Yet Another Reason For Photographing Raptors When The Sun Is Low
With raptors in particular there’s an additional reason for photographing when the sun is low in the sky – it’s called the brow ridge.
Tag: centennial valley
Swainson’s Hawk In Flight In Low Light
Any bird photographer knows that light and timing have a nasty habit of being uncooperative just when you need that cooperation most.
Preening Trumpeter Swan On Montana’s Elk Lake
I won’t soon forget being allowed so close to these wild, quintessential swans that came so very close to extinction.
Juvenile Swainson’s Hawk Take-off
In my experience there’s a huge range in the approachability of juvenile raptors, even among siblings. And overall, Swainson’s Hawks seem to be the most approachable of all. This variability was demonstrated during our trip to Montana’s Centennial Valley last week and once again it made me nervous for the safety of the bird.
Merlin With Prey In Approaching Fog
On our recent Montana trip I spent two morning sessions with a cooperative Merlin at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in the Centennial Valley.
Ground Squirrels – Some Love’em, Some… Well, They Really Don’t!
In much of their western habitat ground squirrels are a vital link in the food chain. Carnivores love them but ranchers and farmers have a decidedly different view.
Centennial Valley Sage Grouse And Their Potential Listing As “Threatened”
About three weeks ago I was able to photograph adult female Greater Sage-Grouse and their chicks in the Centennial Valley of southwest Montana. This species is on the cusp of a threatened species designation so I’m always thrilled to be able to see and photograph them in their natural, wild habitat. Believe me, it doesn’t happen very often.
Female Mountain Bluebird Removing Fecal Sac From Nestbox
The nesting season of Mountain Bluebirds in Montana’s Centennial Valley was delayed this year due to a late spring cold snap so during my visit there last week some of them were still feeding youngsters in the nest boxes. I’ve found it to be relatively easy to photograph the parent birds on top of the nest boxes with insects for the chicks in their beaks but catching them in flight as they leave the nest with fecal sacs is another story altogether.
An Elk Calf In Distress
This past Sunday morning as I crested a very large hill (Monida Hill) at the west end of the Centennial Valley I noticed an elk calf below me and behind a fence. As soon as I stopped my pickup and the road noise quit I could tell it was in distress from the almost constant noise it was making. I don’t know what to call that sound so I’ll simply refer to it as a “call”. The sound was pitiful and almost heartbreaking to hear.
Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
This is the time of year that Swainson’s Hawks usually begin to converge on the Centennial Valley to feast on grasshoppers and believe me the area produces grasshoppers in abundance – probably more of them than I’ve ever seen elsewhere (and I grew up on a Montana farm where grasshoppers were unfortunately one of our most successful crops).
Ferruginous Hawks – Strange Behavior With Nesting Material
On our recent camping/photo trip to southwest Montana I observed and photographed a Ferruginous Hawk behavior that has me baffled.
Dark Morph Swainson’s Hawk Taking Off From A Hilltop
On the mornings when we leave Montana’s Centennial Valley the 27 miles of dirt road until we hit pavement are always a little depressing because we’re so reluctant to leave that wonderful place. But occasionally our melancholy is assuaged and our spirits lifted by birds and other wildlife we see on the way out.
Montana Bull Elk Jumping A Fence At Dawn
The elk near the Centennial Valley spend most of their time in the nearby mountains that border the valley on the south. They’re spooky of humans and our trappings for good reason as they’re hunted relentlessly in season and poachers are a risk year-round in that remote location.
Short-eared Owl Pushing Off With His Talon-tips
On our Montana trips I’m always looking for Short-eared Owls but sadly, unlike just a few years ago when they were relatively abundant, they’re virtually nonexistent in the Centennial Valley these days. I’m pretty much convinced their absence is largely due to all the cattle (mostly yearlings who are the juvenile delinquents of the bovine world and they really tore up the place) that were allowed to graze Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge a couple of years ago.
Red-tailed Hawk Attacked By A Swainson’s Hawk
The Centennial Valley had one more surprise in store as we left for home last Thursday morning. Photographing birds and other wildlife along the 27 mile long dirt road while I’m pulling the camping trailer is always awkward but the road is typically deserted that time of day and we’ve come up with something special more than once on the way out.
