CATBIRD STORIES

Last photo from this morning first. The four Gray Catbird nestlings were still doing well this morning. A peaceful bunch!!

For the first time ever a pair of Gray Catbirds, a species in the Mimidae family, has built a nest next to our house, in a mountain pine right beside our porch. Catbirds prefer dense tangles of shrubs, or small trees. The dense jungle of long needles in a a mugo pine seemed to be the right fit for this pair building their nest . I was on a business trip last week when the young catbirds hatched, but have used my camera ever since my return to document every day in their young life. The adult birds are very tolerant but nevertheless I use utmost caution when I make an image of the nest and its habitants. As always, the safety of the birds comes first. I limit my time shooting through the branches to a few seconds and use a long lens whenever possible to make an image. For photos like used in this little story, I do not hesitate to crop the picture, just to keep a safe distance and the birds unexcited about my presence while documenting their life.

May 30, 2022, two eggs were already in the nest, two more would follow within the next days.

The incubation of the eggs is done by the female but both parents feed the young buggers in the nest. The adults are relatively quiet during this time and their unique “mew” call, just like a cat, is heard more muted. They can do other songs as well, and if you are really interested the following link will give you a lot more details about this bird species and the calls they perform. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gray_Catbird/overview

June 18, 2022, Joan discovered them a day before my arrival back home. The young birds are brooded by the female for the first few days.

Friends and followers of my blog, I’m sorry for a long break here, but my work assignments didn’t allow for spending time in front of the computer. I tried at least to be behind the camera whenever I had a chance. I’m always grateful that you take the time to look at my photography and give me your input about it, or the nature of my subjects!!

Beside the exciting moments in life of our Gray Catbirds another story was unfolding… Please stay tuned if you enjoy nature and/or photography as part of your life…!!!

June 19, 2022, The four young catbirds sleep for most of the day and keep their eyes closed. Yawning is the photographers moment!

June 20, 2022, An adult approaching carefully the nest with two snacks in its beak, a caterpillar and another bug. Good times…!!!

THE BISON BELOW

American Bison, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, September 2020

You can tell, this bison has fought a few battles during the mating season, which takes place from late July to August. I was actually looking for some Mule Deer near a trailhead in Roosevelt National Park when suddenly this bull showed up. He disappeared into a small canyon and this allowed me to place the tripod near the edge and make a few clicks from above of the grazing bison. Keeping a safe distance to these large animals is important, not just during the mating season, and no photo is worth risking the life of an animal or your own.

NATURE CLICKS #476 - BIGHORN SHEEP

Bighorn Sheep, Roosevelt National Park, North Unit

Joan and I were happy to watch and photograph Bighorn Sheep in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park again. During our first visit in 2015 a ranger told us, you will be very lucky if you can find the Bighorn Sheep. They spend most of their time in the canyons of this badlands area and therefor not easy to spot.

Well, this year we found a splendid ram and four ewes grazing on the grassy slope above a canyon. We spent about 20 minutes with the bighorn sheep before they disappeared into the valley. Enough time to work with these amazing critters…

Male bighorns can be dangerous and are able to kill a human if threatened, so maintaining a safe distance is a good idea. There was a small ravine between my tripod and the animals and I felt safe to be that close. The first image is uncropped and gives you an idea about the real world at 600 mm focal length, while the second photo didn’t have a very interesting background, just plain grass, and I felt a slight crop would benefit the outcome. The sheep gave us a look ones in a while but most of the time just ignored us and that is always a good thing if you are close to a wild animal.

FIRST PRIORITY

American Bison, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

No, we were not stupid enough to lie down in the prairie grass and in front of a full grown American Bison male just for making a photo from an interesting perspective. We rather used a drop in the terrain and repositioned our car several times for good perspective and background. Staying safe while shooting has to be first priority at all times!