"In the Field" with Nancy J. Wagner Photography

Little Blue Heron at Sand Lake is Actually Hybrid Tri-Colored Heron

2017-10-30T14:54:00.002-07:00

I thought it was exciting enough to see a little blue heron fishing along Mud Dam at Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge in late August/early September. Little blue herons are rarely seen in NE South Dakota.

But editors at eBird.org declared this bird was actually a hybrid between a little blue and a tricolored heron. Exciting! Click here to see the ebird report.

I think this means I have yet to see a little blue heron!

Wolf with salmon at Fish Creek, Alaska

2017-09-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

My photo of a wolf with salmon in its mouth is one of my favorite and most unique images. The photo was taken of the wolf with a gigantic chum salmon at Fish Creek, near Hyder in southeastern Alaska during the salmon spawning season in the summer. Fish Creek is part of Tongass National Forest, a coastal temperate rainforest known. Fish Creek can only be accessed by driving through British Columbia, as it's located at the very southern tip of the state, far from mainland Alaska. You can also fly in with the mail plane or on a charter flight to access the area.

The wolves come sporadically to Fish Creek to try and catch chum salmon in late July through August and other species of salmon, such pink and silver salmon, in mid-August through September. Grizzly and black bears are most commonly seen at the creek as they fatten up for hibernation. Fish Creek offers a long platform from which visitors can safely watch the bears as well as catch rare glimpses of wolves.

Often times, I'd arrive at the creek just after sunrise to discover headless salmon laying on the sides of the creek, a sure sign the wolves had been in earlier to fish. Wolves are known to eat the heads of the fish, then leave to catch another fish. The discarded bodies of the salmon help feed other wildlife, including eagles and bears.

Every now and then, a wolf will come to the creek during daylight hours, chasing the fish in an attempt to catch one. I spent almost 14 days at the creek one summer before finally catching a glimpse of a wolf catching salmon.The first photo show below was one of the images I captured when the wolf showed up. What a day!

These photos and more of the wolf with salmon are available for commercial licensing – email me at nancy@nancywagnerphotography.com for details. Personal prints are also available on my website.

Wolf with chum salmon in its mouth, freshly caught in Fish Creek

Wolf resting in the thick vegetation along the creek

Wolf with chum samon

Wolf in bushes after carrying chum salmon into forest

Wolf with freshly caught chun salmon. Wolves often eat just the heads of the fish.

A good shake and the creek water is dispelled!

A wolf gets a better grasp on the chum salmon it just caught by carrying it by the fin.

Sedge wren catches a spider, Sand Lake National WIldlife Refuge

2017-09-21T13:16:00.005-07:00

The wind was howling this morning, as it's crazy windy here today. So much for catching any sparrows or wrens flitting around the vegetation. Or so I told myself.

Still, I couldn't resist checking out my "sunflower patch" at Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Until recently, this patch was a colorful mix of sweet clover, sunflowers, Indian blanket flowers, prairie coneflowers, thistle and grass, among others species of plants. While the color has all but disappeared from the patch, going there everyday has become somewhat of a ritual for me. Maybe I keep going because, even in its fading glory, it never disappoints. I keep seeing sedge wrens and goldfinches. I also saw my first (and only) Nelson's sparrow there and just last week, I spotted a Le Conte's sparrow. Both the Nelson's and Le Conte's are very secretive, elusive birds that hide in the vegetation. Thing is, I need calm weather to spot their movements in the thick vegetation, and that wasn't today's situation.

But as I drove to the patch, I saw movement in the swaying grass off to my left. I stopped, backed up a few feet for optimal lighting conditions and got ready to wait and see what, if anything, popped out. Almost immediately I saw a little sedge wren peering out from behind the foliage.

I have lots of little conversations with myself when I'm out photographing wildlife. The first one I had with the wren went like this: "Please, please, come out in the open, I can't get a photo of you behind all of those twigs. Come on, come on, you can do it, I won't hurt you."


Oh, please come out in the open!

As if the heavens granted my wish, out she popped in all of her gorgeous shades of brown and beige. I think she was a female because she made small chirps, not the loud scolding calls the males, even when juveniles, make. Oh, was she beautiful when the light hit her just right.

And then, there she was, in all of her rotund glory.

