More Youngsters from Yesterday

Top is a Peregrine nest, food delivery up the Blackfoot River. Then a Great Horned Owl that flew from a nest in an old building. It's actually just the stone remnants of the foundation, strange place for a brood of four chicks. Then two of the eagle fledglings were standing on the beach, the other one flew before I could get a snapshot. They were almost too close!

Fledglings Today

One More

Big Day on the River

Two of the three chicks fledged yesterday, the first from the top of the tree at about 5 pm, and got the first two shots from our deck. The second one split and flew around to the east side of the tree at 7:30 after I got some shots of her with the moon in the background. That one might have gone back to the nest but the first one disappeared. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a big bird fly into the brush at the base of the tree and that might have been her. They'll be hanging around for a while, my evening ritual continues for now at least.

About to Bolt

MCAT

Time for the Missoula Community Access Television Filmmakers Camp for Kids! Ron Scholl (center in the hat) and I first started doing these camps in 1999 with the International Wildlife Film Festival, and a student film called "Underwing" won big prizes that year. In it, the narrator in a British BBC-type accent descibes the lives of Bobo and Miles the Great Horned Owls that "eat everything... raw!" Chesty the Harris's Hawk flew all over the place, up on the arbor and catching meat in the air. Great kids!

June 25

That was my prediction for the day of fledging for at least one of the nestlings. Wrong. All three stayed in the tree, but climbing around on the limbs by the nest. I love this Nikon D800 with the four crop modes. The bottom two shots are full frame, huge files at 38.3 MB each! Heavy on the delete for these especially.

Finally...

...perching together. Female on the left and kept moving down the beach because dumb old limbs were in the way. Actually scurrying upstream on a kind of steep gravel bank, hauling tripod with camera, probably not a good idea. I just needed to get that shot, "Stretching and Staring." Great rewards after three long people-days in a row.

Lucky Duck

Last night the male eagle took off from the nest and perched low in a tree on the bank. I had noticed a duck climbing up out of the river before and sure enough, that's what he was after. He swooped down just as the duck plunged back into the water! Maybe that's what they were eating last week and not a chicken. Benefit of the doubt-time. 

Aerial Battle

Saturday Night Dance Party

Big activity Saturday with the chicks running and flapping, adult above. I'll bet the first brave youngster will exit the nest by the end of the week. Then a nice delivery of a footload of flesh of some sort. And young play tug-of-war with a mammal bone. I have seen them do that in this nest and the one in the Bald Eagle book. Three hours on the beach, can't believe I can do that...almost every night. 

Montana Peregrine Institute

It's time for ledge counts (or lech counts as a friend thought I was saying.) In order to get an idea of Peregrine productivity we try to count how many chicks are in the nest, often downy heads peering over the edge or chicks running around a ledge. Jay Sumner thinks that this is usually easier than trying to keep track of fledglings flying all over the place. Here is his new English Setter Flash, learning the ropes of falcon monitoring. Congratulations Jay on your award - 2015 Montana Audubon Special Achievement Award, for your hard work and dedication to Peregrine conservation and management, 50 years and going strong!

Kestrels and Peregrines

These photos are currently circulating at The Peregrine Fund in Boise.

WOW, MAM!

Day four of the Raptors and Art Camp at the Missoula Art Museum and check it out! The paper mache birds were properly painted and adorned with feathers, some with pipe-cleaner legs and googlie eyes. Perhaps the best class yet (except for one student and you know who you are...ha!) Top photo is obviously a collection of owls, Peregrine and Martial Eagle. Then Bald and Golden Eagles with a Peregrine in the middle. I am so proud of our young artists, and remember kids - I am coming to all of your homes in two years to make sure you still have your raptor in your room.