Poised to fly catch, roughly similar to flycatcher (bird) behavior. Summer season days are hot, especially the afternoon parts of the day, and are not really conducive for birding successes. Not so with dragonflies. They love...
Category - Birds
This category focuses on bird species.
Photos corroborate Sharp-shinned Hawk ID
Identified a adult Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) from about 50 yards; took several photos to corroborate decision. This encounter was my first accipiter of the year (2/10/2020). Bird perched on a limb of a mature...
Grouse Encounter, Serendipity
Plumage pure camouflage. I encountered several grouse while hiking on the Big Creek trail (Bitterroot National Forest) near Victor, Montana. A couple birds immediately flew into the upper canopy of nearby mature conifers. Couple...
Rainy day, great for ducks
Spring female in wetland Closer look at Northern Shoveler Bill size is most defining Taxonomy Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anatidae No matter what angle or time of year the Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) is defined by...
Migrant Tundra Swan
Tundra Swan heading north to breeding grounds Look up to see migration in action Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) were flying northward yesterday. I saw four small groups. Identity was confirmed by the calls. Sibley (2014)...
Townsend’s Solitaire
Townsend’s Solitaire in Ponderosa Pine understory Common thrush of the winter season Juniper berry, favorite winter food Townsend’s Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi) is an interesting bird, it migrates from higher...
Missoula’s Waterworks Hill
Excellent view of Missoula and north end of the Bitterroot Valley Great for recreation and wildlife This land is on the north end of Missoula, Montana. And yes, there is a water storage structure sited here. But, the land is...
Birding – most times looking at LBJ’s*…not today
Wild Turkey in the open landscape *Little Brown Job, not I encountered a flock of Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) birding at Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge (Stevensville, MT) today. At first I could not make out what that...
Birding Dictum: Find the Habitat, Find the Species
Drifted secondary road plowed open Found the snow and… First, I found just the wind and cold. However, after only a couple minutes of scanning (white landscapes are perfect for finding dark moving objects) found some birds...
Harsh Winter Birding
In Like a Lion…Early March Snow and Cold…Arrive Western Montana just had a wintry February, second coldest on record with a one-in-eight eight inch plus snowfall occurrence over the last 70 years. Russ Thomas, KPAX...