Today I am celebrating having published 2000 posts on birds, wildlife and nature at On The Wing Photography and sharing the stories behind the images along with the journeys I take to find my subjects.
Mid-morning I found a perched intermediate morph Swainson's Hawk in Box Elder County and was delighted when it didn't fly off immediately.
Even though I am saying a fond farewell to the Swainson's Hawks I'm also looking forward to Rough-legged Hawks gracing my life for another season.
I've been meaning to post images of this sub-adult Swainson's Hawk in low light for about a year now and I am finally getting around to it.
So what better image to end my week of published posts with than a Swainson's Hawk pooping while perched on a fence post in northern Utah? I can't think of one.
I thought the invisible fence made this roadside Swainson's Hawk in rural Montana an interesting subject to share.
This image of a Swainson's Hawk in golden light was taken not long after the sun rose and I love how the light seems to make the hawk glow.
One thing I know for certain is that when the weather clears I know I am going to head back up there. And I will probably think about the title of this post... Warning - Swainson's Hawks Ahead.
Five days ago I photographed this male Swainson's Hawk landing with his talons reaching out for the lichen covered rocks he was going to perch on.
This Swainson's Hawk was right next to the road the entire time I photographed it and I was able to get a series of it it where the hawk nearly filled the frame from top to bottom.
I had wanted to post this photo of a juvenile Swainson's Hawk last week from Montana but because my cell signal was so cruddy I didn't get this image uploaded.
I photographed a Swainson's Hawk family for several mornings while I was in Montana and this is one of the juveniles I focused on.
I sat with some juvenile Swainson's Hawks yesterday morning for quite some time and it eventually paid off when an adult came in to hand off prey but the young hawk missed.
I am enjoying my time in the Centennial Valley especially when I can spend time photographing raptors like this adult light morph Swainson's Hawk.
The first day of September signals to me that cooler weather is arriving so I took a look back at some of the images I have taken in September from 2008 on.
I created this juvenile Swainson's Hawk image two days ago before the sun rose over the mountains and I liked how it turned out despite the low light.
I am itching to get back out in the field with Swainson's Hawks partly because they are handsome raptors and partly because by now there might be some young that have fledged.
I am always happy to photograph Swainson's Hawks no matter where I find them so I was pleased to find this one perched on a lichen covered rock yesterday in Box Elder County, Utah.
To all the wonderful, deserving Dad's out there I'd like to wish you a Happy Father's Day!
It was rainy yesterday evening in southwestern Montana and eastern Idaho but that didn't stop me from getting this image of a wet and bedraggled Swainson's Hawk in the Centennial Valley.
Three days ago I felt fortunate to come across a mated pair of Swainson's Hawks in Beaverhead County, Montana, the male was an intermediate morph and the female was a light morph.
Last week I saw my first of the season Swainson's Hawk not too far from the visitor's center at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge and that got me excited.
I wonder if this juvenile Swainson's made the long migration to South America and if I will see it again in the Centennial Valley of Montana this spring.
Raising the glass attached to my camera that is! I'm excited about the photographic opportunities that will present themselves in 2015.
A month ago I was in the Centennial Valley of Montana camping and the hawks I spent the most time photographing were Swainson's Hawks.
This juvenile Swainson's Hawk was photographed earlier this month in Beaverhead County, Montana on a cloudy morning with low light.
Being a bird photographer has its rewards beyond the most obvious which for me is being out in nature or better yet being a part of it. It means with patience and plenty of time in the field I do get it right.
While in Montana earlier this month I had several opportunities to photograph juvenile Swainson's Hawks that were close and approachable but I didn't always have great light.
For three days I had great fun photographing two very obliging Swainson's Hawk juveniles at the east end of the Centennial Valley and by obliging I mean they were very approachable.
Last week while in Montana and Idaho I was able to photograph this Swainson's Hawk as it lifted off from a grassy slope heading up Monida Hill.