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This Solitary Sandpiper hung out at a small pond the entire time I was there but trees around the edge made getting light on the bird difficult in the mornings.\u00a0 This was taken later in the day so the light is a bit harsh but I still liked the image.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I watched this Sharp-shinned Hawk put on an acrobatic display in the air as it chased a songbird that literally made my jaw drop.\u00a0 It failed at catching the bird and then landed in this less than ideal setting as it recovered from the effort.\u00a0 I seldom see Sharpies in the valley during my mid-summer trips so I suspect this bird\u00a0may have been\u00a0migrating through.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n One evening as\u00a0we returned to camp when the sun was low we noticed “clumps” of flying insects with the light on them against a shaded mountain background.\u00a0 It was fascinating to watch and difficult to photograph.\u00a0 The bugs were swirling around in hundreds of little balls.\u00a0 I suspect they were mating in mid-flight.\u00a0 In many of my images of them, most of the insects were in circular\u00a0“strings” as they followed each other individually in flight.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This juvenile Red-tailed Hawk with a blood encrusted bill allowed me to get very close.\u00a0 Its tail was hidden by its rock perch so I decided to go for a few close-ups.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This coyote was hunting voles along a road near the Montana\/Idaho border.\u00a0 I liked the stalking pose.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I followed it for a while and eventually it paused at a trickle of a stream for a drink.\u00a0 This is ranching country where coyotes are hunted relentlessly so I was very surprised that this one allowed me so close.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I tend to give sparrows short-shrift on my blog so I thought I’d include this Vesper Sparrow in an attempt to make up for my sins.\u00a0 This bird stayed in this same spot for quite a while as it picked seeds off the\u00a0 ground.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I always enjoy seeing the interesting foot positions of resting raptors and this Swainson’s Hawk obliged me for some time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"solitary](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/solitary-sandpiper-9179-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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