She bounced around the greenery quite a bit, but always came back out in the open where I could get more photos. She was so fat and healthy-looking. I wonder if she's readying for migration or in the middle of migration and heading further south. Oh, how I wish the birds could tell me their stories.

Never still for long, she was constantly searching for bugs.

In typical wren fashion, she dives into the vegetation to hunt close to the ground.

You can really see her white throat and the telltale thin stripes on her head in this image.

Gorgeous from the rear view, too!

She was very busy hunting for insects. But it wasn't until I returned to my office that I realized I had photos of her with a spider in her mouth. It turned out to be a very good, windy day after all.

Stretched out to the max with her just-captured lunch.

No wonder she's so rotund - she's a good insect hunter.

Black swallowtail butterfly on thistle flowers

2017-09-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

I found a small but beautiful patch of flowers at Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge in South Dakota that included a few purple thistle blooms. While I was photographing some of the bees and butterflies attracted to the thistle flowers, all of a sudden a black swallowtail butterfly appeared. It fluttered constantly.

My heart skipped a few beats as I frantically photographed this new beauty. I've only seen a few butterfly species on the flowers at Sand Lake, so my pulse was racing to see this new and dramatic one! It sipped nectar for less than a minute, then fluttered away. Luckily for me, it came back four more times before leaving the area.

To learn more about this species, click here. For more information on the butterflies found in South Dakota, click here.

Grasshopper and black swallowtail butterfly

Painted lady butterflies, other butterflies, grasshoppers and bees on Indian blanket flower

2017-09-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

The vibrant colors and the diversity of insects that flock to Indian blanket flower amazes me. I feel drawn to these gorgeous wildflowers like a bee to honey, a moth to the flame...you get my point.

The bright, cheery reds and yellow petals of Indian blanket flower stand out in stark contrast with the rest of the green and brown environment typically seen on the prairie at this time of the year. Until the last few days, there were lots of sunflowers, but they seem to be going to seed now, so not much color to work with anymore. But the Indian blanket flower, also known as Firewheel, stands out. Add a butterfly, tree cricket, a bee or a grasshopper, and suddenly the flower is transformed into its own landscape of vivid color, complete with a story about its beauty being an important nectar resource for a variety of small creatures.

Coming in for a landing! The nectar must have been flowing perfectly,
as the butterflies were practically fighting over flower domination.

Faceoff - Painted lady and clouded sulphur butterflies


A grasshopper eyes a partially eaten petal.


Using its front legs, the grasshopper pulled the petal into position,	then started chomping.

Bumble bee

Painted lady butterfly


Painted lady butterfly

Observing multiple species on one flower gave me a chance to see how they interact. I took lots of video that better shows how they use their antennae and legs to figure out what's going on. Watch for a short film coming to a computer screen near you!

Clouded sulphur vs Painted lady

If you can't step over 'em, step ON 'em!


"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Muhammad Ali


Crowd! Bee, small milkweed bug and clouded sulphur butterfly

Painted lady and a cuckoo bee. Thanks to Scott E. Severs for the ID help.
Follow Scott on Twitter @SESevers

Incoming!

Cropped for a closer look at all of the pollen on the bee!

Painted lady butterflies

Clouded sulphur butterfly

Painted Lady butterfly closeup

Painted lady butterflies

Standoff! Painted lady butterflies

Green lacewing

Bumblebee

Dew-covered spider webs on the grass prairie at Sand Lake NWR

2017-09-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

Early one morning over the weekend, I found a field full of hundreds of dew-covered spider webs at Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge in South Dakota. What a magical and incredible sight to behold! The grassy prairie was covered with webs, some overlapping each other.

Thistle flowers and American goldfinches eating sunflower seeds

2017-08-12T12:47:00.003-07:00

The attractive purple flowers of thistle add a splash of color to sun-drenched landscapes. But this plant, with its prickly stems and leaves, does more than add beauty to a garden, meadow or roadside. Thistle nectar is also a favorite food of pollinators, including butterflies and bees. Seed-eating birds, including finches, flock to thistle once the flowers fade.

I spotted this female American goldfinch when I saw white fluff gently blowing in the wind. I inched closer, and sure enough, I spotted a pale yellow female goldfinch vigorously yanking fluff from a spent thistle flowerhead to get at the tiny seeds.

