Mockingbirds, Thrashers, Catbirds, Starlings and Pipits

Murmuration Of European Starlings On The Wing

By |2023-12-16T03:55:57-07:00December 16th, 2023|Categories: Birds, European Starlings, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I wasn't the only person who noticed the huge murmuration of European Starlings at my local pond yesterday morning; other people stopped and admired them too.

American Pipit In Frosted Grasses

By |2023-11-04T04:41:53-06:00November 4th, 2023|Categories: American Pipits, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last Monday, when I photographed this American Pipit at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in frosted grasses, I had several thoughts whirling around in my mind.

The European Starling: A Tale of Two Continents

By |2023-02-10T07:11:25-07:00February 10th, 2023|Categories: Birds, European Starlings, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Three days ago, I took this photo of a European Starling perched on top of a crabapple tree with a brilliant blue winter sky in the background at a city park.

My Fondness For American Pipits

By |2022-12-02T05:16:18-07:00December 2nd, 2022|Categories: American Pipits, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It has been almost exactly one year since I have taken high quality images of American Pipits. I have a fondness for these birds and I have missed them.

Sage Thrasher In Riparian Habitat

By |2022-08-07T04:22:15-06:00August 7th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Sage Thrashers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Towards the end of last month I found a Sage Thrasher high in the mountains in riparian habitat which surprised me. A lot.

Fledgling Gray Catbird Portraits

By |2022-07-30T04:49:03-06:00July 30th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Gray Catbirds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning while photographing a male Yellow Warbler I caught some movement with my peripheral vison and saw a young Gray Catbird very close to me.

Some Birds And Blooms From The Wasatch Mountains

By |2022-08-17T03:23:39-06:00June 13th, 2022|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Black Twinberry Honeysuckle, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Gray Catbirds, Mallards, Morgan County, Mountain Goldenbanner, Red-tailed Hawks, Song Sparrows, Summit County, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Western Chokecherry, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This morning I wanted to share some photos of the birds and blooms that I took images of one morning last week while I was high in the Wasatch Mountains.

Looking For My First Of Year Sage Thrasher

By |2022-03-13T05:24:25-06:00March 13th, 2022|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Box Elder County, Sage Thrashers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

March 13th is an anniversary of sorts for me. The date is the earliest that I have seen and photographed a Sage Thrasher in northern Utah.

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American Pipits In My Viewfinder

By |2021-12-05T04:54:33-07:00December 5th, 2021|Categories: American Pipits, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've been seeing and hearing American Pipits since the end of September but this was the first time this fall I was able to get close to them.

American Pipits – AKA Buff-bellied Pipits

By |2022-05-26T09:54:42-06:00November 2nd, 2021|Categories: American Pipits, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've been hearing American Pipits since around the end of September but so far this year I haven't been able to photograph even one of these birds.

Our Sage Thrashers Will Migrate Soon

By |2021-09-17T09:13:58-06:00August 30th, 2021|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Box Elder County, Davis County, Sage Thrashers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Sage Thrashers are only in Utah for their breeding season and by now all their chicks have fledged and are feeding on their own.

Gray Catbird Adult Finding Food For Its Young

By |2021-07-28T05:52:50-06:00July 28th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Gray Catbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bird activity in the Wasatch Mountains has gotten slow but I was able to find and photograph an adult Gray Catbird with food for its young two days ago.

Gray Catbird Searching For Berries

By |2022-04-20T21:26:06-06:00June 30th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Gray Catbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I spent part of my time in the Wasatch Mountains focused on a Gray Catbird searching for ripe honeysuckle berries. 

European Starling – My First Of Year Bird 2021

By |2021-01-02T06:21:44-07:00January 2nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, European Starlings, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first bird I saw in 2021 was a European Starling perched on a power line on the road to my local grocery store about 8:15 am yesterday morning.

2020 Photographic Year In Review

By |2024-03-16T13:33:22-06:00December 31st, 2020|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Bushtits, Common Loons, Cooper’s Hawks, Desert Tarantulas, Eastern Kingbirds, Elk, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagles, Gray Catbirds, Great Blue Herons, Green Herons, Green-tailed Towhees, Merlins, Mountain Bluebirds, Nashville Warblers, Northern Harriers, Pine Siskins, Red Foxes, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Red-tailed Hawks, Ring-billed Gulls, Rusty Blackbirds, Short-eared Owls, Townsend's Solitaires, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, West Desert, Wild Turkeys, Wildflowers, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This is my 2020 photographic year in review. I'm selecting some of my favorite photos from 2020 and a few that just make me happy to see them.

Seeing All Birds – European Starling On A Frosty Perch

By |2021-04-20T13:56:06-06:00December 12th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, European Starlings, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have a backlog of raptor images I took earlier this week but I wanted to share one of a species that some people hate or many bird photographers prefer to ignore, the European Starling.

Adult Sage Thrasher Regurgitating A Sumac Seed

By |2021-03-05T04:43:59-07:00September 17th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Sage Thrashers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Eleven days ago I photographed an adult Sage Thrasher regurgitating the seed of a sumac berry that was so close I could barely fit the thrasher in the frame.

Begging Fledgling Gray Catbird High In The Wasatch Mountains

By |2021-04-27T05:23:23-06:00July 11th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Frustrations in bird photography, Gray Catbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I saw a Gray Catbird fledgling inch its way up a stick two days ago and then exhibit begging behavior by raising its wings and opening its bill I locked on to it.

American Robin Chasing Off A Gray Catbird

By |2024-03-10T04:59:52-06:00June 9th, 2020|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Gray Catbirds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I don’t think it was a “King of the castle” kind of behavior going on but what do I know, I am not a bird!

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