And suddenly… Kestrels!
This is my first blog post on my new site. Quick background, this website was initiated by my wonderful spouse, Katie, who created it for me as a Christmas present. For the past week I’ve been tinkering around with the galleries, home page and the store (still not sure how to make that work).
Anyhow, while I’ve been a birder for the past 11+ years, lately I haven’t felt as committed to it. Other fascinations (obsessions?) have consumed my time, most notably my vinyl record collection. That said, Katie’s gift of my very own birding website rekindled that inner spark that I first felt in May 2014 when I first laid eyes on a Common Raven up-close (a story for another time).
Given this revived birding energy, I headed out to a couple spots around Missoula the past two days. Yesterday, to Greenough Park to attempt at the Western Screech-Owl that’s been observed of late. No luck on that one but I did pick up a FOTY (my way of saying ‘first of the year’) Pygmy Nuthatch!
By the end of yesterday, though, I was still not quite feeling fulfilled so I made plans this morning to give it another go. I generally dislike driving so I took advantage of the “CordBern” trailhead 30 seconds from our front door and ascended to the Mount Sentinel Fire Road.
About 60 minutes and zero birds into the trek, I was reminded of a recurring birding thought. Even when you see zero birds, it’s important to remind yourself that you’re still outside and you’re enjoying nature. It was at that moment that I snapped this photo, convinced that it’d be highly unlikely I’d record any notable avian sightings.
Facing north from the Mount Sentinel Fire Road. As Katie often says, “We live in a beautiful place”
I reached the southern end of the Fire Road and made the turn toward Patee Canyon. At that very moment a Common Raven - my spark bird - soared past. Maybe this wasn’t going to be such a bust after all? Well, it was a bust for a while longer as I hiked another mile or so in an eastward direction when I finally sat down on a rock for a few minutes’ rest while I scanned the top of every pine in the area for a Northern Pygmy-Owl. No luck, again!
Despite the relatively quiet bird activity, I was feeling fulfilled. Just one of those amazing, sunny Missoula winter days that can force any Eeyore out of my its funk. And suddenly… Kestrels!
While, if I’m being honest the first bird I saw was a Red-tailed Hawk atop a lone pine, but within seconds a Black-billed Magpie began harassing it. This is a common behavior among Corvids (e.g. mapgies, crows, jays) that they’ll often pester Hawks or Owls until they move on. You’ll actually see Chickadees engage in similar ‘scolding’ behavior and in both cases this can be a tell-tale sign that a raptor is near so best to be on the lookout!
I began to pull out my camera and tripod from my pack but I didn’t move fast enough because before I knew it I heard the screeching calls of an American Kestrel joining the fray alongside the Magpie in harassing the Red-Tailed until it moved on, which it did eventually though the Kestrel continued chasing it to the West. This time, I kept my tripod and camera out of the pack so I’d be ready. However, we make plans and birds laugh.
I spent the next 30 minutes trying to track down the raptors and got close-ish to the Kestrel as I neared the junction with the Fire Road but did not succeed in securing any clear shots. So, I decided it was time to pack it in and head home… after all, I’d been out for 2.5+ hours at this point. Well, sometimes we make plans and birds smile.
As I neared the Fire Road junction, I noticed an object moving fast out of my right eye and it was another American Kestrel, this time a male carrying what appeared to be a vole and eventually it landed on the top of a browned-out Mullein top. I dropped my pack, unfurled the tripod, grabbed my camera and gracefully tripped on my own backpack strap as I hustled to get into position and not only did the bird stay still, I also had the perfect light alignment. As my experienced photographer father once instructed me “keep your shadow in between you and your subject.” My Dad is often right about most things.
Anyhow, that’s all for now. But it just goes to show you that when you’re out birding (or maybe just in life?) all it takes is one sudden, pleasant surprise to turn a bad day into a good day, and a good day into a great day!
American Kestrel with its late lunch