But what impressed me most was the goldfinch’s messy seed-gathering routine. For every seed this small bird yanked and munched, she dropped at least several others, their feather-like tops gently drifting away, relying on the wind to carry them to far off places. Sometimes the seeds get stuck on nearby plants, awaiting that moment when a gust of wind will free them from captivity and carry them to a new location and receptive soil.

Seed dispersal at its finest thanks to a hungry seed-eating bird!

To learn more about the various types of thistle, see this helpful article by the University of Missouri Extension.

After watching this female American goldfinch pluck the fluff
from a spent thistle flower, I now understand how thistle
is dispersed into the wind.

For every seed she eats, several more are left
to float on the wind.

Goldfinches also rely on the seeds of thistle and other plants as
food for nestlings. The parents gather and chew the seeds, then
regurgitate the food into their nestlings' mouths.


A monarch butterfly relies on the nectar from thistle as a valuable food resource.

A male American goldfinch, in full breeding plumage,
stops for a rest as it investigates a patch
of thistle to find decaying flowers with seeds ready to eat.

The fluffy seeds cling to other plants,
waiting for the wind to blow them
into the landscape where they can take
root and thrive.

Migrating snow geese in Skagit County, Washington

2017-03-12T11:50:00.004-07:00

The sight and sound of thousands of snow geese is unforgettable. The flock sounds like a noisy beehive when foraging on the ground, loudly humming with plenty of singular notes to define individual geese, a feat not easily accomplished with thousands talking all at once.

When an eagle flies near the flock, the geese take to the air in what looks like mass confusion and complete disorder. But not a single goose is left behind from running into another in their haste to become airborne. That's because the geese take to the air in orderly rows, a sight sometimes seen if you're on the right side of the flock when they face into the wind for the rapid takeoff.

I estimate 7,000+ snow geese were in the flock I observed on Friday, March 10, northeast of Conway, about an hour's drive north of Seattle, Washington. The geese were munching on short green grass in a large field. Wintering geese rely on the resources found in the Skagit and Fraser River deltas in Washington and British Columbia.

Many of the geese sported clean heads, indicative of birds that just arrived from their wintering grounds in California. The geese that stay in this area for much of the winter have orange stained faces due to the iron-rich soil in which they forage. Newcomers haven't been here long enough to sport the distinctive orange feathers, making them easy to identify as recent arrivals.

By the time April rolls around, most of the geese will have flown north to their nesting grounds on Wrangel Island in Russia. I wonder if their nesting areas are as loud and social as the flocks we observe in the winter?

Note the orange feathers on this goose's head, a sign
it's been in the Skagit-Fraser river deltas for part of the winter.

A goose with no orange stains on its head suggests
it's recently arrived from further south. The geese that join
with the flocks here typically arrive from California. They mingle
while foraging, but studies show the flock from California
nests in by itself rather thatn with the Washington geese.

When the geese take to the sky, it's a whiteout!
The massive jumble of geese looks chaotic, but the birds actually
take to the air in orderly rows. I never see injured geese
left behind from these events, except during hunting season.

Incoming!

Juvenile geese still have darker feathers at
this time of year.

Trumpeter swans in winter in Washington state

2017-03-09T21:14:00.001-08:00

Hundreds of trumpeter swans migrate to western Washington each winter. These gorgeous, large white birds are often seen in muddy fields, digging for corn, potatoes, tubers and grains left behind by the farmers. While there are non-migratory flocks of trumpeter swans in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Wisconsin and a handful of other states, the swans that visit the fields in W. Washington on down to California migrate from Alaska.

Usually, I see flocks of swans wallowing in the muddy, vegetation-devoid fields, making the background somewhat less than desirable for photographs. Trust me - I learned this the hard way after taking thousands of photos of swans in the mud. But last weekend, I was fortunate enough to find a small flock of trumpeter swans in a flooded field with a backdrop of dark red bushes and a bit of green vegetation. The swans weren't doing much foraging, but there was plenty of action. Most of them had iron-stained chests from foraging in the nearby saltwater bay.

The swans migrate in families, with the cygnets traveling with their parents through migration and back north to their nesting grounds. The juvenile swans still have their dark feathers through the winter and into early spring when they head back to Alaska.

