Upland Game Birds

Families: Cracidae, Odontophoridae, Phasianidae

Upland game birds in my photo galleries include grouse, pheasants, quail, turkeys, and partridges. Some upland game birds are native and some are introduced and have naturalized.

Dawn Light On A Male Greater Sage-Grouse

By |2024-03-02T11:21:58-07:00March 2nd, 2024|Categories: Birds, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

If I could, I would wish that everyone, at least once in their lifetime, could visit a Greater Sage-Grouse lek while these fascinating birds are displaying.

Bring On The Snow!

By |2023-12-01T04:51:27-07:00December 1st, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Dark-eyed Juncos, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Ring-billed Gulls, Ring-necked Pheasants, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Snow is supposed to start falling around 10 a.m. where I live in northern Utah. It might be the first significant snowfall of this winter down in the valley.

Spring Wild Turkey Photos With Snow

By |2023-04-04T04:59:10-06:00April 4th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Salt Lake County, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Three years ago by this date I was already taking Wild Turkey photos in the canyons of the sky island mountains of the West Desert of Utah.

Mating Greater Sage-Grouse On A Wild Windswept Lek

By |2023-03-16T05:36:47-06:00March 16th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

During the breeding season, male Greater Sage-Grouse gather in communal display areas known as leks to perform an elaborate courtship ritual.

My 2022 Year In Review

By |2023-11-10T04:24:07-07:00December 31st, 2022|Categories: American Kestrels, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Box Elder County, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Golden Eagles, Great Horned Owls, Horned Grebes, Morgan County, Ring-billed Gulls, Rock Wrens, Ruffed Grouse, Tundra Swans, Utah, Warbling Vireos, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On this last day of the year it is time for my annual 2022 Year in Review post. In some ways 2022 has been great for me and in others not so good.

Autumn California Quail Covey

By |2022-10-31T04:08:20-06:00October 31st, 2022|Categories: Birds, California Quails, Jordan River Parkway Trail, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While walking along the Jordan River yesterday, I came upon a covey of about 25 California Quail. I was able to get close enough to photograph a few of them.

Autumn Ruffed Grouse Photos

By |2023-08-19T04:29:57-06:00October 8th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Ruffed Grouse, Utah, Video, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A Ruffed Grouse in the shadows of the mountain peaks to the east was my best bird on a cool autumn morning yesterday. When I spotted the grouse, I was elated.

Wild Turkey Hen Perched In A Netleaf Hackberry Tree

By |2022-02-04T06:24:48-07:00February 4th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last month while up in Box Elder County looking for birds I spotted this Wild Turkey hen perched in a Netleaf Hackberry tree not long before noon.

Focusing On Fall Wild Turkey Tom Photos

By |2021-11-15T05:16:16-07:00November 15th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning the first birds I focused on taking photos of were Wild Turkey toms as they displayed for each other on desert ranchlands in northern Utah.

Fall Wild Turkey Hen Foraging On Desert Ranchlands

By |2021-10-19T05:47:35-06:00October 19th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first photos I took with my newly refurbished Nikon D500 with a new shutter assembly were of this Wild Turkey hen foraging on desert ranchlands.

Autumn Wild Turkey Hen Portrait

By |2021-10-11T05:47:59-06:00October 11th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I found this Wild Turkey hen last autumn as she walked out of the shadows of the forest and into the bright morning light.

Spring Male Ring-necked Pheasant Portraits

By |2021-04-08T05:25:18-06:00April 8th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Ring-necked Pheasants, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was tickled to be able to take a nice series of male Ring-necked Pheasant portraits yesterday morning in early morning light in Box Elder County, Utah.

Finding Greater Sage-Grouse Away From Their Leks

By |2023-03-16T06:30:34-06:00March 26th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Dixie National Forest, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Finding Greater Sage-Grouse away from their leks isn't easy. It takes sharp eyes, keen observation skills, plus knowing what to look for.

Spring Wild Turkey Tom Displays

By |2021-03-24T04:02:24-06:00March 17th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The last time I was up in the Wasatch Mountains I found a Wild Turkey tom displaying next to some old farm equipment for the nearby hens.

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.

Kinglets And Turkeys Plus One Scrub-Jay

By |2023-01-11T17:41:55-07:00October 9th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Wild Turkeys and the Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay made the very bumpy and extremely dusty ride into the mountain canyons well worth taking.

Autumn Wild Turkey Close Up Photos

By |2021-10-11T06:04:34-06:00September 30th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There were a few times when the Wild Turkeys stood upright and looked right at me as I photographed them and I took full advantage of the opportunity to take portraits of the large birds.

Two Greater Sage-Grouse Foraging On The Aquarius Plateau

By |2022-10-15T14:46:30-06:00June 2nd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Dixie National Forest, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I found these two foraging Greater Sage-Grouse high up on the Aquarius Plateau in Wayne County, Utah five years ago today.

Finding Wild Turkey Hens Roosting In Aspens

By |2022-02-04T15:00:15-07:00April 18th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I got out into the field for a little while yesterday morning and because of the observation skills I have developed over many years I was able to find two Wild Turkey hens roosting in Aspen trees.

West Desert Wild Turkey Tom Strutting And Displaying

By |2021-02-27T15:53:27-07:00April 10th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I took hundreds of photos of the tom Wild Turkey fanning his tail, walking on the dirt road, strutting and displaying for the hens I could not see. And for those moments all seemed right in the world.

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