10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2012

I’ve spent a lot of time in, and done a lot of writing about, the Rocky Mountains, their beauty, their climate moods, and the wildlife that lives here. But eastern Montana contains the equally though differently stunning high plains, a world unto itself with very different wildlife meeting very different challenges.

Ferrets 182

Ferrets Wildlife Montana Prairie Dogs 182

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2024

After a pleasant morning with ducks, crisp snow and sunshine, we followed the wildlife trail on our way out. We also saw Prairie Dogs , Bison , Mule Deer , Abert’s Squirrel and Coyote. If there were such a thing as a Periodic Table of Ducks we went from hydrogen to uranium: every duck imaginable was there.

Denver 163

Denver Colorado Ducks Mules 163

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2012

If we get close enough we might see a pink maw and slivers of white teeth, ready to take a prairie dog by the throat and choke the life out but also rather perversely adorable. Ferret 492 — a black-footed ferret, Mustela nigripes — raises her head from a black-tailed prairie dog’s burrow, sniffs the April night.

Ferrets 168

Ferrets Prairie Dogs Coyotes Kittens 168

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2012

I took a ride up to the Fall River Valley back in October and spotted both morphs in the large grasslands where we also usually see Rough-legged Hawks and Prairie Falcons. They are often seen on the ground since their prey consists mainly of rabbit, prairie dog and, you guessed it, ground squirrel. This is the light morph.

Squirrels 156

Squirrels Prairie Dogs North America Rabbits 156

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2019

Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. 07 May 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113