Many of us despise the disastrous effects of barbed wire fences on birds and other wildlife and I share that view. But maybe it’s a more nuanced issue than some of us believe. Could it be that barbed wire fences have a more positive overall effect on some species than negative?
As viewers we almost never know what it really took for the photographer to get that shot we like so much.
The mystery continues as to what this nesting material actually is but I think I have a pretty good guess.
During my Montana camping trip last week I was able to photograph two of the tiniest birds of their types in the world.
I’m finding a fair number of Short-eared Owls on this trip to Montana and like our birds in Utah they like to perch on and take off from fence posts. But this male actually took off from the ground.
Like most days in the field yesterday had its ups and downs. I was excited to photograph a phalarope chick but a glitch with my primary camera really threw me for a loop.
Departure: This morning. Duration: Unknown. Destination: Montana’s Centennial Valley and surrounding area. I just can’t get enough of that place.
I’m growing weary of featuring wildlife encounters with barbed wire on my blog and I’m sure some of my readers are too (that’s one of the reasons I’ve put this post off for over a month). But dammit, I just can’t stick my head in the sand and pretend this kind of thing doesn’t happen (don’t worry, there are no gory photos in this post).
Red-tailed Hawks are known to prey on snakes but it’s something I’ve not seen often and I’d never documented it well.
This trip to Montana’s Centennial Valley was memorable for a variety of reasons, including a hailstorm that literally “rocked” our world and that of the birds around us.
On one morning I was incredibly lucky to find two males trying to impress a female with their aerial prowess and fighting skills.