When the swans fly, whether leaving the field or coming in, their 8-foot wing spans are amazing to see. Add to that the interesting territorial disputes that seem to occur whenever a new pair or a family of swans lands, and there was plenty to photograph.

For more information on the trumpeter swan, visit the Trumpeter Swan Society website. Check out this interesting article in Scientific American about trumpeter swans and how their long nesting period is being helped by climate change.

Swans at the end of the rainbow.

Furious paddling along the ground to gain speed
takes place before the swans are airborne.

Flying low overhead, these swans were looking
for a landing spot.

Territorial disputes between swan pairs
means lots of fluttering wings and loud honking.

Tundra swans mingle with the trumpeters. The swan
on the left is a tundra while the swan on the right is a trumpeter.

Airborne!

Incoming!

Action needed to stop bill to sell 3.3 million acres of federal land (our land!)

2017-02-01T10:38:00.002-08:00

A bill has been sent to the House Committee on Natural Resources to sell 3.3 million acres of public land located on BLM land. If you're an outdoor enthusiast, we need to take a stand right now. The committee's website and full list of the members is at http://naturalresources.house.gov/about/members.htm.

I checked in with Linda Wagner, a political activist and organizer from Colorado, to ask what our next steps should be to keep this bill from moving forward. Here's what Linda suggested.

First, Grijalva from AZ is by far your best environmentalist on that subcommittee. I’d skip calling Dems, other than him and go the following route:

Go through the list of the 10 states and then call any representatives on that list of a state that is directly impacted by this sell.
The ten states are: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming.
Skip calling any rep in the Midwest or from a state unaffected by this sell. Also, skip calling anyone out of the country (Samoa, et al).
Focus on your high ranking Republican members which are Bishop and Young.
Have a script written out and ready so you can read it off if you are leaving a voicemail or speaking to someone in person.
Be specific. Be succinct.
Mention it is a land grab that takes tax dollars away from hunting and fishing licenses. Stress that it takes tax dollars which generate local income for these states away from necessary funding for infrastructure, education and small business development. States cannot make up the loss of income and will be directly and negatively impacted as a result of this sell.
Stress the economic dollars that hunting, fishing and tourism industries generate.
If you are calling Republicans, do not focus on wildlife corridors, wildlife, conservation. Focus on money and the amount these states will lose for a few private individuals to make huge profits.
Go out of your way to stress that this sale isn’t even set up to make a profit for the federal government. Nearly all the acreage being considered for sale will only make profit for private companies on the backs of the public/taxpayers and (stress THIS point) at the expense of individual states.
Republicans LOVE state’s rights. You cannot stress these points enough. The economy and the state’s rights.
It may also end up being tied up in the courts for decades because it is a possible violation of the Public Trust Doctrine and will cost taxpayers millions for the current Administration to fight in the courts.

For more info, please read the article from The Guardian about this: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/31/public-lands-sell-congress-bureau-management-chaffetz

Juvenile western grebe walking on dry land to reach the water

2016-09-06T17:11:00.002-07:00

The subject line sounds funny, but in reality, seeing a Western grebe walk on land is a rarity. Yesterday, I observed a juvenile western grebe sitting on dry ground, far from any water that I could see. After a few minutes, the little grebe got up on unsteady legs, took a few steps, then plopped down again.

The grebe did this several times over until it disappeared into the reeds.

I've concluded that the grebe must have just learned to fly, as the area where it was resting has been dry for several weeks. I think it miscalculated the landing and ended up on solid ground instead of the water.

Since grebes require water to get airborne, the poor little grebe had to walk to water on legs that just aren't built for that task. I hope the grebe made it. I imagine it's these kinds of young bird mistakes that contribute to the fact that less than 50% of baby birds live past their first year. Even in the relative safety of the reeds, the grebe could be prey for coyotes, hawks, owls, eagles and other creatures that take advantage of its inability to move fast.

I found the grebe in this resting position.


After clumsily getting to its feet, the grebe took about 8 steps.

The grebe had to plop down and rest again.

The grebe makes another go at getting to the reeds. The last I
saw of the little duck, it was in the reeds.

Happy International Vulture Awareness Day from Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

2016-09-03T10:14:00.003-07:00

Saw some vultures yesterday at Bear River refuge in northern Utah, just in time for International Vulture Awareness Day. These black beauties were eating dead fish on the mud flats. I saw about a dozen vultures circling the area, and a few landed to lay claim to some of the fish carrion.

