It is always amazing to us when we find raptors perched up high in the tree tops of a dense forest. This day a Common Black Hawk sits perched looking to the forest floor right above your heads looking for a potential meal. This bird only sat long enough for us to snap a quick photo before nimbly soaring off through the branches and dense foliage. An amazing sight indeed.
Good things are heading your way. In this case it’s a Yellow Headed Blackbird that has returned to the marsh and that means spring is sure to follow.
Looking fine as can be in his breeding plumage a male Red-Breasted Merganser swims quietly along in the cattails confidant he will attract a mate.
References:
1. The Cornell Laboratory of Orinthology, All about birds Website, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Merganser/lifehistory
A Willet soaking up the warmth of the sun.
Every day it feels more like spring, yes, winter remains yet it’s grips has lost much strength.
A young mule deer peeks out from behind a spruce tree to give the nearby shrub a little trim on a snowy March morning.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Earlier this week we featured the Mountain Chickadee who by our accounting is the most prevalent species hanging around our neighborhood this winter. A close second, and perhaps on some days the most prevalent species, is the Red-Breasted Nuthatch. Sitting quietly in an old spruce this particular Nuthatch presented us a nice photo opportunity on a warm March afternoon. It won’t be long before they scatter to higher grounds and prepare for breeding season but until then we savor the opportunity to listen to their honk-honk-honk from the trees nearby.
Moving quietly as we skiied by a rusty red scene. The Bison, the tree, the willows all variations on a color theme. A rusty brown-red within fields filled of snow.
This winter the most numerous bird species hanging around our area is the Mountain Chickadee. They appear to make up the core of mixed flocks roaming the neighborhood and slightly outnumber the Red-Breasted Nuthatches and Black-Capped Chickadees. These guys have a wonderful feisty-spunky-gritty- character that makes them a real treat to have around on a winters day. As spring arrives they will move back up into the hills but for now we are thoroughly enjoying having the around.
The sun breaking through the clouds to reflect on itself on a cold winters day in the upper geyser basin of Yellowstone National Park.
A beautiful Black Vulture presents their profile through a forest clearing. While not a local resident to the western United Staes Black Vultures have been slowly expanding their range and a now a common sight in the East and Southeaster US. Black Vultures are monogamous, staying with their mates for many years, and caring parents who feed thier young for up to 8 months. In addition, vultures contribute a wonderful clean-up service to the ecosystems they inhabit. It was nice to get a close-up view of a bird we usually see soaring on the thermal high above our heads.
nature has no boss 
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