Today!

Junior Zoologist Meets Owl

Allison, daughter of our pal Erick Greene, was just visiting and three year old son Robbie is fascinated by owls but had never seen one. Enter Simon and now Robbie can even hoot 'em up!

"Our" Residents

Christmas Eve Eagles!

Four adults in the nest tree. What's up with that?

Brian's Sketch in West

I had Buteo Books mail a copy of Birds of Prey of the West to author Brian Wheeler and look what he sketched on the title page! Aplomado? Yep! My favorite title of the last many years.

That View That Morning

Nico's Perch, Our Living Room

Sometimes my view of the eagle nest across the river is blocked by wildlife.

MTPR Yesterday, Hurray!

Nigel the Golden Eagle on Pea Green Boat, Montana Public Radio yesterday, what a pro, Annie in the control room! So proud of him, Sib the Peregrine and iPod the Pygmy-owl. Jingling of (falconry) bells, Merry Christmas.
You can hear it on Program archive -https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/schedule/kufm-1 - It's on December 20, 4 pm

Pea Green Boat Is Today

THURSDAY, made a typo on the Blog and Facebook.

MTPR Tomorrow

Check out our annual Holiday Show on Montana Public Radio tomorrow, THURSDAY the 20th! Host Annie Garde and I will spin some tales and ring some bells for Christmas on the Pea Green Boat childrens' programming from 4 until 5 pm MST. Like they say (okay, The Replacements), "left of the dial" and in Missoula 89.1 FM and steaming live across the planet earth at mtpr.org - click the button at the top.  Joining us will be Sibley the Peregrine, seen staring at Annie through the glass here, plus iPod the Pygmy-owl and Nigel the Golden Eagle. Crowded studio tomorrow, what fun.

Metcalf Muskrat

and Tundra Swans, etc.

Gift from Brian Wheeler

And Today Again

Sibley Today

Sonora In the Office

Just Now

Looking out the window in the living room, Bald Eagle above the nest. Then eggs in March?!

Zero Degrees

When it gets really cold, birds in the house and - Sonora, Sib, iPod and sometimes Owen. Tom informed me, "Zero degrees is nothing."

Sib Today

New Books!

These are the finest books I have seen in many years, and Brian Wheeler has taken field guides for raptorphiles to a different realm. I made this flier and suggest that you purchase copies at Buteo Books https://www.buteobooks.com. I have never seen such detail, new science, and passion in any titles. A must-have and WOW! Thanks Brian.

Photography Show

Cool, twenty-five mostly new photos at Blacksmith Brewing, downtown Stevensville and thanks so much to Cathy and Jimmy Scholtens for helping me install. And Sonora the Aplomado in the first photo, helping me box 'em up, standing on the bookshelf door.

The Best Book...

...I've purchased in years! This one is the perfect holiday gift for your raptorphile or just plain old bird-friends. From Buteo Books. Superlative descriptions and illustrations from Brian Wheeler, incredibly thorough treatment of all the hawks, eagles, osprey and falcons - ages, color morphs, everything. He has produced the Birds of Prey of the East edition as well. Check it out!

Sunday In the Sun

Not much to hunt as the Gray Partridges were hiding, but what a view of the Bitterroots across the valley from up in the Sapphires.

Moon Again?

Sunday's Hunt

With Sib half-heartedly chasing ducks. Hey! They are all going the wrong way...HA! They put on the brakes and turned around, clever birds.

Last Night

Flew the Peregrine, ran some kestrel etchings on the printing press, then ran down to the river with the dogs for some eagle shots. Okay, walked really fast.

Raptor Round-Up #56!

Hot of the press! In the mail for our Raptor Backers next week.

See You Tuesday

New Letterhead

And New Raptor Round-Up Newsletter out tomorrow! Number 56.

November BAEA's

Wouldn't that be nice if this couple took over the nest again, eggs in March, chicks in May, a trip to the river every evening with the camera and dogs. "How many Bald Eagle photos do you need?" Back there last night anyway, and bundled up on the river bank.

Pigeon

Artist's Proof

Helpful Falcon

Sonora the Aplomado Falcon was helping me paint some prints of the new drypoint etching just now, "Kestrel in Flight."

Sibley at 24 Days Old, 2003

Next...New Etching

The new art piece is a kestrel in flight, originally intended as being really loose and impressionistic, but seems I can't avoid drawing in detail. Dumb old feathers. One difference since the last Osprey etching is temperature. Instead of running plates in my shorts with the doors and windows open, it's 38 degrees in the studio, even colder and no heat up there. After a few test prints I figured out that doesn't't work. In the middle of the night it came to me - ink up the plate in the office, and haul warm printing press bed and felts up to the press in the studio and voila! This is way more comfortable sitting at the glass table, listening to Radiohead. Edition on the way.

Jillian, 2003

Her first program at Hamilton Elementary on Halloween. Spoooooky!

Our Yard

Saturday Night Live

Our friend Dave Plummer with the eagles - he and fellow architect Mike Hupe built our entire facility here in 2001 after we relocated from Clinton.
Then Pete, Tom, Dave and Sparky here engaging in intellectual debate. Sparky displays the nice  paint finish on his truck. FUN!

Awesome Catch

Sibley the Peregrine caught a nice cottonwood leaf falling from a tree today, and I am so proud.
Plus a front yard photo and aspens nearby.

Eagles and Dipper

I hit the trail at high speed hoping to photograph the eagles perched over the nest, and no sweat - they were there for an hour. Hope they stay there for the spring and summer and reproduce again in 2019, after a year off! And at dark, an American Dipper caught my attention with a beautiful song, splashing and swimming in the shallows. Gotta love a Dipper!