Category Archives: Wildlife

These Birds Have Something to Say….

Posted on August 30, 2013 by westerner54

and they’re gonna say it, by golly.   Think birds are just sitting around, singing the occasional ditty, dreaming about the next worm?  Think again, my friend.  There’s a lot going on in those birdbrains. Take this little Eastern Kingbird family.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, Humor, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Back to My Childhood: Camping in the National Parks

Posted on August 21, 2013 by westerner54

When I was a kid in the 60’s, my favorite time of year was the two weeks when we took our family vacation.  The five of us (or seven if Grandma and Grandpa came) piled into the Dodge station wagon: … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Nature, Outdoors, Travel, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

What Makes a Perfect Day?

Posted on August 6, 2013 by westerner54

Well, how about a sunny summer morning, to start.  Then a hike along a favorite ridge accompanied by a young Cooper’s Hawk. Add in the discovery of a perfect old apothecary bottle along the trail: “Hall’s Catarrh Cure.” Then home for … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Eaglets Growing Up

Posted on June 26, 2013 by westerner54

I’ve been watching three eagle nests this spring, and all of them now have eaglets who are getting ready to fledge:   the first one is high in a cottonwood and not too easy to see now that the cottonwood has … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

A Montana Morning on the Riverbank

Posted on June 6, 2013 by westerner54

I’m sitting on the bank of the Madison River: morning sunshine warming my back, yellow warblers flitting through the willows along the shore, a lone osprey making his way up and down the river looking for breakfast in the muddy … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, Life, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Lone Ranger Wannabes and Other Silly Birds

Posted on May 31, 2013 by westerner54

These dudes think they’re so clever. Like they think I won’t notice that they’ve totally ripped off their “disguise”? You know they’re up to no good – planning a heist or a bird-napping. And the hairdos that some birds come up with are … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, Humor, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Prairie, Lake and Sky: Solitude at Freezout Lake

Posted on May 28, 2013 by westerner54

Solitude can be hard to come by on a holiday weekend, even in sparsely populated Montana. But we found it, in the wide open prairie at the edge of the Rocky Mountain Front: Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area. The migratory … Continue reading →

Posted in Camping, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Yellowstone: The Usual Suspects and a Surprise or Two

Posted on May 13, 2013 by westerner54

This fellow is one of the usual suspects: his name is Scarface, and I’ve seen him before in Yellowstone. He’s over twenty years old, with a mangled right ear, and..yes..a scarred face from too many run-ins with other grizzlies. I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Travel, Wildlife, Yellowstone | Tagged , , , , | 36 Comments

Zion Spring

Posted on April 18, 2013 by westerner54

Zion National Park, March 2013  

Posted in Hiking, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 24 Comments

Just When You Think There’s Nothing There…

Posted on March 17, 2013 by westerner54

This young golden eagle was one of at least twenty that we watched one evening last week in what at first seemed to be an empty creek valley north of Helena. It was late afternoon, and we were driving along a gravel road … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments