Mating Swainson’s Hawks in Beaverhead County
Three days ago I felt fortunate to come across a mated pair of Swainson's Hawks in Beaverhead County, Montana, the male was an intermediate morph and the female was a light morph.
Ducking Out For A Bit…
Sometimes after a period of high activity I simply need to rest and relax or duck out into nature's wild grandeur to refresh.
The Middle of Nowhere
When I am in the wilderness I wake to coyotes singing, cranes trumpeting and the breeze rustling through the grasses or the trees.
Return of the Swainson’s Hawks
Last week I saw my first of the season Swainson's Hawk not too far from the visitor's center at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge and that got me excited.
Return of the Tree Swallows
Not only are Tree Swallows colorful and beautiful they are bug-zapping machines and keep the number of flying insects down.
Swainson’s Hawk juvenile in low light
I wonder if this juvenile Swainson's made the long migration to South America and if I will see it again in the Centennial Valley of Montana this spring.
Dreaming of Sandhill Cranes
Last night I only had dreams about Sandhill Cranes but it won't be long before I will be seeing and hearing them for real. I can barely wait.
Trumpeter Swans of the Centennial Valley
One of the locations I am daydreaming about is the Centennial Valley of Montana and the birds I find there.
Bald Eagle on a lofty perch
I can not imagine not being able to raise my lens and see Bald Eagles through my viewfinder as a bird photographer and nature lover.
Raising my glass to 2015!
Raising the glass attached to my camera that is! I'm excited about the photographic opportunities that will present themselves in 2015.
Summer Memories of Greater Sage-Grouse
I was going back through some of the images I took this past summer and came across this photo of a Greater Sage-Grouse I photographed in July.
Prairie Merlin
I saw a fleeting glimpse of a bird a few days ago that I suspect was a Merlin that migrated to winter here in Utah and it inspired me to post a few Merlin images today.
Greater Sage-Grouse among the Lupine
If hope is the thing with feathers then I want to heap as much hope as I can find into the future of Greater Sage-Grouse.
Wildness and Connections
This Terry Tempest Williams quote strikes a chord within me because I feel very connected to nature and wildness and that connection is with me every day of my life.
Swainson’s Hawk in evening light
A month ago I was in the Centennial Valley of Montana camping and the hawks I spent the most time photographing were Swainson's Hawks.
Merlin, Prey and Fog
Earlier this month I had the opportunity to photograph a Merlin two mornings in a row in the Centennial Valley of Montana, once in low light and once as a fog rolled in.
Head on stare from a juvenile Swainson’s Hawk
This juvenile Swainson's Hawk was photographed earlier this month in Beaverhead County, Montana on a cloudy morning with low light.
Centennial Valley Cinnamon Teal
Things were "just ducky" earlier this month in the Centennial Valley of Montana and this Cinnamon Teal seemed to be enjoying the warm late afternoon light.
Bird Photography Isn’t Easy But It Does Have Its Rewards
Being a bird photographer has its rewards beyond the most obvious which for me is being out in nature or better yet being a part of it. It means with patience and plenty of time in the field I do get it right.
Trumpeter Swans – From Near Extinction to Restoration
Small populations of Trumpeter Swans were found in mountain valleys in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming and those birds are the reason we have Trumpeter Swans today.
Light morph Swainson’s Hawk juvenile in low light
While in Montana earlier this month I had several opportunities to photograph juvenile Swainson's Hawks that were close and approachable but I didn't always have great light.
Interior West White-crowned Sparrow
Bird photography isn't easy and for smaller birds like this adult White-crowned Sparrow it can be challenging and require more patience than when photographing larger birds.
The Earth
I can not help but to feel a sense of wonder or be enchanted by the wild majesty of the Centennial Valley in southwestern Montana.
Pair of Sandhill Cranes in the Centennial Valley
I was delighted to find quite a few Sandhill Cranes in the Centennial Valley of Montana last week and this pair was close enough to photograph.
Centennial Valley Bathing Vesper Sparrows
A Vesper Sparrow caught my eye last week as it fluttered and fluffed on an old barb wire fence near the road and I just had to photograph it.
A Very Obliging Swainson’s Hawk Juvenile
For three days I had great fun photographing two very obliging Swainson's Hawk juveniles at the east end of the Centennial Valley and by obliging I mean they were very approachable.
Merlin Magic
Just a short Merlin post today from my Montana trip, a teaser for the images I will soon be posting.
An afternoon at Red Rock Lakes
Afternoon at Red Rock Lakes Life is good. :-) Mia
There are some who can live without wild things
I am a part of the wild things even though my outsides might be adorned with the trappings of civilization my heartbeat still tells me I am wild.
Foraging Solitary Sandpiper in Montana
On my recent trip to Idaho and Montana I was delighted to photograph a foraging Solitary Sandpiper in a farm pond in Beaverhead County, MT.