There were plenty of dead fish, but
no sooner would one lay claim,
then another vulture would appear.


I didn't see any squirmishes with claws, but there seemed to be a few close calls. Maybe this was a juvenile with bad landing skills?

No sooner did the other vulture take over the carcass,
then another one came in to lay claim.

Could this be a territorial dispute dance?!

The vultures seemed rather tolerant of each other, all
things considered, flying off to find another fish
while the newcomer enjoyed the spoils of victory.

But wait...that fish looks yummy, too. Why is it that
everybody else's fish always looks more desirable?

Peace returns as each vulture heads to
its own fish carrion.

Happy International Vulture Awareness Day from Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

2016-09-03T10:14:00.002-07:00

There were plenty of dead fish, but
no sooner would one lay claim,
then another vulture would appear.


I didn't see any squirmishes with claws, but there seemed to be a few close calls. Maybe this was a juvenile with bad landing skills?

No sooner did the other vulture take over the carcass,
then another one came in to lay claim.

The vultures seemed rather tolerant of each other,
flying off to find another fish while the newcomer
enjoyed the spoils of victory.

Peace returns as each vulture heads to
its own fish carrion.

Birds in the sunflowers at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah

2016-08-28T07:43:00.003-07:00

Birds rely on wild sunflowers in a couple of different ways. While the seedsheads are a major food attaction, the insects that do the all-important work of helping to pollinate the flowers are a tempting snack for some species of birds. At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah, the patches of bright sunflowers lining the auto tour route offer a prime opportunity for observing these behaviors.

A female American Goldfinch balances on
a sunflower seedhead as she eats the seeds.

Male American Goldfinch takes a break on a sunflower stem.

A juvenile American Goldfinch lands on a spent
sunflower, ready to eat the tasty seeds.

Taking a break, perhaps to check for predators,
this juvenile American Goldfinch sits on a petaled
sunflower for a few seconds before
returning to a seedhead to eat.

A juvenile eastern Kingbird catches a pollinator
that was gathering pollen on a sunflower.

Juvenile eastern kingbird having trouble hanging onto its lunch.

The one that got away! The bird must find
another bee for a snack, but at least this lucky
pollinator is off to gather more nectar and pollen.

Broad-tailed hummingbird rests on some sunflower
canes before heading to a flower to sip nectar. Both
migrating and resident hummingbirds may use the sunflowers
as a food resource.

Red-winged blackbirds converge on the sunflowers
in small flocks, pulling out seeds from decaying flowers.

Milkweed for Monarch butterflies and other butterflies and insects

2016-07-09T07:16:00.002-07:00

Milkweed and monarch butterflies are in the news constantly right now, and for good reason. Monarch butterfly populations are unstable and with the violent storm that destroyed acres of prime Monarch winter habitat in Mexico in winter 2016, finding ways to revive the population is critical.

Planting more milkweed and not destroying plants already available are two good steps. Monarchs only lay eggs on milkweed leaves. The caterpillars rely solely on the plant's leaves as a food resource until they're ready to become a pupa. Once the butterfly emerges from its chrysalis, it will sip nectar from the flowers of milkweed and other plants, but the female must return to patches of milkweed to lay her eggs.

Milkweed flowers are also a vital resource for other butterflies and insects. I spent several days at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge photographing the wealth of creatures that rely on nectar from milkweed. The patches I observed were constantly humming with a variety of insects busily gathering those precious grains of pollen.

Anise Swallowtail butterfly

Sphinx month

Looks like a monarch, but this is actually a Queen
butterfly. Notice the white dots on its wings
that help differentiate it from monarchs.

Monarch butterfly on its way to the next flower

Yellow jacket

Pearl crescent butterfly.

Bumbleebee with orange pollen baskets
on its hind legs. Only female bumblebees
gather pollen this way, allow them to take
the pollen grains back to their nests.

Sand wasp

Yellow jacket

Bumblebee

it's not always pretty in the milkweed patch. I witnessed
this wasp attacking a monarch caterpillar.
The caterpillar was knocked to a lower leaf where it
started chomping on a different leaf.

