Last month I wrote about wildlife guards with standard bars and modified bridge grate, and I also reported on a modification to make it more difficult for wildlife to gain access to the fenced highway along the concrete edges of the guard. One of the solutions that is being tried is rubber strips attached to the fence post. Another solution is to have bulbouts of the fence. It is currently unknown how effective these barriers are in reducing access to wildlife to the fenced right-of-way. Nonetheless, these types of measures measures may very well make the wildlife guards be more effective. Click here for additional images of the fence bulbouts at a wildlife guard.

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Fence bulbouts at a wildlife guard installed to make it more difficult for deer (Odocoileus spp.) to walk across the concrete ledge and access the highway, near Ravalli, Montana, USA

Pronghorns (Antilocapra americana) are presumably the second-fastest land animal in the world; only the cheetah is faster. Pronghorns have been reported to have top speeds anywhere between 70-100 km/h (43-62 mi/h). The buck in the image is taking some time to ruminate though. Click here for other images of the pronghorn.

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Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) buck, ruminating, Montana, USA

We don't really think much about salamanders in Montana; we rarely see one. Nonetheless, there are three confirmed salamander species in Montana. This is a long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum), the most common of the three species. An identifying characteristic of this species is that one of their toes on their back foot is longer than the others. Click here for another image of the long-toed salamander.

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Long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum), Montana, USA

A portrait of an American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis).

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American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis), male, Missoula, Montana, USA

Pine siskins (Carduelis pinus) are by far the most numerous species at the feeder. At times there may be between 30 and 40 individuals in the yard! They form loose colonies when nesting and continue foraging in a group during the nesting season. The birds are not always nice to each other though... there are regular fights over food and perches both between pine siskins and between pine siskins and other species. I was photographing a pine siskin sitting on a branch when a house finch landed close by. I happened to capture the immediate reaction of the pine siskin on the image below. I am not sure though if this behavior is plain aggression or perhaps a defensive display at a perceived threat from a larger sized bird. Click here for other recent images of pine siskins.

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Pine siskin (Carduelis pinus), scolding a house finch that just landed, Missoula, Montana, USA

A male house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) is bringing a young to the feeder. The begging behavior is pretty obvious and indicative of it being a young; the fledgling is very vocal and it raises its wings halfway and flaps them. What I did not know is that fledgling house finches can keep some white feathers on their head for a while. I did not even notice these tufts until I looked through the telephoto lens at close range. Click here for another image of the house finch fledgling with tufts.

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House finch (Carpodacus mexicanus), juvenile begging with tufts on head, Missoula, Montana, USA

If you can get close enough to birds it is possible to photograph parts of their body. Sometimes this can even become close to an abstract like this photo of the red colored back of a male house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). I photographed the animal as it flew away. These types of images are hard to create; you need to be above the animal, you need to be close, and you need to be very quick! Nonetheless, I hope the bird feeder allows me additional opportunities over the coming weeks. Click here for additional new images of house finches.

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House finch (Carpodacus mexicanus), abstract of male, Missoula, Montana, USA

House sparrows (Passer domesticus) are not native to North America. House sparrows from England were set free in New York City in 1852. Now it is one of the most abundant and widespread species in North America. The species is also abundant in Missoula and last week they discovered our bird feeder. Click here for the other images of house sparrows in our backyard.

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House sparrow (Passer domesticus), Missoula, Montana, USA

A cold and rainy spring day allowed for low clouds in between the trees on a slope in the Clearwater National Forest. The clouds came and went because of the high humidity and some wind. This particular image shows a nice pattern of the fog with the dark green trees.

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Low clouds on a forested slope in the Clearwater National Forest, Idaho, USA

This beautiful grove of western red cedars (Thuja plicata) is situated along Weir Creek, a tributary of the Lochsa River, Idaho. The overcast sky and light rain made for beautiful soft light on the trees and the slow shutter speed emphasized the flow of the water. The scene is what I would expect a fairy tale forest to look like...

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Western red cedar (Thuja plicata) grove along a tributary of the Lochsa River, Idaho, USA

The Lochsa River is designated as a National Wild and Scenic River and is located in northern Idaho. The river has no dams and is known for having world class continuous whitewater. The name of the river refers to this: "Lochsa" is a Nez Perce word that translates into "rough water". I photographed several waves in a rapid from the bank during spring runoff. It was interesting to me that the composition is not necessarily clear when you look though the viewfinder. Not only does the water change continuously, but if you use a slow shutter speed, like I did, the different flows that determine the composition become far more pronounced. This meant that I needed to make adjustments to the composition based on what the previous photo showed me. Click here for the other abstract images of waves in the Lochsa River.

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Abstract of waves in the Lochsa River during spring runoff, Idaho, USA

Pine siskins (Carduelis pinus) are by far the most abundant species on the bird feeder over the past few weeks. I have counted as many as 25 individual birds feeding on the feeder or on the ground below the feeder at the same time. They will fight each other for a position on the bird feeder, and they will also take on slightly larger species such as the American goldfinch and try and scare them from the bird feeder by flying towards them. Over the past few weeks some of the pine siskins have become much more accepting of me. Most of them still fly away as soon as I get within 7-8 yards or so, but some individuals are fine with me walking by at about 4 yards; they will look at me to make sure I am do not develop into a threat but they won't fly away. Click here for the most recent images of pine siskins in our backyard.

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Pine siskin (Carduelis pinus), Missoula, Montana, USA

This is a road construction site in British Columbia, Canada. Motorists are asked to turn off the car engine as they wait for the light to turn green. Idle-Free BC is an initiative hosted by the BC Climate Exchange in an effort to improve air quality, reduce health risks for humans, reduce fuel consumption, and reduce engine maintenance. It is a partnership between the Fraser Basin Council, the British Columbia Ministry of the Environment, and Biofleet. Click here for more information on the "Idle-free" initiative. Click here for another image of the sign.

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Air quality sign at construction site, British Columbia, Canada. Motorists are asked to turn off the engine off as they wait for the light to turn green at the construction site.