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<\/p>\nLots of variety today.<\/p>\n
Yesterday while looking for something else I stumbled across some photo memories of a camping trip to southwest Montana in early June of 2013 that I thought were more than interesting enough to share. They should give you a feeling for why it’s one of my favorite areas to visit.<\/p>\n
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A male Black-headed Grosbeak that allowed me to get unusually close. I haven’t had many opportunities with this species in Utah so finding this handsome guy was a real treat for me.<\/p>\n
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After photographing the grosbeak and after a slow half-hour drive on a rough dirt\/gravel road this is where I found myself. Depending on whether you travel east or west from this point the opportunities for spectacular views and\/or myriad wildlife and birds are almost limitless.<\/p>\n
On these trips I spend most of my time west of here, in my native state of Montana. The Centennial Valley and the headwaters of the Missouri River aren’t far down the rocky road behind me and to the right.<\/p>\n
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A tiny Ferruginous Hawk chick in the massive nest it was being raised in. There were actually three chicks but two of them were hunkered down in the bowl of the nest.<\/p>\n
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How often does a photographer get a raptor and an elk in the same photo? I had a hard time trying to decide whether to focus on the hawk or the elk and I didn’t do a great job on either one but I still think it’s an interesting and even unique photo. The hawk never took its eyes off of the elk.<\/p>\n
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A mated pair of Red-tailed Hawks in a very old dead tree. This was the second year in a row that I found these hawks in the same tree. The male, at bottom, seems a little worried that his mate might poop on him. She didn’t.<\/p>\n
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This is\u00a0 the view that greeted me each morning as I left my campsite. This mixed habitat of wet grasslands interspersed with sagebrush flats was unusually productive for wildlife, including but certainly not limited to Short-eared Owls, Pronghorn and even the occasional small band of elk that would come down out of the mountains in the background to spend the night and early morning grazing on the flats.<\/p>\n
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A protective mama badger in the middle with two of her teenagers. I was pulling my camping trailer and on my way home to Utah when I found the badger family and I was using my 500mm prime lens so in this photo the badgers are a little tight in the frame. As you can imagine, with the trailer hooked on I couldn’t maneuver to give me more room in the frame.<\/p>\n
I’ve made many trips to this area over the years and this one was one of the most interesting and productive. If my bad back ever cooperates I’ll be back.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
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