Monarch caterpillar chrysalis at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

2016-06-30T09:23:00.003-07:00

I've been searching for a monarch chrysalis for two years. Finally, not only did I find one, but I had the good luck to watch the caterpillar turn into the 1-inch green pod that will turn into a monarch butterfly if all goes well. What a fascinating transformation from caterpillar to chrysalis! #Monarch #butterfly #butterflies #insects

When I saw this caterpillar in the "J" position, I figured it was
about to shed its skin or turn into a chrysalis. A Monarch caterpillar
shesd its skin 4 times from the time it emerges
from the egg until it forms a chrysalis.

As it turned out, the caterpillar was turning into a chrysalis!
I watched in awe as the caterpillar wiggled its way out of
the old skin and into the soft green casing.

A few seconds later, the old skin fell to the ground
and the vulnerable chysalis was hanging motionless.
In just a few hours, the chrysalis hardened and was
less vulnerable to insects and other predators puncturing
the shell.

The next day, the chrysalis had transformed into
this shape. If all goes well, a monarch butterfly
will emerge from the chrysalis in 9 to 14 days.


The black stuff at the top of the chrysalis is the caterpillar's old skin.

ADDED DAYS LATER: Sure enough, 11 days later, a beautiful monarch
butterfly emerged from the chrysalis. It's shown
here drying off its wings, getting ready to make
its first flight as a butterfly.

White-crowned sparrows defending territories

2016-04-02T14:26:00.004-07:00

This morning, I found some white-crowned sparrows defending their territories in the midst of some beautiful and fragrant blooming Oregon grape. The sparrows were calling loudly across a wide area with one dominating the biggest patch of the yellow blooming Oregon grape.

I got to see some interesting territorial displays, such as the posturing done by one sparrow who puffed up his body and flattened his head to scare a trespasser out of his territory. It worked...eventually! Later, I watched a male, likely a juvenile, follow the dominant male around his territory while they foraged on the ground. I later read that sometimes the older males will allow juveniles (born last year) to stay in their territory for awhile.

The sparrows were calling loudly,
making sure the others knew who was boss.

Puffing up the body and flattening the head is a form of
posturing.

Interesting rank shown here with the dominant bird up high, posturing
and the other bird about to flee but still grandstanding a bit!

Black-capped chickadees looking for cavities for nest

2016-03-27T10:40:00.002-07:00

A pair of black-capped chickadees has been examining every little crevice in our trees, getting ready to excavate to make a nest.

First, the pair dug into the soft, decaying wood of an old snag that's been disintegrating for more than 10 years on our property. I'm always surprised to see how long birds rely on those snags for the resources they provide when it comes to food, nests and roosts.

The next day, the chickadees were examing some live deciduous trees, sticking their beaks into little crevices and holes in the bark, evaluating their nest potential. How fun to watch! I watched with binoculars as they quickly scampered up the trunks of the trees, looking under limbs and in holes created by broken off branches.

I hope to find their nest so I can watch them feeding babies in a few weeks.


A hairy woodpecker examines the same snag for nesting potential or maybe for a delicious meal?


The chickadees checked out this crevice in a live tree, but quickly moved up the tree in search of more cavities.

Eagle rescue in Bothell, Washington

2016-02-20T08:51:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a crazy week. On Tuesday morning, I heard a murder of crows making a huge ruckus, so I ran outside with my binoculars to see what they had this time. I was completely surprised to see an eagle stuck about 60 feet high in a maple tree on my neighbor's property.

I came back with my camera, but before I went back to take photos, I contacted Sarvey Wildlife Center, a wildlife rehabilitation place that's very well known in western Washington. They said the eagles might be mating as it was the season. They suggested I wait 24 hours and then if the eagle was still there, to call back.

When I returned with my camera, I realized there were actually two eagles in the tree. I had never seen eagles mating in a tree like this. I've seen them mating in the open on a branch, but not buried in the branches like this. Anyway, I took lots of photos and checked well on the situation well into the afternoon, but the two eagles stayed in the tree. There were so many branches in the way that I couldn't be sure what they were doing.

The top eagle is stuck, while you can see part of the second
eagle's feathers and talon on the bottom of the trunk.

The next morning, I found one eagle still hanging upside down in the tree. The other eagle was gone, and the remaining eagle was clearly caught by its foot. I wonder if both eagles fell into the tree and one was able to free itself?

