It’s nice to find a cooperative Swainson’s Hawk, especially the first one of the year. The topper was to hear this hawk call…man, oh man, did I miss that haunting cry.
Monthly Archive: April 2009
Apr
30
2009
A grebey kind of day
Montana has been hit with massive amounts of snow over the last few days. Almost 5 feet of winter’s vengeance in East Glacier. Down in the Gallatin Valley, we got only ~6 inches. Regardless of the weather, the birds keep coming. It seems like there is a new first of year for me almost every …
Apr
29
2009
The Dawn of a New Day
Today was the day to finally take the new D90 out for its maiden shooting session. The weather and light was not the greatest, to say the least. But I did manage to get the best shots of a Common Tern that I’ve ever managed. As these images show, I have already fallen in love …
Apr
27
2009
Requiem for the D100
On Tuesday, April 21st 2009, our dearly beloved Nikon D100 went on to its eternal resting place. It was the victim of an unfortunate fall into the pavement. The blunt trauma resulted in a terminal crack of the circuit board. D100 is proclaimed deceased and a wake was held in its honor complete with cursing …
Apr
18
2009
What a day and a new road traveled!
What a Day! Sam Koenen and I went for a loop drive from Bozeman to Blacks Ford and then on to Three Forks along the Madison River. The sheer number of Red-breasted Mergansers was staggering, ~42 at Blacks Ford alone. We sighted our FOY Long-billed Curlew and a Loggerhead Shrike at the Greycliff Fishing Access. …
Apr
12
2009
New arrivals and a great day
This post covers both Saturday and Sunday of an incredible weekend Saturday This morning I started the day at the Cherry River Fishing Access with several Cinnamon Teals and a Great Yellowlegs. The surprise was a Columbia Spotted Frog engaged in amplexus with an otherwise dead partner. Seems like froggy love knows no bounds. It …
Apr
10
2009
The Joy of Clark’s Nutcrackers
A cooperative Clark’s Nutcracker is always a joy to the photographer. Every once in awhile you have a great hike, and today was that day. Non-birding Vida (NBV) and I went up to the M that sits over the Gallatin Valley. We had several good birds including Mountain Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, and Townsend’s Solitaire. The …
Apr
10
2009
John Carlson’s "Frankengrouse"
John Carlson of Prairie Ice has images and a write-up of a hybrid Great Sage-grouse/Sharp-tailed Grouse. This makes me think about the biological species concept and the inherent fuzziness of species. We like to think of species has completely distinct, but nature is much blurrier than we would like to believe. This bird is currently …
Apr
07
2009
Sandhills and snow
Went out this morning for my walk after pulling an all-nighter (awesome WilderTrack changes coming) to recharge the batteries. The first stop was at the East Gallatin Recreation Area. The birds were in full throat, but alas, not that approachable for images. Somewhat dejected, I decided to take the quick loop over Kelly Creek to …
Loading tweets...
