Birds Galleries

2009_04_19 Osprey that caught the fish : The osprey were very active. They recently returned to the area and are working on their nests and looking for food. We saw at least 4 pair on the float today.

2009_04_19 Osprey that caught the fish

The osprey were very active. They recently returned to the area and ar ...

Updated: Apr 30, 2009 2:52pm PST

2009_04_19 Osprey on the Bitterroot - great dive, missed the fish : The osprey were very active. They recently returned to the area and are working on their nests and looking for food. We saw at least 4 pair on the float today. The photos begin with the osprey hunting for fish, hovering, then diving in the water, emerging, and finally flying down river.

2009_04_19 Osprey on the Bitterroot - great dive, missed the fish

The osprey were very active. They recently returned to the area and ar ...

Updated: Apr 30, 2009 2:54pm PST

Geese : Read about the slideshow/photos at Merle's Outdoor Recreation Aritcles on examiner.com

Geese

Read about the slideshow/photos at Merle's Outdoor Recreation Aritcles ...

Updated: Oct 18, 2009 12:07pm PST

Swisher the Goose Returns? : Last year we raised an orphaned gosling from May until he flew away in August. This goose landed on a snag right behind the chicken coop in our yard one morning. I took photos for about an hour and talked with it while it looked at me. The mate (it seemed) flew around us, landed in about 3 different snags and finally convinced this goose to fly up the creek. I wonder, is this Swisher? It brought tears to my eyes. Link to gosling photos http://merles-adventures.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-goose-friend-swisher.html

Swisher the Goose Returns?

Last year we raised an orphaned gosling from May until he flew away in ...

Updated: Oct 18, 2009 6:14pm PST

Swisher the goose, May-Aug 2008 : Jack was floating the Big Hole river with clients when he noticed this lone gosling had been following his boat for miles. At the end of the day he thought he should rescue it. He did and brought it home. We put it under a light until it could stand being in the coop with out it. It stayed here until mid August. One day I came home from work and it was gone. I have to believe he flew away with other geese as he should - I worry and really miss him. Maybe one day he will come back to our ponds and nest.

Swisher the goose, May-Aug 2008

Jack was floating the Big Hole river with clients when he noticed this ...

Updated: Oct 18, 2009 4:24pm PST

Osprey on the Bitterroot River :

Osprey on the Bitterroot River

Updated: May 13, 2009 12:01pm PST

Western Meadowlark : These are not great photos. They are my first attempt at Western Meadowlark photos and he took me by surprise on a hike on the Bison Range near Moise, MT. I think I need to go back and try again! See more about this bird at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Meadowlark/id

Western Meadowlark

These are not great photos. They are my first attempt at Western Meado ...

Updated: May 30, 2009 8:00am PST

Bullock's Oriole : Description of Bullock's Oriole by www.allaboutbirds.com My sister, Linda, and I saw this oriole on the Bison Range near Moise, MT. It was stunning!

Bullock's Oriole

Description of Bullock's Oriole by www.allaboutbirds.com My sister, L ...

Updated: Jun 15, 2009 4:37pm PST

Western Meadowlark - take 2 : More photos from our Bison Range field trip include Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta) . The specie is a favorite around here. In fact, it has the honor of being the state bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon and Wyoming. Sheez... They are a member of the blackbird family. Males often use fence posts as perches while singing - actually staking out their breeding territory which can be up to 15 acres. The males have more than one mate, up to three females, nesting in their territory. Meadowlarks are ground nesters and ground feeders eating both insects/invertebrates and some seeds. While foraging, if they feel threatened they freeze close to the ground "disappearing" (yellow chest down and their brown and white back feathers blending) in the vegetation while casting a wary eye towards the danger.

Western Meadowlark - take 2

More photos from our Bison Range field trip include Western Meadowlark ...

Updated: Jun 16, 2009 10:20am PST

Wild Turkey Hen and her last Chick :

Wild Turkey Hen and her last Chick

Updated: Jun 18, 2009 10:37am PST

Common Snipe :

Common Snipe

Updated: Jun 25, 2009 12:47pm PST

Dusky Grouse (Blue Grouse) : Read about the slideshow at Merle's Outdoor Recreation Articles on Examiner.com These photos were taken fairly high up on the south side of Sweathouse Creek. My puppy and I walked through thick beargrass on our way up a ridge and flushed this hen and her clutch of at least 10 chicks. They flew into the trees before she did. She waited for the last one to fly before she flew into this burned tree where she "froze." She sure is camoflauged. The Dusky Grouse, Dendragapus obscurus, is a species of forest-dwelling grouse native to North America's Rocky Mountains. It was formerly known (until 2006) as the blue grouse and is the second largest grouse on our continent, measuring 12 to 15 inches in length. Only the Sage Grouse is bigger. Montana Field Guide for Dusky Grouse by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

Dusky Grouse (Blue Grouse)

Read about the slideshow at Merle's Outdoor Recreation Articles on Exa ...

Updated: Sep 29, 2009 8:42am PST

Quail in Montana? :

Quail in Montana?