The remaining bird kept flapping around, trying to get loose, but I could clearly see that its foot was stuck between two branches. I called Sarvey back. They suggested I call Washington State Fish and Wildlife since they had an office nearby. They were very helpful and said they would try and find an officer who could check out the situation. After they saw my cropped photo, things escalated, and they reached out to U.S. Fish and Wildlife to see if they could get an officer out here more quickly.


This cropped view shows the leg stuck between the branches.

Then Sarvey called back to say they were sending an arborist from Canopy Cat Rescue as he might be able to climb the tree and rescue the eagle. They were also sending their eagle handler. A rescue was about to happen! I was so relieved, but also very worried about the bird's condition and survival.

At about 1:30 pm on Wednesday, the rescue started. Instead of using a climber, the Bothell Fire Department was called to the scene. They used the fire engine's long truck ladder and a bucket to get up high enough to start cutting dozens of branches that prevented them from reaching the eagle. They had to pull in the ladder and maneuver the fire truck several times as there was a steep embankment they had to stabilize in order to get the truck close enough to the tree.

The rescue took several hours. The eagle had stopped moving, but was occasionally raising its head. I knew it was alive, but for how long? Time was of the essence in rescuing it. I honestly didn't think it was going to survive until the rescuers could reach it.

Finally, the rescuers reached the eagle. They gently grabbed it with a net, then used the weight of the bird to pull the branch closer to the bucket. The eagle handler then pulled the eagle's leg out of the fork of the limb, and the eagle was free at last! The eagle was then given a ride to the ground and taken to Sarvey Wildlife Center where it was given pain meds, food and water.


The eagle is free of the branch and gets a ride to the ground. Success!

The prognosis for the eagle is not great as it is not moving its talons or leg. But I'm hopeful this feisty 3-year old female will recover.

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge building taken over by militants

2016-01-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

It's awful to hear about militants taking over the visitor center at Malheur National Wildlife Reuge. This is a beautiful wildlife refuge and a place where birders go to see a wide variety of birds, especially migrating species that use the trees and shrubs around the visitor center as part of their migration. The refuge is a place of peace and calm, so I think it feels doubly shocking when I think of people with guns, violence on their minds and a willingness to break the law, to make their points. It just doesn't fit with what I perceive as a refuge.

Here are some of the photos I took on my short visit there a few years ago. #malheur

Barn swallows

Yellow-rumped warbler

Black-necked stilt

White-faced ibis

California quail

Canada goose with goslings

Yellow-rumped warbler

Great horned owl on nest

Long-billed curlew

Sandhill cranes

Snipe

American avocet

Bald eagle

Short-eared owl shows huge difference in face with ear tufts showing

2015-12-30T14:12:00.005-08:00

These two photos are of the same short-eared owl. I photographed the owl on Fir Island in Skagit County, Washington. These were taken about 20 seconds apart. I didn't see what caused the owl to raise its ear tufts, but I assume someone walking their dog far out on the marsh may have caused this change. It was just amazing how much its face changed when it did so.

When I was processing my photos, I had to really look at the pattern on the feathers to make sure this truly was the same owl. Click on the photo to see a larger version that makes it easier to view.

Same owl, two very different poses.

Monarch butterflies at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

2015-12-12T10:41:00.003-08:00

The monarchs have been returning to their winter migration areas along California's coast. The Monarch Grove Sancutary in Pacific Grove, CA, reported 11,423 monachs returned as of Nov. 25th. That number is less than last year, according to the PGMNH Monarch Monitoring Project. Unfortunately, this has been the trend for the last few years.

I spent quite a bit of time this summer at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah, looking for monarch butterflies, caterpillars and chrysallis. I found a few butterflies, but not nearly as many as the previous summer. I found a small patch of milkweed that had a few caterpillars, but I did not find any chrysallis.

The monarch situation is pretty scary. A lack of suitable habitat with plenty of milkweed, required by monarchs for laying eggs and for caterpillars to use until they molt into a chrysallis, is causing the population to crash. I hope it can recover. Planting more milkweed is crucial to saving this species. Live Monarch offers free milkweed seeds as well as resources for learning all about the plant and the butterfly.

Unique view of a monarch butterfly on a sunflower.

Monarch butterflies drink nectar from a variety of
flowering plants, including thistle.

