Spooky!

Jillian's first program, back in 2003 at an elementary school in Hamilton, MT. After the assembly, she was a model in a drawing class for 3rd graders. A natural, and joining me for a TEDx Talk in 2015, on YouTube.

 

Jake the Peregrine Update

 Kit Lacy, Bird Curator at Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene, Oregon just gave us a Little Jake update and included a few photos. If you remember, Jake was given to our friends at Cascades when we found he had some health issues and wouldn't be trained for falconry. They tended to a sore foot for months and now he has completely healed, and check out his new digs, 12' x 12', the center of attention. Kit wrote, "As would be expected people are just loving being able to get up close to him and watch him. He plays all day long. He has fallen in love with these canvas fish toys that he carries around his space all day long. Yesterday, I heard two different sets of guests say as they were leaving, “let’s go and say goodbye to Jake before we leave.” What a fan favorite." 

Irony

 This latest story has been ironic in a couple of ways. I had installed a photo in the new book Falcons of North America 2nd Edition of a wild Peregrine up the Blackfoot carrying this quarry with the caption:

A Peregrine carries a partially eaten American Coot, a wonder how they catch 

these aquatic birds that rarely fly and seem to completely disappear underwater to escape.

Then Sib caught one that was flying! Going to change the caption...

 

Sunday Hunt

Yesterday we were duck hunting watching a big raft of American Coots cruising back and forth when one actually flew. Members of the rail family, they are awkward fliers and prefer to run across and disappear underwater. I said out loud, "Wow, that's something you never see." Right then another one flew the other direction and Sibley took off in hunting mode. I wasn't sure what happened but she disappeared for 15 minutes, and Nico (and the telemetry receiver) located her way under the snow at the base of a big willow bush. A coot! And I had to break several limbs off to extract her, buried and plucking away and I would never have found her without help. Nope, never caught a coot before, and she got to eat most of it as a treat. Not for human consumption, apparently, with a hunting daily bag limit of 25! 

Aspens in the Snow Today

 

Saturday and More Snow on the Way

 

Autumn, Then Winter, in One Day!

 

Aspens 2020

 

Sib the Star

 Here is Sibley the Peregrine flying at One Horse Creek yesterday, her 18th season and on a duck hunt over the weekend. She is the star of stage and screen with 632 education programs under her belt. Family!

Kitty Clowns

 Our pal and treasured board member Bev Glueckert has bird-proofed her two cats with these clever collars. They have a bell, and also a break-away mechanism if they get hung up somehow.  With the bright colors and noises, they alert birds in the yard that they are present. So far, so good, and looking a little Elizabethan, or clown-like! Might be a great way to keep these birdwatching cats doing just that, watching.

A Sad Passing

 We finally put to rest my dictionary, a gift from my Mom in 1978 when I left high school in Cincinnati to attend college in Missoula. A trusty friend all these years and time to retire. Goodbye, loyal pal, soon in the landfill, -oops,  recycling  - also in Missoula. In the stack with the old phone books.

Blackbirds!

 I was just getting back from a falcon fly with Sib and Nico and thought I would get a photo of the nice larch trees and sculptures by the driveway. Right when I hit the shutter a huge flock of blackbirds flew by. Bet there was a Merlin in there somewhere.

.

View Across the Road

 

What a Carving!

I got an email from Wildlife Biologist and artist Scot Franklin, and my eyes popped when I saw the attachment. A mahogany Bald Eagle/Kestrel, WOW. He writes, "I do woodcarvings, and when I saw the kestrel attacking eagle photo in the 2017 MT Outdoors photo issue, I pretty much instantly knew that was going to be my next carving.  How in the world did you get that shot??  I mostly need a good scene with a straight on side view to carve and there it was." It took him three years, 18" x 13" x 1 3/4" and now graces his wall (or his girlfriend's, can't decide!) Scot is a fellow 1980's U of M Grad and works for the BLM in Butte, and this made my day. No, year.

ps, Scot wrote:  "Glad I could make your day.  Doesn't take much to make somebody's year in 2020.  Credit yourself for giving me the inspiration!" 

  

Sunday Shots

The Bald Eagles were back at their nest tree, and Sibley flew all over the place at One Horse Creek. And working on the Falcons book, layout and design begins this week.

  

Wrong State, Buddy

We have had two and three Blue Jays showing up here, mostly in the fall and spring and heard them before I spotted them. "Hey, thats a bird call from my past," like Ohio. These eastern birds are showing up more often around Montana, highly adaptable, intelligent and great mimics - wait 'till you hear their Red-tail imitation. These ones are shy and I have been trying to get some photos, this through the glass from the office. More on the way.

October Eagles

 I love this time of year, the colors, and a visiting young Bald Eagle on the building today with Sonny and Nigel, there all morning. In 2012 four fledgling Bald Eagles were lined up, three from the nest across the river and one stray. And no, I don't feed them, the wild eagles that is. They are mostly curious I think, and never a problem with our birds.

Today!

 We have been flying every day at our favorite neighborhood spot, One Horse Creek for the last three weeks. Sib isn't done molting, is fat as can be, but flying like a pro and not landing all the time like at the beginning. Time to hunt 'em up, duck stamp in the vest.

HAPPY Wedding Anniversary

 We have been married 31 years today. Yes and excellent!

Helpful Falcon

 I am finishing the very last edits for the new book, Falcons of North America 2nd Edition, Sonora the Aplomado helping me today right by the desk here in the office. Next we are working on layout and design, the way fun part, 250 photos and a bunch of new ones, about 150. Larger format and experts from Mountain Press Publishing polishing this project! 

Firewood For the Season

 

Sib in the Yard