Short-eared Owl Carrying A Vole In Its Beak (for a change)
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.
Is A Hawk Capable Of “Planning”?
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”?
The Many Moods Of A Female American Kestrel
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.
Frosty Rough-legged Hawk
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 Hunting From Power Poles
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.
Sleepy Great Horned Owl Fledgling
There has been breeding Great Horned Owls on the Montana farm where I grew up for many years and when I’m there in spring or early summer I can usually count on several curious youngsters exploring their surroundings as they learn the ropes. It’s a big farm with many outbuildings so it’s always a challenge to find them once they fledge. It’s a pleasant early morning ritual for me to wander around and try to locate them – it’s almost like a game we play.
White-crowned Sparrows – Sunflower Gluttony And Crossed Bills
A local pumpkin farmer (Pack Farms) plants sunflowers along the periphery of his pumpkin field and each fall they provide a messy bounty for a variety of birds. Most species seem to be tidy eaters but the juvenile White-crowned Sparrows are an exception.
The orange in the background of these shots is – you guessed it – pumpkins.
Birds Befuddled By Stray Feathers
Nothing serious this morning – just a couple of interesting and slightly amusing observations.
Black-billed Magpie In Full Flight (not taking off)
Magpies aren’t among the most glamorous of birds so they don’t get a lot of attention from photographers but I enjoy them for their fascinating behaviors, their gutsiness and their apparent intelligence. And if you want a particularly challenging photographic subject you can’t go wrong with the Black-billed Magpie.
West Desert Red-tail In Flight
Last month we ventured out into the west desert in an attempt to locate and photograph buteos and Golden Eagles. With the exception of one adult Red-tailed Hawk and a (mostly uncooperative) Golden Eagle who let us get close it was largely a frustrating morning.
The red-tail was perched in a tree that was swaying in the wind and it was quite entertaining to watch it rockin’ and rollin’ as it attempted to remain stable on its unstable perch.