Seeing a monarch on thistle was a highlight for me.

Monarchs must have milkweed to lay eggs and grow as
caterpillars, but as soon as they come out of their
chrysallis, they eat nectar from other plants
and are less reliant on milkweed.

Monarch butterflies, also known as milkweed butterflies,
gather nectar from sunflowers and other blooming plants.

Male monarch butterflies have two spots located
near the bottom of their wings.
Females do not have these spots.

Monarch caterpillars will only eat the leaves of milkweed.

A monarch caterpillar will molt several times as it eats
from the milkweed plant.


Caterpillars do not have a high survival rate as birds and other predators eat them before they can become butterflies.

Clark's grebe family with 4 babies and an ethical dilemma

2015-09-13T10:31:00.001-07:00

After photographing western and clark's grebes for the past three summers, today I saw something I have never seen before –– a pair of Clark's grebes with four babies. Yes, 4 newly hatched grayish-white babies!

At first, I thought I was seeing a pair with one baby, and that's unusual enough as it is being so late in the season. I was excited at that point.

But, as I was photographing the parent with the baby on its back, to my surprise, another little white head popped up!

Just seeing two babies, newly hatched, in mid-September, was exciting enough!

A few minutes later, to my complete astonishment, a 3rd tiny white head peeked out from under the parent's feathers! I was thrilled, as this was my first time photographing three babies riding on the back of the parent.

Then, I saw the third baby. I didn't think it could get any better.

When the other parent brought back a fish to feed the babies, I just about jumped out of my seat –– a 4th head popped out! Four babies and in mid-September to boot.


And then I saw the 4th baby! Crazy! Some even have their egg tooth showing, which means they were born within the last few days! I imagine this family was on the water for the first time today since the last egg hatched.

I was completely focused on getting a photo of all four babies looking up, and so I kept following the grebes, hoping I could get the shot. But, I noticed the grebe with the babies on its back would circle around a bit when I moved into position, and only after I held still, would it start swimming again to catch up with its mate who was fishing for the little ones. It was scared of me, and didn't know whether to continue towards its mate or stop and protect its babies.

That's when I realized that I was stressing the parent out, and it was time for me to move on. It took all of my willpower to put down my camera and leave the area.

I feel this is the ethical dilemma many of us wildlife photographers face. When do we leave our subjects alone so we're not interferring with their survival?

With four hungry mouths to feed, it felt wrong to keep following these grebes in hopes of THE perfect photo. Not an easy decision, and I'm still smarting over it. I really, really, wanted that shot. Meanwhile, here are a few I got...not perfect, by any means, but it was the best I could get today.


Photobombed by the mate!


What a gorgeous little family!

A pond full of juvenile birds

2015-09-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day weekend at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah, I found a shallow pond just full of a variety of juvenile bird species. Here's what I saw:

Flock of juvenile snowy egrets, sporting grayish black bills and yellowish-green legs.


Juvenile American pelican, not yet fully white, indicative of a youngster.


Juvenile black-crowned night heron, adults sport black heads and lose all of their brown feathers.


American avocets foraging


Closeup of a juvenile avocet, evidenced by its brown, rather than black feathers and a light brown head.


A mixed flock of snowy egrets and American avocets.


Juvenile white-faced ibis with some colorful feathers!


Black-necked stilt


Snowy egret getting territorial!

Black-crowned night heron


The chase is on with a fiesty juvenile snowy egret making a territorial claim.

Juvenile Forster's terns catching fish during high winds

2015-09-04T11:22:00.002-07:00

One of the best time to take photos of birds is during high winds, when they tend tend to hover as they fight the wind.

Yesterday's gusty winds at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah gave me a prime opportunity to get some interesting photos of juvenile Forster terns fishing on a pond.

Terns fish by flying above the water, watching for prey. Once they spot a fish, they dive straight down, go under water for a second to catch the fish, and then rise out of the water, prey in mouth. It's an amazing spectacle to see, and these juveniles were really good at it, meaning their survival rate is likely to be higher since they can feed themselves.

The terns dive head first into the water, come up with a fish and fly away, eating their prey in mid-air.


Check out that wake!


Success!


Terns watch the water, ready to dive when they see a fish.


Takeoff after catching a tiny fish.


Look at those water droplets as the tern leaves the water.