Montana

Owl See You at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

By Mia McPherson, on May 6th, 2013%

Female Short-eared Owl and chick at nest

I’ve said before that owls fascinate me; probably more times than I can count, and Short-eared Owls are always a delight. Although I see and photograph Short-eared Owls here in Utah I have had some very special photography sessions with them at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in the Centennial Valley of Montana. Two summers ago I spotted a mated pair of them not too far from a road with the nest at the base of a Sagebrush. The nest was far enough away from the road that we could photograph them without disturbing the adults or the chicks.

Male Short-eared Owl with Centennial Mountains in the background

The male hunted for his young from the air and when he found prey he would swoop down from the sky and then deliver the prey to the female. He did this many times while observing the Short-eared Owl family. The light was difficult to photograph in which meant I bumped my ISO up higher than I would have liked to get sufficient shutter speed, that left a bit of noise in the background and I applied some noise reduction to it. The Centennial Mountains make for a lovely background.

Male Short-eared Owl with prey for his young

This image shows the male bringing in a vole to his family with the Centennial Mountains in the background, part of the Lower Lake and the grasses below. This male Short-eared Owl seem to be a proficient hunter.

Female Short-eared Owl in a fog

This beautiful female Short-eared Owl who posed in a lake fog was very cooperative and I could have easily filled my CF cards several times in the 13 minutes I had to photograph her. She was close to the edge of the road perched on a fence post in the fog as the sun rose and began to warm the day. It felt magical to be in her presence!

Short-eared Owl with tufts showing

Last year the vole population of the Centennial Valley had crashed and it appeared that many of the Short-eared Owls had moved to more fertile hunting ground. This Short-eared Owl was among the few I saw on the refuge last summer but she sure was a beauty.

Will they be there this year? I don’t know for sure but I certainly hope so.

Mia

Please take a moment to view the proposal for the creation of a Federal Wildlife Conservation Stamp which could provide a robust, parallel revenue stream for National Wildlife Refuges, preserving habitat and wildlife, while giving non-extractive users a funding tool and a stronger voice in habitat and wildlife decisions on our shared, public lands. If you agree it is time for this proposal to come to fruition, please consider backing the effort by joining our “About Us” page as a supporter.

This is a great read about Who Owns the Wildlife? written by John W. Laundré, Cougar Biologist State University of New York at Oswego

More Short-eared Owl images

Shades of Blue – Wildflowers, Birds, Sky and Sea

By Mia McPherson, on April 17th, 2013%

Blue-eyed Grass – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/400, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

Last week I was Thinking Pink so this week I thought I would focus on the shades of blues found in wildflowers, birds, the sky and seas. Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) is one of my favorite blue wildflowers from the eastern United States. Blue-eyed Grass isn’t actually a grass at all, it is from the Iris family and may have gotten the “Grass” part of its name because the leaves are very thin and grass-like. I found and photographed this beauty under the pines of the Osprey Trail at Honeymoon Island State Park in Florida.

Great Blue Heron in the Gulf of Mexico – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 230mm, natural light

It seems to me that Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) are misnamed because they are more gray than they are blue, in fact when I see a Great Blue Heron posted on line that is very blue I scratch my head because they really aren’t that blue. I photographed this Great Blue Heron as it walked along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico at Fort De Soto’s north beach in Florida.

Little Blue Heron stalking prey in a tidal lagoon – Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 360mm, natural light

Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) adults are more blue than Great Blue Herons, at least from the base of the neck to their tails, their necks have a reddish cast to them. I was sitting in the lagoon with the Little Blue Heron approached me while it was stalking and hunting prey at Fort De Soto County Park in Florida.

Male Lazuli Bunting – Nikon D200, f8, 1/500, ISO 250, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

Male Lazuli Buntings (Passerina amoena) have a gorgeous azure blue head as well as some blue on other parts of their bodies. The word “lazuli” come from the semi-precious gemstone Lapis Lazuli which comes in various shades of blue with gold colored specks. I photographed this Lazuli Bunting in the San Rafael area of Utah and the background is the color of sandstone found in that area.

