Black-billed Magpie With An Apparent Kill
Black-billed Magpies feed primarily on carrion, ground-dwelling arthropods and seeds. But yesterday morning I photographed a magpie with an apparent kill, a vole.
Tag: prey
Short-eared Owl In Flight (with prey in silhouette)
Photographing Short-eared Owls in flight with naturally obtained (not baited) prey in a wild setting is near the pinnacle of my bird photography aspirations. Thankfully I’ve had that opportunity several times and I’ll be forever grateful.
Barn Owl Hunting Rodents
I typically go about 10 months of the year without seeing Barn Owls flying in daylight but when snow and extremely cold temperatures arrive they’re often forced to hunt during daytime in order to obtain enough food to survive.
Forster’s Tern With Prey And A Common Black-Hawk In Utah!
Today, readers get a “twofer”: a Forster’s Tern with prey and a rare Common Black-hawk.
Another Grebe Biting Off More Than It Can Chew
It isn’t unusual for some bird species to regularly attempt to swallow prey that is too large to go down the hatch. I see American White Pelicans and Great Blue Herons make such attempts fairly often but around here Pied-billed Grebes and Western Grebes seem to be the kings of Gluttony Hill.
A Digestive Surprise For A Young Swainson’s Hawk
I believe this juvenile Swainson’s Hawk was taken by surprise by what it found in its mouth.
Montana Merlin In The Fog
Last month I posted a few images of this Merlin in the fog. For subtle reasons this may be my favorite from the entire session with the bird.
Swainson’s Hawk Face-plant Into Rabbitbrush
Sometimes raptors risk serious injury as they go after prey – especially to their eyes.
Red-tailed Hawk With Prey
I photographed this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk yesterday morning near Farmington Bay as it prepared to eat a vole it had just caught.
Note: Fair warning – the second photo in this sequence is slightly graphic so sensitive folks may want to avoid scrolling further than the first image.
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.
Just What Are Those Birds Eating, Anyway?
Who among us has not been at least a little bit curious about precisely what birds are eating?
Red-tailed Hawk Carrying Prey in Beak Instead Of Talons
In my experience Red-tailed Hawks in flight most often carry prey in their talons but this molting adult surprised me a little.
The Shrike And The Grasshopper (and noticing the “little things”)
I make every effort in the field to “read” the behavior of my avian subjects. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m not but either way it’s a learning experience for me and my percentage of accuracy does seem to be improving. One of the payoffs can be better bird photographs for a variety of reasons.
An Update On The Red-tailed Hawk Chicks
Ten days ago I reported on the progress of the three Red-tailed Hawk nestlings I’ve been following out in the west desert. At that time several of my readers requested that I keep folks up to date on these birds as they approach fledging. This post is my attempt to do so.
Loggerhead Shrikes “Mate Feeding”
Five days ago I posted a series of images of a male Loggerhead Shrike feeding his mate (a ritual that is part of the pair bond between mated birds) and at the time I mentioned that I had photographed the same behavior the day before from the same birds. This is that sequence of images.