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Swainson’s Hawk In Flight In Low Light
Any bird photographer knows that light and timing have a nasty habit of being uncooperative just when you need that cooperation most.
Preening Trumpeter Swan On Montana’s Elk Lake
I won’t soon forget being allowed so close to these wild, quintessential swans that came so very close to extinction.
Juvenile Swainson’s Hawk Take-off
In my experience there’s a huge range in the approachability of juvenile raptors, even among siblings. And overall, Swainson’s Hawks seem to be the most approachable of all. This variability was demonstrated during our trip to Montana’s Centennial Valley last week and once again it made me nervous for the safety of the bird.
Merlin With Prey In Approaching Fog
On our recent Montana trip I spent two morning sessions with a cooperative Merlin at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in the Centennial Valley.
Ground Squirrels – Some Love’em, Some… Well, They Really Don’t!
In much of their western habitat ground squirrels are a vital link in the food chain. Carnivores love them but ranchers and farmers have a decidedly different view.
Centennial Valley Sage Grouse And Their Potential Listing As “Threatened”
About three weeks ago I was able to photograph adult female Greater Sage-Grouse and their chicks in the Centennial Valley of southwest Montana. This species is on the cusp of a threatened species designation so I’m always thrilled to be able to see and photograph them in their natural, wild habitat. Believe me, it doesn’t happen very often.
Female Mountain Bluebird Removing Fecal Sac From Nestbox
The nesting season of Mountain Bluebirds in Montana’s Centennial Valley was delayed this year due to a late spring cold snap so during my visit there last week some of them were still feeding youngsters in the nest boxes. I’ve found it to be relatively easy to photograph the parent birds on top of the nest boxes with insects for the chicks in their beaks but catching them in flight as they leave the nest with fecal sacs is another story altogether.
An Elk Calf In Distress
This past Sunday morning as I crested a very large hill (Monida Hill) at the west end of the Centennial Valley I noticed an elk calf below me and behind a fence. As soon as I stopped my pickup and the road noise quit I could tell it was in distress from the almost constant noise it was making. I don’t know what to call that sound so I’ll simply refer to it as a “call”. The sound was pitiful and almost heartbreaking to hear.
Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
This is the time of year that Swainson’s Hawks usually begin to converge on the Centennial Valley to feast on grasshoppers and believe me the area produces grasshoppers in abundance – probably more of them than I’ve ever seen elsewhere (and I grew up on a Montana farm where grasshoppers were unfortunately one of our most successful crops).
Ferruginous Hawks – Strange Behavior With Nesting Material
On our recent camping/photo trip to southwest Montana I observed and photographed a Ferruginous Hawk behavior that has me baffled.
Dark Morph Swainson’s Hawk Taking Off From A Hilltop
On the mornings when we leave Montana’s Centennial Valley the 27 miles of dirt road until we hit pavement are always a little depressing because we’re so reluctant to leave that wonderful place. But occasionally our melancholy is assuaged and our spirits lifted by birds and other wildlife we see on the way out.
Montana Bull Elk Jumping A Fence At Dawn
The elk near the Centennial Valley spend most of their time in the nearby mountains that border the valley on the south. They’re spooky of humans and our trappings for good reason as they’re hunted relentlessly in season and poachers are a risk year-round in that remote location.
Short-eared Owl Pushing Off With His Talon-tips
On our Montana trips I’m always looking for Short-eared Owls but sadly, unlike just a few years ago when they were relatively abundant, they’re virtually nonexistent in the Centennial Valley these days. I’m pretty much convinced their absence is largely due to all the cattle (mostly yearlings who are the juvenile delinquents of the bovine world and they really tore up the place) that were allowed to graze Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge a couple of years ago.
Red-tailed Hawk Attacked By A Swainson’s Hawk
The Centennial Valley had one more surprise in store as we left for home last Thursday morning. Photographing birds and other wildlife along the 27 mile long dirt road while I’m pulling the camping trailer is always awkward but the road is typically deserted that time of day and we’ve come up with something special more than once on the way out.