Mountain Bluebird - Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/2500, ISO 500, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4 TC at 400mm, natural light

Mountain Bluebirds (Sialia currucoides) are one of the bluest bird species I have photographed, especially the males. I didn’t add any color saturation to this image at all, this is how blue the bird looked in the light conditions I had at the time I took this image at Red Rock lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Montana. The males during the breeding season are a rich, vibrant blue.

Blue skies at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Montana – Nikon D200, handheld, f20, 1/160, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 18mm, natural light

Some of the bluest skies I have ever seen have been at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Montana where on a clear (or not so clear) day you can see for miles & miles. I loved how this wave of clouds fanned out in this frame and added a nice contrast to the blue tones in the sky.

Amazing blues of Magens Bay, Saint Thomas, USVI – No techs, this is a panorama made from several images that were joined together

The colors of the seas and oceans have always drawn me to water because they can vary from the palest aquamarine to deep royal blues and everything in between. Magens Bay in Saint Thomas and the Atlantic Ocean beyond it give this image wonderful shades of blue that I find very soothing and it brings back nice memories of my stay on the island.

Shades of blue…

Mia

I have Montana’s birds on my mind

By Mia McPherson, on April 14th, 2013%

Sandhill Crane in a field of wildflowers

This time of the year I start dreaming about the Centennial Valley of Montana and of the birds that call the valley home during the summer. In my mind I can hear the Sandhill Cranes and Coyotes calling as the mist rises off of the lake. And the pungent smell of Sagebrush as I move past them.

Juvenile Swainson’s Hawk in the Centennial Valley

I know that if I am lucky I will get to see hawks, eagles, owls and falcons. I enjoy seeing the hatch year hawks like this Swainson’s Hawk juvenile perched on a fence post near Red Rock Creek.

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in the Centennial Valley

And juvenile Red-tailed Hawks warming in the light of the rising sun.

Mia

Female Great Horned Owl in Montana

By Mia McPherson, on April 9th, 2013%

Great Horned Owl female in a granary window – Nikon D200, tripod mounted, f6.3, 1/250, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

I love the combination of owls and old wooden buildings such as barns or granaries so when I get a chance to photograph them in that type of setting I jump at the opportunity. This female Great Horned Owl was resting at the opening of an old granary in Glacier County, Montana when I photographed her. I especially enjoy how her ear tufts are clearly visible, the great eye contact and the lovely view of her back.

Owls are a favorite subject for me anywhere I find them.

Mia

More Great Horned Owl images

A Lark, or two, or four

By Mia McPherson, on April 5th, 2013%

The merry lark he soars on high, No worldly thought o’ertakes him. He sings aloud to the clear blue sky, And the daylight that awakes him. -Hartley Coleridge

Male Horned Lark displaying

Hartley Coleridge lived in England from 1796 to 1849 and I’m certain he wasn’t writing about the Larks we have in North America but I thought it was a suitable quote for a post on larks. The only native true lark that lives and breeds in North America is the Horned Lark. The male above was photographed in Tooele County, Utah a few days ago as he displayed on top of a rock. I didn’t see a female nearby but perhaps he did.

Female Lark Bunting

Another bird with “lark” in its name is the Lark Bunting which is actually in the sparrow family. I photographed this female (please correct me if I am wrong in case this is a non-breeding male) at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Montana in June of 2011. So far the only opportunity I have had to photograph this species is the day I took this image.

Lark Sparrow

The Lark Sparrow earns its name by singing like a lark and I am expecting their return to Utah any day now. I love that Harlequin pattern on their faces. This Lark Sparrow was photographed last May on Antelope Island State Park.

Western Meadowlark

Western Meadowlarks aren’t larks or sparrows, they are Icterids but they sing like a lark too. This one was photographed yesterday on Antelope Island State Park. Right now they are singing on territory and they don’t seem able to stop them selves from singing even when they are hunting or eating food.

There is a small breeding population of Sky Larks that were introduced near Vancouver that originated from Britain, Sky Larks that are seen elsewhere are likely vagrants from Asia.

Mia