Some local birds

[Chewy]

Hi everyone, hope you all had a good winter. I've been dealing with knee issues this winter that have kept me from doing my normal snow sliding and climbing activities. So a friend suggested I take up bird watching. It is something I can do to get outside while being easy on my leg. I'm in love with it! I can't believe I never got into birding before, I'm hooked. Here are some pics of local winter birds. Oh yeah, my knee is doing better and I plan on hiking and climbing in the park again this summer.

Bald Eagle in a snow storm.



Great Horned Owl



Red Tailed Hawk



Western Meadowlark (Montana state bird)



Rough Legged Hawk

[Pocketlint]

You missed your calling Chewy
OUTSTANDING pictures!!! I loved them all.
My mother got me into bird watching years ago.
Good fun that gets you outside isn't it?

pocketlint

Ps

The rough legged hawk is a hardy bird. I saw one(maybe same bird for several years) that sat on the same Trumble Creek Rd power pole...4 poles North of the intersection of Hodgson Rd. That bird would be on that same pole day after day, sometimes in windy, snowy conditions. Rough legged hawks are very tough birds as they spend most of the year well north of Montana.

[Tsmith]

Great captures and really like the Eagle in the snow!

[trevbo]

Great pics (all great but esp. red tailed hawk !)

[ND]

Excellent!

[calicotraveler]

Really nice bird photos!
I just looked out my window yesterday and saw that the cedar waxwings had arrived. They arrive in a large flock. They stay a day or two and eat all the berries they can find and are gone until next year. I assume they are migrating.

[Chewy]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. @Calico- that Waxwing is beautiful, I don't think I've seen one of those yet.

Pete PM'ed me some questions and suggested I answer them here, so I will take his advise.

I'm using an entry level Nikon the D5100 with one of their kit lens a 55-300mm. A would not recommend this lens if you can afford something better, The aperture is on the smallish side and the autofocus is slow. But if you are on a budget (like me) it is a fine lens to learn on. But I'll admit that I have a serious case of lens envy when I go birding with a friend who is using a 300 mm f2.8 and a set of converters. I'm really happy with the D5100....for now.

The best west side winter birding is north and south of Flathead lake. I spent most of my time at the Blasdell WMA and the North Shore Flathead Lake WPA. Both of those places are closed from March 1st to July 15th. Bad for me, great for the nesting birds. Most of my shots are from 50 to 100 feet away. I try my best not to bother the birds, the same way I treat the animals in the park. I will often wait near a deer carcass, that is how I get most of my bald eagle shots. The hawks often hunt in a pattern, if you can figure out the pattern you can place yourself in their path.

It has been awhile since I was a noob at anything and am really enjoying learning about the birds and the photography. The great thing is that there is so much to learn about both that I think this will keep me entertained for many years to come. Bringing my girlfriends kids along is the best. Their reactions and joy at watching birds is priceless.

Hope I didn't ramble on too long.

[Chewy]

Here are some pics of some rough legs I took yesterday. I'm not sure if they were bonding or fighting, but it was fun to watch.






But it not just about birds of prey...

Mountain Bluebird



American Coot




If anyone wants to post their bird photos here, please do so. I'd also appreciate any tips or advice.

Thanks for looking.

[Pocketlint]

Hey Chewy!!

No advice other than continue posting your bird and wildlife pictures.
They are truly wonderful.
Thanks for sharing!

pocketlint

I Believe those Rough-legged Hawks might have been "playing" or possibly "fighting" over hunting territory? because...

A bit from Wiki about Rough-legged Hawks.

It is found in Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Eurasia during the breeding season and migrates south for the winter.[2]

The Rough-legged Hawk breeds in tundra and taiga habitats of North America and Eurasia between the latitudes of 61 and 76° N. Rough-legged Hawks occurring in North America migrate to the central United States for the winter, while Eurasian individuals migrate to southern Europe and Asia. It is the only member of its diverse genus found in both of the Northern continents and has a complete circumpolar distribution. During these winter months, from November to March, preferred habitats include marshes, prairies and agricultural regions where rodent prey is most abundant.

[Jay w]

One of my favorite birds, a rare one, is the red headed, double breasted mattress thrasher. Old joke.....

Great pics.

Jay

[Hockey Ref]

Here are a few of mine...none are Montana, though. Indiana and Florida.

White-breasted nuthatch:



Great heron:



Great herons mating (note the bones in the outstretched wings):



Anhinga:



Anhinga feeding young:



Fish crow:



Boat-tailed grackle (female):



Blue herons (I call this "The Gift." The male is presenting the female with nest-building material):



Cardinal:



Little blue heron:



Osprey:



Red-shouldered hawk:



Red-tailed hawk (captive):



Barred owl:

[ND]

Also some great images, Hockey Ref. Nice work!

[TnTammy]

Gentlemen and Calico, Beautiful images all!! Thank you so much for sharing your eyes!

I'm particularly fond of Chewy's Owl through the branches and Hockey Ref's Indigo Fish Crow. WOW!

Await red headed, double breasted mattress thrasher.

[calicotraveler]

What beautiful bird photos! Fun to see what birds people have been able to photograph.
Birds are amazing animals; I like the way the males and females both usually help to raise the young.

[trevbo]

Sweet pix Hockey ref!
I don't have any tips for you Chewy (you clearly have the photography bit down pat!) but here are a couple of pix and maybe a few ideas that you may or may not have come accross... living north of you by a few hours you probably would come accross the same birds.



* Snowgeese migrate south mid-October and then back north in mid. to late Feb. early March and can be spotted on farmer's fields east of the Rockies (tundra swans as well as other water fowl in lakes / slews around the same time).


* Great horned owls nest in the winter and the young birds emerge sometime around Feb. (cute fluff balls!)... the young hang around the nesting area into the summer.

Other nesting birds (particularly birds of prey like Swainson's hawks or osprey) can be great subjects and with your equipment and a tripod you should be able to get some good shots without getting too close to the nest to become an outright disturbance. Swainson's hawks have been known to divebomb passerby'ers, mind you, so you probably wouldn't want to get too close anyway!

* Snowy owls migrate through the area east of the Rockies and can be spotted hanging around in Jan. - Feb. Can often be spotted on power poles and on fenceposts/farmer's fields. Never seen them in the fall but they must go south sometime!

* Sandhill cranes nest just east of Waterton (Police Lake, etc.), so chances are there may be some in some of the smaller lakes just east of GNP?

I used to do more birdwatching when I was footloose and fancy-free (ie a bachelor) but have been getting back into it lately now that I have young kids. Did a few days of birdwatching last week on our annual winter trip to TX.