Birds – Page 234 – Feathered Photography

Short-eared Owl Pushing Off With His Talon-tips

On our Montana trips I’m always looking for Short-eared Owls but sadly, unlike just a few years ago when they were relatively abundant, they’re virtually nonexistent in the Centennial Valley these days. I’m pretty much convinced their absence is largely due to all the cattle (mostly yearlings who are the juvenile delinquents of the bovine world and they really tore up the place) that were allowed to graze Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge a couple of years ago.

Red-tailed Hawk Attacked By A Swainson’s Hawk

The Centennial Valley had one more surprise in store as we left for home last Thursday morning. Photographing birds and other wildlife along the 27 mile long dirt road while I’m pulling the camping trailer is always awkward but the road is typically deserted that time of day and we’ve come up with something special more than once on the way out.

Savannah Sparrow – Fearless Dragon Slayer

This little Savannah Sparrow was one of my most memorable birds on our recent Montana camping trip. It was a fearless and a relentless hunter.

Female Williamson’s Sapsucker Delivering Ants To Chicks At The Nest-hole

Since my previous post featured the more colorful male I decided to focus on the more subtly hued female this morning.

Williamson’s Sapsucker Leaving The Nest-hole

When we arrived at the sapsucker nest hole we were delighted to find that both adults were busy feeding chicks and maintaining a tidy home for their family.

Horned Larks On Perches Other Than Rocks

I photograph Horned Larks often on Antelope Island and elsewhere but their propensity for perching on low rocks has been an issue for me.

Great Egret Trying To Survive A Harsh Winter

Great Egrets are unusual in my area but we occasionally get a few individuals in winter. Unfortunately this bird chose to hang around during one of our harshest winters in years and the heron struggled to survive. I don’t know if it succeeded.

Sage Thrasher Posing For Me

This past spring was a pretty good one around here for Sage Thrashers. There were more of them and they seemed more cooperative than usual.

Western And Clark’s Grebes – A Comparison

Western Grebes and Clark’s Grebes are so similar in plumage patterns and behaviors that until 1985 they were considered to be color phases of the same species – the Western Grebe. In fact they’re similar enough that many observers never even recognize Clark’s Grebes when they see them and assume that they’re the more common Western Grebe.

A Tough Winter On Northern Harriers

The winter of 2008 was severe and it put a lot of survival pressure on our resident birds, particularly raptors. The number of Northern Harriers wintering over at Farmington Bay seemed unusually high and toward the end of the winter there was intense competition for dwindling food supplies.

Destination: Montana

Later this morning we leave on another one of our patented camping/photo sojourns to Montana. We’ve put this trip off at the last-minute three times in the last ten days due to changing weather forecasts but right now it’s looking good and we’re a go.

Great Blue Heron In Flight (and working on prejudices…)

I have a confession to make and it involves a long-held prejudice I’ve had in the past against images of Great Blue Herons.

Intermediate-Morph Red-tailed Hawk And Juniper Berries

I’m no authority on the highly variable color variations of the Red-tailed Hawk but I believe this bird to be an intermediate-morph adult. I love these rufous-colored hawks.

Male Northern Harrier – Gray On Gray

I photographed this male Northern Harrier earlier this month as it hunted the causeway to Antelope Island. The grayish-browns of the bird are similar to the grays of the Great Salt Lake mudflats in the background. Monochromatic images like this may be an acquired taste for many and it was through the influence of my friend and photographer Richard Ditch that I learned to appreciate them.

An Update On The Red-tailed Hawk Chicks

Ten days ago I reported on the progress of the three Red-tailed Hawk nestlings I’ve been following out in the west desert. At that time several of my readers requested that I keep folks up to date on these birds as they approach fledging. This post is my attempt to do so.

Category: Birds