I photographed this bison tangled up in its radio-collar in Yellowstone National Park a few weeks ago. Unfortunately these sights are becoming more common. There is no doubt that the use of radio-telemetry collars revolutionized wildlife research and its use is now rather common. We’ve learned a lot about specific wildlife populations already, and the …
Author: Cat Urbigkit
American kestrels
Since I did some time on the couch this week, I had the pleasure of picking up our Matthew Mullenix’s American Kestrels in Modern Falconry. I didn’t put it down until I had read it from cover to cover – it’s simply that great a read for kestrel fans like me. The fact that it’s …
Cuddle
I went down this morning with a flu bug, so was negligent in getting all my chores done. I swear this happened because I drove to town and went to the grocery store, which was packed full of people on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. So husband Jim did the early check of the …
Blue angel?
Jim and I sat down in our living room late this afternoon for a break from the lambing ground and chores, leaving the front door standing wide open so the dogs could wander in and out at will. As we relaxed and talked, a male bluebird came in and sat atop the door, looking around …
Sandhills
The sandhill cranes are nesting now. The arrival of these birds is a true indication of spring’s arrival. Usually we hear them before we see them, and the sound always brings a gladness to my heart. Crane fossils about 10 million years old have been discovered in Nebraska, indicating that cranes are our oldest surviving …
My Mother’s Day
My wonderfully supportive guys asked what I wanted for Mother’s Day this year. I told them I wanted Jim to be the mother for the day (tending to all my critters), allowing me to escape alone with my camera for what I had planned to be an all-day outing. As it turns out, I wasn’t …
Sharing Mongolia’s beauty
I’ve been thinking about Lauren, and her upcoming journey to our eagle friends in Mongolia. Thought I’d share some random images from there, from my trip seven months ago. Enjoy.
Rural views
There are three kestrels claiming territory on the lambing pasture fence this week. What beauty and fierceness.Aziat Rant is a yearling now, and in charge of the bums. They are just getting up from a nap in the kennel in this photo:And an old barn I drive past every now and then just so I …
Sheep shearing
We usually try to have our sheep shorn in mid-April, but this year, we had to keep putting off shearing as we were hit with spring storm after spring storm. Even after the rains stop, the wool has to dry before we can shear. We were finally able to shear this week, just in time …
Hackee sack anyone?
I’ve been working hard all week, either on the computer or on the ranch, so this morning I played hooky and went for a three-hour photo excursion to some of my favorite places in our county. This sandhill crane was busy throwing a chunk of cow manure in the air, hitting it with his head …