After class sometimes I wander thru other buildings on campus. I found the biology building full of beautiful, taxidermied birds and other critters.

And, here they are!

In order:

1. An osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

2. A Swainson’s hawk (Buteo swainsoni)

3. A Western screech owl (Megascops kennicottii)

4. A ruddy duck (Oxyjura jamaicensis)

5. A great horned owl skull (I saw one hunting with my father in December!) (Bubo virginianus)

6. A little 5 oz. burrowing owl (Athene cuniculana)

7. My favorite, the beautiful Bohemain Waxwing (Bombycilla Garrulus)

I love living in Montana where so many birds are always present! Normally you just see crows, magpies, chickadees, and sparrows, but kestrals and hawks are seen in town on a regular basis and eagles build the most gorgeous nests right near major roadways. We’ve got such a wealth of critters always roaming around! This year alone I’ve seen bighorn sheep, woodpeckers, enormous elk, a beautiful baby rubber boa, antelope, all kinds of ducks, and a few owls, and I haven’t been nearly as outdoorsy as I could be.