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).
Chukar Free Fall
No great photography this morning but this Chukar just might bring a smile to your face.
Feathered Photography Glitch
There was a glitch this morning when I published my latest post – “A Black-headed Grosbeak, The Canon 7D and a Rookie Mistake” so those of you who get the email notifications and follow the link from the email will only get an error message. Since the email notifications have already gone out I can’t fix them.
But if you go directly to my blog the post is there.
https://featheredphotography.com/blog/2013/06/26/a-black-headed-grosbeak-the-canon-7d-and-a-rookie-mistake/
I apologize for the inconvenience and the confusion. It shouldn’t happen again…
A Black-headed Grosbeak, The Canon 7D And A Rookie Mistake
I found this male Black-headed Grosbeak foraging in a tree near a Montana mountain lake on my recent camping trip up there. The setting is a little cluttered but to my eye it’s an attractive clutter.
Sage Thrasher On Rabbitbrush
Though there’s a fair number of Sage Thrashers on Antelope Island they’ve been a difficult quarry for me. Originally called the Mountain Mockingbird, this smallest of the thrasher species is known to be particularly elusive, frequently running on the ground rather than taking flight and their wandering habits during migration have caused them to be poorly studied.
How Ravens Collect Chick Feces At The Nest – I Had No Idea!
When this parent flew to the nest I was mostly watching and not clicking the shutter. I had no idea that I was about to see something new to me. Suddenly one of the chicks began backing up to the edge of the nest and I figured it was about to defecate over the side. I was wrong.
Western Wood-Peewee
I often make the observation that one of the reasons I’m a bird photographer rather than a birder is because many of the trappings of traditional birding simply don’t appeal to me – keeping lists, in particular. But I’ll admit that getting a “lifer” rings my bell.
And a lifer I got on this last Montana trip – a Western Wood-Peewee. Several of them, in fact.
Forster’s Tern
Whenever I watch terns in flight I’m struck by their grace, beauty and incredible maneuverability as they cruise over the water surface hunting for small fish.
Swainson’s Hawk In Full Flight
In Montana (and elsewhere I presume) orange paint on fence posts is used to mark private property and prevent trespass and hunting without permission on private lands. Apparently some land owners are color blind and use red paint instead of orange but the universally understood message is still the same – stay out!
Not all of the posts are so-marked (perhaps 10%?) but the birds I photograph sure have a nasty habit of choosing those ugly posts to perch on when I’m trying to photograph them. Such was the case with this Swainson’s Hawk a few days ago in western Montana.