Updated: Aug 11, 2009 2:49pm PST

Pileated Woodpecker near Sweathouse Creek : Read about the slideshow at Merle's Outdoor Recreation Articles on Examiner.com Last winter, I saw a pileated near Sweathouse Creek where I cross and begin one of my hikes. This summer, I have continually seen 3 Pileated Woodpeckers and as time goes on they are becoming more familiar with me and giving me time to take photos. That is amazing to me especially because I have my Chesapeake puppy with me most of the time. I know when I will see them because I hear their loud, ringing calls as I approach the creek crossing. The Pileated Woodpecker lives throughout North America and as the third largest woodpecker, it is slightly smaller than the American Crow. The feathers appear to be black, has a long tail used as a brace when chiseling and sports the characteristic red crest. They live in both coniferous and decidous forests living year round (they don't migrate) in large, dead trees called snags. Pileated Woodpeckers are monogamous, staying with the same mate for life. For more interesting facts visit my source of information Pileated Woodpecker Central.com.

Pileated Woodpecker near Sweathouse Creek

Read about the slideshow at Merle's Outdoor Recreation Articles on Exa ...

Updated: Aug 25, 2009 10:26am PST

Osprey with fish from Bear Creek in the Bitterroot : The osprey is near Bear Creek. The photos of nest are not. I included them to show what an osprey nest looks like. They will build on trees or anywhere they have a bit of a platform and where food (fish) is present.

Osprey with fish from Bear Creek in the Bitterroot

The osprey is near Bear Creek. The photos of nest are not. I included ...

Updated: Sep 28, 2009 4:40pm PST

Red-naped Sapsucker near Sweathouse Creek : I took these photos in late June and early July. They were in a medium sized Aspen snag in a fairly open, hot and dry area on the way up a ridge. They were really fun to watch as both the male and female feed their brood. The call is very distinct and is how I found them. Click this Red-naped Sapsucker link to hear the call. At first I was confused about what kind of Woodpecker it was, but then I saw that the Red-naped Sapsucker has "messy barring" on the back. That is definitely how I would describe the barring on the birds in these photos. They are described as Bark Foragers - Forages for insects by gleaning, probing, prying, tapping, and flycatching. Drills series of shallow holes in bark of tree, licks up sap. The photos support this description. By July 4, they had vacated the nest. Click here to see all Merle's SmugMug Red-Naped Sapsucker photos in a new window.

Red-naped Sapsucker near Sweathouse Creek

I took these photos in late June and early July. They were in a medi ...

Updated: Sep 03, 2009 8:22am PST

Ruffed Grouse - Bonasa umbellus : Read about the slideshow at Merle's Outdoor Recreation Articles on Examiner.com Lewis called this bird, "the small brown pheasant" and he said it was "booted" or feathered to the foot. Actually, the feathers don't quite reach the foot. Click the link to the slideshow for photos that illustrate these points.  A very popular game bird, the Ruffed Grouse can actually benefit from fire and even logging. Ruffed grouse inhabit dense cover of mixed conifer and deciduous trees and shrubs and are often found along stream bottoms. The mosaic of vegetation that grows in under the burned tree canopy or more open, logged area is beneficial to the grouse providing them secure cover. If you have been in the woods and heard a drumming sound in the spring, you may have heard a male Ruffed Grouse performing his mating ritual. To identify the Ruffed Grouse, look for the fan-shaped, banded tail and black ruff. No other grouse has these attributes. The female builds a nest on the ground and usually hatches her eggs in June or sometimes early July. They will remain in the area and within a smaller home range and more densly covered habitat than the farther-ranging dusky or spruce grouse. Adult ruffed grouse may spend most of their lives in less than two square miles of habitat. The young move from the area where they were brooded, especially when subject to moderate hunting pressure or heavy predation, but most importantly for food. The young grouse switch from a diet rich in insects, berries and greens to the foods that sustain them over the winter, including alder and aspen buds. During the early season, ruffed grouse usually feed on the ground, but once the snow flies, you will see them feeding among the branches of the trees. So if you are hunting for Ruffed Grouse in the fall, look for dense mixed woods with lots of alder or aspen. For more info: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks -- Ruffed Grouse Discovering Lewis & Clark – Ruffed Grouse Montana State University Extension Office Ruffed Grouse

Ruffed Grouse - Bonasa umbellus

Read about the slideshow at Merle's Outdoor Recreation Articles on Exa ...

Updated: Sep 29, 2009 4:47pm PST

Wild turkey : Read about the slideshow/photos at Merle's Outdoor Recreation Aritcles on examiner.com

Wild turkey

Read about the slideshow/photos at Merle's Outdoor Recreation Aritcles ...

Updated: Oct 08, 2009 4:35pm PST

Belted Kingfisher : Check back soon for an article about the Belted Kingfisher. See current articles at Merle's Outdoor Recreation Aritcles on examiner.com

Belted Kingfisher

Check back soon for an article about the Belted Kingfisher. See curre ...

Updated: Oct 21, 2009 11:24am PST

Bald eagle near Sweathouse in December :

Bald eagle near Sweathouse in December

Updated: Dec 11, 2009 6:21pm PST