropes. They’re ornery, fun, fierce and fearless. Twice I’ve had one almost fly into my open pickup window, another one very nearly landed on my lens hood sticking out a window and yet another landed on the pickup itself.
Sage Thrasher Attitude Adjustment
Three days ago I had some more fun with Sage Thrashers on Antelope Island. I don’t know why little things like this interest and amuse me. But they do.
Long-billed Curlew And Fledgling
Long-billed Curlews spend most of the late spring and early summer at mid-elevations on Antelope Island while nesting and raising their chicks but by this time of year they begin to bring the youngsters down to the shoreline. That’s where I photographed this lone adult with a single youngster yesterday morning.
The Sage Thrasher And The Wasp
The best fun of the morning was provided by this wasp as it unexpectedly intruded on the personal space of the thrasher. The gaze of the bird locked on to the wasp like radar.
Red-tailed Hawks – Creatures Of Habit
Last summer (these first two photos were taken July 22, 2012) I photographed this mated pair of Red-tailed Hawks in western Montana. On most mornings and some evenings I could almost count on finding them perched in the same old snag and even on the same branch of the dead tree.
Earlier this month on my first Montana camping trip I found the same mated pair on the same perch (male at bottom, female up top).