Adult White-crowned Sparrow with a Pumpkin Patch in the background, northern UtahAdult White-crowned Sparrow with a Pumpkin Patch background – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 800, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited, called in or set up

This is my fourth fall in Utah and I love the autumn colors I see here especially compared to the relatively bland fall colors of Florida where I lived for five years.

There is a rather large Pumpkin Patch near the road going to the Nature Center at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area where I like to photograph birds. They have a straw maze and all kinds of activities for children too. Along the road they grow tall sunflowers and corn and that usually keeps the pumpkins hidden from view but there is a narrow window of time after the frost nips the leaves of the sunflowers when they dry up and fall off when the bright oranges of the pumpkins can be seen through them. I’ve waited four autumns to get photos like these with birds and the oranges of the pumpkins in the background.

Male Red-winged Blackbird in front of a pumpkin patch, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, UtahRed-winged Blackbird with a Pumpkin Patch background – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 800, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited, called in or set up

Today there were White-crowned Sparrows (first image) and flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds (above) feeding on the seeds of the sunflowers with the pumpkin patch in the background!

I’m very excited to have finally gotten images that I had hoped to take for 4 years. I just had to share these.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to view more of my White-crowned Sparrow photos plus facts and information about this species. Click here to see more of my Red-winged Blackbird photos plus facts and information about this species.