August 1, 2009

Wild Things

While hiking on Reader Creek last week, we inadvertently frightened this little bird out of his ground nest:
(Bill from Bill Schiess' Wild in Idaho suggested a similar nest we saw recently was that of a junco. Based on markings, altitude, and nesting habits, that identification is a good fit.) Steve had observed the nest location as the adult bird flew away, so we were able to corral two escaped babies (too young to fledge) and herd them back to the well-hidden nest. You can see the two babies huddled within after we'd replaced them:

This hawk (Steve B. at Shooting My Universe identified this as a Northern Harrier. Thanks!) was swooping along the creek looking for lunch:

Steve kept trying to photograph a butterfly on the numerous wildflowers, but the butterflies would not cooperate. We finally corralled this specimen, who seemed to be hugging the ground, just trying to stay out of the wind:
Although we saw lots of elk and moose sign, the only big game we actually laid eyes and camera lens upon was this deer:

For more cute critters, domestic or wild, click here.

27 comments:

  1. These are wonderful images!
    What a beautiful backdrop for the deer.
    I love butterflies and have only 'captured' one of the little flighty creatures myself. This one is a beauty.

    Carletta’s Captures.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful and wonderful images !! Thanks for sharing..Unseen Rajasthan

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great captures...Thank you very much for all these images...

    kisses,

    irina

    ReplyDelete
  4. Clever critters you two,a great camera work too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What lovely shots. I enjoy hiking in our area when the weather cooperates.
    I have captured a few butterflies on film, but usually they refuse to cooperate.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You saw some beautiful critters! Great pictures too! Thanks for the visit. Have a great weekend, Janie!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great shots, Janie! Love the butterfly.

    ReplyDelete
  8. You are certainly able to go where the wild things are! Good on you for making sure the birdies were settled all snug in their nest. The hawk is a beauty and so are the butterfly and deer.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wonderful images. Glad the babies made it back into the nest before the hawk came along!

    ReplyDelete
  10. love your critters, especially the hawk

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love the hawk photo - wonder which little animal he was about to snatch up and devour?

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've been trying to catch some butterfly pics this summer and it seems that they have been very uncooperative lately.

    And your title brings to mind the song, "Wild thing, you make my heart sing!"

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a wonderful series of critter photos, all of them so enjoyable. Thank you for sharing them.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello dear Jane!
    What a fabulous series of pictures!I loved this post!
    Happy Camera Critters
    purrs and love
    Luna

    ReplyDelete
  15. Janie: Nice captures out in nature. I really like your butterfly photo even on the ground.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Howdy Janie
    Awesome photos.
    Looks like it was a thrilling photo day along with some adventure thrown in for good measure.
    Blessings of joy to you.
    Thank you for sharing the beautiful photos.
    Happy Trails

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wonderful shots! I love the butterfly especially :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hawks are beautiful! I love when nature is full of wildlife, it makes the world feel so much richer!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love your banner: that's great photography (and scenery). It takes both!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Beautiful!
    You have such a way of capturing nature through a photo lens! I really enjoyed your post!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting!

    ReplyDelete
  21. what Great wild things they are!! I was exciting to see your nice photos.

    thank you for stepping by my site and comment.

    ReplyDelete
  22. You make me so envious of all the wildlife you get to see. Great photos, thank you for sharing and keep them coming!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Good of you to help the baby birds. You may have saved them from the hawk. Butterfly is pretty. Great captures of critters.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Your hawk is a Northern Harrier. Wonderful post today.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Wonderful photos, Janie. Especially the beautiful butterfly and the amazing capture of the Northern Harrier hawk.
    Well done, you two must be delighted :D

    ReplyDelete
  26. Janie...great photos...love the deer

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin