New Books Have Landed!

Our new book from Mountain Press Publishing Company is here, and just in time for the holidays. And for our program for Leadership Missoula tomorrow. I added this slide to that PowerPoint - American Kestrel: Pint-Sized Predator. That's a great title and one made up in a brainstorm at Mountain Press, brilliant.  Love these folks. Order your copy today, $23 to Kate Davis for one in the mail. Act now and get a free bookmark!
raptors@montana.com

Aspens 2014

Every year I marvel at this little grove of aspen trees.  Bright orange and red leaves, and a a chance to break out the wide angle lens. Ten minutes later, Sib flying with the Kootenai Crags on the horizon. What a great time of year!

The Rooster That Got Away

Jay's Bird

Jay Sumner's new Peregrine Falcon today in her first ever stoop on a wild pheasant! The pheasant flew away and she didn't. Great bird.

Out My Window

We drive over to the Rocky Mountain Front looking for these, and just turned around in my chair in the house, got this snapshot through the window today.  A nice Ring-necked Pheasant in the yard.

Kestrel Books Are Here!

Mountain Press Publishing reports that the books have landed. "Right On, Brother!" I call this photo from the pages. I sent our friend David Allen Sibley of field guide fame an advance copy to review and he wrote:

"Incredible photography is the centerpiece of this book and it will immediately grab your attention: alternately awe-inspiring, intimate, humorous, surprising, and familiar. It is like flipping through the pages of the Kestrel family photo album, with text that complements the photographs, telling the full story behind each moment. Kestrels are overflowing with charisma, and Kate Davis and Rob Palmer have managed to capture that elusive charm in this fitting tribute to a remarkable little falcon."

Thanks David, and order now - get a free bookmark!

Lake County Leader

That's the name of the newspaper, and headlines are a new one for us. Truly, kids to the ceiling in Polson with over 700 k-4. The next page has a few more photos and students watching the program, entitled "Rapt Up." Once someone asked if we supplied our own boats, "Rafters of the Rockies." My favorite was many years ago, a woman from Grizzly Peak retirement home called the house looking for me to schedule a return visit. She asked Tom if would sing AND dance. "Rappers of the Rockies." We are usually just the plain old "Enraptured in the Rockies."

New T-shirts!

Yep. Our little bird in flight, a question from a bunch of people on Facebook: "What is that new T-shirt that people were sporting at the Festival of the Book?" Our first new shirt in many years and order one today. Bet we could mail you one for $20 bucks. A fundraiser for ROTR!

Happy Birthday, Dizzy!

I loaded the six CD changer (how 20th century) with John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie this morning to honor his birthday, and now enjoying "Dizzy For President," the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival. The kestrel has nothing to do with it, but I'll bet Dizzy would approve. So would Charlie "Bird" Parker. Bebop rules.

Photo from Ken

My old autocross buddy, Ken Stolz got this at the Festival of the Book. Definition of confusion: "Hawking" kestrel books with an Aplomado Falcon!

Beach Saga

Right when I arrived on the beach last night, this Osprey took potshots at the Bald Eagle cowering amongst the limbs, then swooped on a distant perched Osprey. What are they still doing here? Adult Ospreys migrate before the young birds and maybe these are birds from Canada. A close look at some photos showed it to be a female (necklace of dark feathers) with a big crop, so full of fish. When she landed I could see the scalloped plumage pattern on her back, light edges to the feathers meaning young bird, or hatch-year. Yes, those are Killdeer in the background. Another saga, captured on film. I mean digitally.

Today

Another From Texas

A wild Harris's Hawk, thanks to my brief tour of the King Ranch in Texas by Tom Langschied (below.) I think this was the first HH I've seen in the wild, just the one in our yard every day. Then a photo from Hazel Bazemore with waves of Broad-winged Hawks and a thousand Wood Storks overhead. Tom looks great but I look like I'm worrying about how to get back to the hotel, pack, and get a ride to the airport. A great Raptor Research Foundation Conference in Corpus Christi, thanks everyone! Sacramento in 2015, whew.

October 15th

The eagle pair was back at the nest tree last night, junior nowhere to be seen. He's out doing his thing, I guess. The storm came through earlier in the day. That's right over the eagle trees, and looks like a flying owl to me. See it? Okay, maybe not but dramatic clouds.