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.
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.
I would love to say that while I am wandering around exploring the natural wonders we have been gifted with that I can forget about the assaults on the land and the creatures that live there but I can't.
These two bathing Royal Tern images remind me of the warm April morning when I spent time photographing different species splashing around in the Gulf of Mexico.
This young Raccoon looks as grumpy as I feel this morning.
Whatever the reason for this behavior I know that I enjoy photographing Northern Harriers while they are ground hunting in a winter wonderland.
Tricolored Herons are smaller than Great Blue Herons and larger than Snowy Egrets and all three of these wading birds hunt in many of the same locations along the Gulf Coast.
I thought I would share another American Badger portrait that I took back in May of this year on Antelope Island State Park in northern Utah.
It isn't all that often that I am able to obtain portraits of wild birds so when I had an opportunity last month to take portraits of this American White Pelican I jumped at the chance.
I often see this phrase "species in decline due to habitat destruction or fragmentation" or something similar and the frequency of seeing that phrase is most likely to become higher.
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.
We catch up and share stories of birds we saw in the warmer months and reveal the journeys we have been on.
This juvenile Swainson's Hawk was photographed earlier this month in Beaverhead County, Montana on a cloudy morning with low light.
These images of birds on the beach were taken at Fort De Soto County Park's north beach six years ago today on a beautiful morning.
The drive to Cascade Springs was beautiful yesterday with the beginnings of fall colors on the mountains but for me the best part was photographing American Dippers again.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There are times when the birds I want to photograph are too far away and then there are times when the birds get too close, this Red-tailed Hawk got too close.
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.
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.
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.
Just a short Merlin post today from my Montana trip, a teaser for the images I will soon be posting.
This is another image I came across last week and wondered why I hadn't processed it because I don't have many Little Blue Heron portraits in my portfolio.
Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management area is a great place to see Black-necked Stilts during the breeding season and to see their young later on.
I was covered in mud after laying in the mudflat to photograph this Wilson's Plover and I didn't mind a bit.
Snowy Egret at dawn next to the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas County, Florida
Afternoon at Red Rock Lakes I took this image of the Lower Lake at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge while I was settled in at the campground, doing something I don’t always do enough of out in the field, just sitting still and taking it all in. There wasn’t any rush. No chasing light. No scanning nonstop for movement. Just a quiet stretch of time where the land and sky did all the work. The breeze moved through the grasses in front of me, soft and steady, carrying the sounds of birds nearby and from across the lake. I could hear them clearly, but they were scattered, not loud or chaotic. It felt balanced. Calm. The kind of moment where nothing needs to happen for it to be enough. Out over the water, the clouds were putting on their own show. Sunlight slipped in and out, lighting up sections of the hills and then letting them fall back into shadow. It changed by the minute, subtle but constant, like the whole scene was breathing. I remember thinking how easy [...]