Hello friends and fellow photographers. I just returned from my annual Montana tour. Below, I share just a bit of the experience with you. I hope you enjoy the story and images. As always, thank you for being a part of Whistling Wings.
The area in Montana I visit each year is a place I hold very dear to my heart. A place I can't wait to get back to each Spring. This is not because it is the prettiest place I have ever been; although it is very pretty. It is because of the diversity of wildlife it supports and the distinct lack of people and human perturbations that so often interrupt the natural world elsewhere. From hundreds of species of birds, to moose, elk, pronghorn, bears, and badger, this area of Montana has so much to offer wildlife photographers and lovers of nature in general.
Below are images of just a few of the species with which we had photo opportunities. This is not a tour where we spend hours sitting in blinds. Almost all of the photo work we do is done on foot while hiking and driving around the vast valley. This allows us to experience this area in all its glory.
It is always a true adventure!
Below are images from around the valley and surrounding area. It was a late Spring this year with a lot of precipitation. The area was extra lush and more beautiful than ever.
Getting great images of birds is always the primary goal of this tour. Not a surprise if you know me at all, as I am a bird person through and through.
The chick riding on moms back (above) thinks mom needs help steering, so is using his foot as a rudder. Mom does not seem to happy about the backseat driving.
The ephemeral marshes in the valley, which are sometimes dry, were flooded this year due to all the precipitation. So, we had some great chances at getting images of birds that prefer this type of habitat such as American avocets,
Red-necked grebes are fairly abundant in the area and a species I look forward to photographing each year. This year a pair made themselves very available for pictures. This, of course, is always appreciated.
One of the species I make considerable efforts to photograph each year are Trumpeter swans. They are just awesome birds. Most years the swans hatch their eggs before or during our visit. However, this year, due to the late Spring, the swans were still incubating when we left. Regardless we did have some opportunities to photograph these magnificent birds.
The grasslands and forested foothills were green and lush this year. Bird species that prefer these habitats gave us some nice photo ops.
Although the focus of this tour is on birds, we do not ignore great opportunities to photograph the mammals we encounter.
2 Comments
Jun 5, 2019, 1:11:22 PM
Ron Bielefeld - Ellen, great to hear from you. It was great shooting with you at Clear Lake. I will get you information on the Montana tour by the end of the week. Just catching up with office stuff and getting ready for 2019 Montana given I have been gone a lot.
Looking forward to shooting with you in the near future.
Ron
Jun 5, 2019, 1:07:17 PM
Ellen Mack - Hi Ron! We meet at Clear Lake photographing grebes on Faith's boat. I would be interested in the Montana tour for 2020. Send me details once available (dates, cost, etc). Love your website - have been on it all morning! Your love of birds shines through. Ellen