Photographic gallery — Birds

Before first light one winter morning, I sat and listened to dozens of eagles chattering from trees all around me. As light came, the eagles took to the skies, scanning the Mississippi River for their first fish of the day.

Following a spring snowstorm, many migratory birds that had already returned to Yellowstone moved downslope to where the several inches of snow were melting quickly. A few western tanagers joined yellow-rumped warblers, juncos, chipping sparrows and others to feed on exposed seeds and insects.

It might be small fry, but this eagle plucks a fish from the Mississippi River, lifts off and flies to a nearby tree to eat it.

Just after sunrise one spring morning, this female yellow warbler stopped flitting around long enough for a portrait.

Collared redstarts show little fear of people and sometimes follow you as you walk, thus earning them the name of "Amigo del Hombre" or "Man's Friend".

A pelican glides in for a landing east of Fishing Bridge before joining others searching for trout.

A juvenile great-horned owl (perched) soon followed its mother in search of prey in the sagebrush country of western Washington.

A gray-crowned rosy finch pauses for a moment while foraging for seeds below basalt cliffs near Tower Fall in Yellowstone.

This caracara flew from the edge of the jungle and out over the sea in the southwest of Costa Rica as my wife and I hiked towards Corcovado National Park.

The quickening wingbeats of this grouse revealed his lek behind a camp site in the Tetons. He took very little notice of me, though, as his mind was on other things.

Ravens are remarkable birds for many reasons, and a close look at one's wing reveals the beauty of their plumage.

Keeping an eye on potential rivals, this Barrow's goldeneye circles Trout Lake, feverishly chasing away other males from a female he's hoping to mate with.

A late brood of Barrow's goldeneyes ventures out on an August evening on a quiet stretch of Thorofare Creek in the southwest corner of Yellowstone.

A male goldeneye displays for a female on Yellowstone's Trout Lake.

After driving highway speeds for most of the day one spring, I took a break at a western Montana rest area and unwound while watching this goldeneye swim around a pond.