The bird life around the Hamilton, MT cabin was also impressive. As soon as I pulled into the yard, I could hear California Quail calling. They were close to the cabin every day. I enjoyed their company, even though they are quite loud. I don’t recall seeing them since living and working in Point Reyes National Seashore in 2019.
The first evening, I heard a Ruffed Grouse drumming while I was sitting on the deck. That was a big bonus for me. Even before I owned a point-and-shoot camera, back in the mid-70’s (yes, the 1970’s), I had wanted to see and photograph a Ruffed Grouse drumming. I had a great opportunity last year in Grand Teton National Park. Now, I was hoping for a repeat. Thanks to toting a trail cam along on this trip, I was able to determine the best set-up location to get some good photographs.
Wild Turkeys and Ring-necked Pheasants are common in Iowa. However, I rarely take time to photograph either species. I regularly saw turkeys along the road leading into the cabin. Usually, they were on the wrong side of the road (houses behind them) or the sun was in the wrong position for good photos. Finally, the stars lined up and I was able to get images of them strutting.
While the quail, pheasants, and turkeys made their presence known, they were not my target species for the trip. There was so much more to see…