Back From Utah

What a Festival and more news on the way, my first two photos
from Zion National Park on Friday. Last night's PowerPoint address was one of the best and love St. George and Red Cliffs Audubon!

Off To Utah!

I'm the Keynote on Saturday night!

Views- A Grand!

1000 views today for my TEDx TALK on YouTube from last January. Quite a coincidence that I took a look at the site and haven't peeked in a while. Check it out and add another bunch of views so I can brag even more!  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tedxumontana
This is the TEDx description of my talk "Communication in the Dark"-
When you hear an owl, what do you feel? Fright? Scary movies? Birds such as owls have a rich and nuanced language that extends across species even affecting humans. Kate and her colleague, Jillian the Great Horned Owl take the stage and teach us how to go out in the dark and hoot up owls.

Five Minutes Ago

Shooting right through the window in the living room, the two eagles appeared for a few minutes over the nest, then split.

Harlan's Hawks All Over the Bitterroot

I always think that Corvallis, Montana is the vacation-ground of Harlan's Hawks, a dark subspecies of the Red-tail that shows up in the winter from breeding grounds mostly in Alaska. This year might hold a record number of these "snow-birds" heading south, and as far as they make it. Sort of like Florida for these guys, this one yesterday.

Eagle Image

What a day, a great program for the kids at our local Lone Rock School with a PowerPoint then iPod the Tiny Star, Alisa the Red-tail and Jillian the Horned Owl Hero of the TEDx Talk. Then I was working on the art design for the upcoming Audubon Bird Festival and found this photo in the archives from September. S-T-R-E-T-C-H!

Tiny Camera

I love this little Nikon Coolpix S6800 - it's like a spy camera and always have it in one pocket or another. Here are two from today, Sib and Mookie in the back of the car, and a male kestrel perched on the utility line in the yard, zoom action on the Coolpix. Later I saw two Merlins in Missoula on the corner of Orange Street and Spruce, but no way to "shoot" in traffic!

Red-tail Today

A nice hawk at Lee Metcalf NWR refuge today. On the way home I was almost run over by a huge blue pick-up truck behind me as I signaled way in advance and turned right on my road. Impatient #@*#* and my little Subaru with dogs and a falcon was apparently holding him up, almost running into oncoming traffic on East Side Highway….man o man. Mellow out, guys!

Lucky Duck

The one that got away yesterday, Jay's Peregrine Ki.
Remember her story from the Blogs on October 7th and 8th of 2015 and Newsletter? She's the wayward falcon that flew from north of Whitefish to be recovered in the Bitterroot, 160 miles away as the crow (or falcon) flies. A miracle and 1799 miles driving highways and backroads until I got her radio telemetry signal from my house on day four just before dark! We got her back the next day when she stooped on a lure from 500 feet up, wow. What a story and Jay and I wonder who will play us in the blockbuster movie.

Today

Dawn From the Deck

The eagles were screaming from their tree across the river at dawn this morning and got these shots from our deck. That's the nest covered in snow at the bottom. Our resident dark Red-tail (or maybe migrant Harlan's Hawk) perched there right after they split and was mildly irritated by magpies. So begins the river photography season again!

Sonora Battles a Lampshade

I bought a Lumix camera over a half year ago and finally tried the video function, Sonora the Aplomado and her daily battle with a lampshade in the office. This is my first video attempt, and what fun! Now I see why my buddy Nick is always making "movies." I'll get a better version, promise.

Sunday Stoop

Sibley was outfoxed by a bunch of ducks today, and came back soaking wet. Her intended prey items never left the water for overland, and kept diving back in the slough working their way downstream. Still fun, and she's drying off inside right now, faint sounds of football in the background! What a day.

New At the Bait Pile

About a hundred House Sparrows, a dozen Eurasian Collared Doves, a bunch of European Starlings and finally a native species! I am hoping that a Merlin or accipter will stumble upon this stockpile of food and stick around to be photographed. Struck out so far.

Ducks at the Motel

Cracks me up that we go duck hunting all yesterday, falcons in perfect position and nothing, but these ducks across from the old Safeway in downtown Missoula are hanging out in a motel parking lot!

Turkeys in the Trees

These are the turkeys that are always in the road on the south end of Metcalf NWRefuge. At least they look like them. They were up in the cottonwoods this time, something I rarely see -  huge birds in the trees.

iPod and Sonora

With the zero-ish weather lately, iPod has been coming inside at night, a big kennel in the back bathroom. On his way outside I set up this shot with the Frontier airline tail on the computer. Then Sonora the Aplomado Falcon came out of the spare bedroom for some quail, perched here by the bulletin board on a silly dragon sculpture. A full house indoors when it's cold, Peregrine on the coffee table too.
ps: Over the weekend I heard about a Pygmy-Owl spotted at 32,000 feet.

Two Birthdays

I had a great birthday with best pal Kim Thomas and my sister Betsy on the 30th up skiing at Snowbowl (not my 30th birthday but I was there that day as well, a long time ago.) Then yesterday Bev and Steve Glueckert and I paid a visit to Drummond on what would have been Bill Ohrmann's birthday. With family we spent the afternoon reminiscing about our dear friend Bill who passed in November of 2014 at age 95 just after his annual Open House at the Museum and Gallery. Here are the Glueckerts with Bill's beautiful Kodiak Bear sculpture, perhaps appearing in Missoula soon!

Another Eagle Photo

Hunting Partners…HA!