Wildlife Ethics & Etiquette

Show Your Love – Don’t Let Balloons Go

By |2024-02-14T04:51:57-07:00February 14th, 2024|Categories: Conservation, Environment, Miscellaneous, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last Sunday I went to some local spots to look for birds. As I was driving, I saw four mylar balloons stuck in some shrubs near the Jordan River. My heart sank.

Common Mergansers And Remote Controlled Harassment

By |2024-01-15T05:09:41-07:00January 15th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Common Mergansers, Harassment, Miscellaneous, Salt Lake County, Utah, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I photographed these Common Mergansers at my local pond three years ago today. I will explain why I only had a few minutes with the mergansers at my local pond.

Why I See More Than A Tree In These Photos

By |2023-12-29T05:01:28-07:00December 29th, 2023|Categories: Conservation, Davis County, Environment, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Habitat, Trees, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Both of these photos show the same tree on Goose Egg Island at Farmington Bay WMA. The images were taken in December of 2022 and 2013.

Immature Female Northern Harrier

By |2023-12-12T05:20:01-07:00December 12th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Environment, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Habitat, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Today I am sharing three photos of an immature female Northern Harrier that I took ten years ago at Farmington Bay WMA.

Plastic Netting Will Kill This Pied-billed Grebe

By |2023-12-07T06:10:27-07:00December 7th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Environment, Pied-billed Grebes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Plastic netting will kill this Pied-billed Grebe unless myself or someone else can capture the grebe and remove the netting. The grebe will starve to death.

Fishing Line Is A Dangerous Nesting Material

By |2023-04-21T04:22:20-06:00April 19th, 2023|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Fishing Line Dangers, Nesting Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

All across the country it is nesting season for many North American birds. For some nesting birds it is also a very dangerous time because of fishing line.

World Wetlands Day 2021

By |2024-03-13T04:38:39-06:00February 2nd, 2021|Categories: American Bitterns, American Coots, Bald Eagles, Barn Owls, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Black-crowned Night Herons, Blue-winged Teals, Brewer's Blackbirds, Centennial Valley, Cinnamon Teals, Common Checkered-Skippers, Common Mergansers, Conservation, Eight-spotted Skimmers, Environment, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Greater Scaups, Green-winged Teals, Halloween Pennants, Hooded Mergansers, Least Sandpipers, Lesser Scaups, Long-tailed Weasels, Marsh Wrens, Montana, Moose, Muskrats, Northern Harriers, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Red-breasted Mergansers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Reddish Egrets, Redheads, Ruddy Ducks, Rusty Blackbirds, Sandhill Cranes, Scarlet Skimmers, Snowy Egrets, Spotted Sandpipers, Tricolored Herons, Trumpeter Swans, Tundra Swans, Utah, Variegated Meadowhawk, White-faced Ibises, Wildflowers, Wilson's Phalaropes, Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

February 2nd is World Wetlands Day to raise global awareness about the critical role of wetlands for people, wildlife and our planet.

If You Used this Search Term: How Much To Feed A Juvenile Brown Pelican

By |2021-07-04T15:00:48-06:00November 14th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Brown Pelicans, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Please, please, find an authorized and licensed bird or wildlife rehabilitator in your area immediately.

It’s Nesting Season For Marsh Wrens In Utah

By |2023-09-19T15:15:06-06:00March 26th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Marsh Wrens, Nesting Birds, Utah, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

By using a vehicle as a mobile blind I was able to photograph the wrens as they sang, searched for nesting materials, defended their breeding territories and built their nests from a distance.

Wild Turkeys, Hay Bales And The Noisy Diesel Pickup That Chased Them Away

By |2021-04-22T03:45:43-06:00February 9th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Etiquette, Utah, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In about the span of minute all of the Wild Turkeys had flown off of the bales of hay because of that noisy, diesel pickup truck being so close to them.

Poof: Utah’s Merlins Could Disappear

By |2024-02-15T03:54:23-07:00August 13th, 2019|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Beaverhead County, Birds, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Conservation, Environment, Merlins, Montana, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In my experience Merlins are already hard to find in the state of Utah but because of our climate crisis they could become even more difficult to locate or they might even disappear from the state altogether.

Picture This: Utah Could Lose Our Mountain Bluebirds

By |2023-12-17T02:38:48-07:00August 12th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Conservation, Environment, Idaho, Mountain Bluebirds, Summit County, Targhee National Forest, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Our current climate crisis could mean Utah might lose our Mountain Bluebirds and it is not just us, it is Idaho, California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming that will also be affected if action isn't taken now.

Imagine Utah Without California Gulls

By |2023-12-17T02:41:36-07:00August 11th, 2019|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, California Gulls, Conservation, Davis County, Environment, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Ah, Mia, it is just a bird. No, it isn't just a bird. Because California Gulls aren't the only birds at risk of disappearing from the skies, shorelines and waters of Utah.

Photographing Young Spotted Sandpiper Chicks

By |2021-05-07T15:22:00-06:00July 31st, 2019|Categories: Birds, Nesting Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was able to get back out into the field yesterday and I had a marvelous time photographing young Spotted Sandpiper chicks and learning more about their behaviors near a creek in the Wasatch Mountains.

Photographing Nesting House Wrens in the High Uintas

By |2024-02-26T06:57:11-07:00June 2nd, 2018|Categories: House Wrens, Nesting Birds, Summit County, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago I spent time photographing nesting House Wrens in the high Uintas near Mirror Lake Highway, of interest to me is that two years ago I photographed Red-naped Sapsuckers using this same nesting cavity.

Photographing a Male Northern Flicker Excavating a Nesting Cavity

By |2024-03-07T15:00:33-07:00March 23rd, 2018|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Nesting Birds, Northern Flickers, Targhee National Forest, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I dug into my archives and picked these Northern Flicker photos from May of 2015 to share today because I saw a Northern Flicker yesterday and thought of how they will soon start excavating their nesting cavities to rear their young in.

What Not To Do When Finding a Baby Bird – Caged Lark Sparrow

By |2021-05-22T15:27:06-06:00October 31st, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Lark Sparrows, Nesting Birds, Utah, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I wasn't sure I wanted to write this post about an imprisoned Lark Sparrow I heard about on a Facebook group that is about identifying birds but after mulling it over I decided I'd tell the story.

Approaching Chicks Too Close – When Something Should be Said or Done

By |2024-03-05T06:35:36-07:00June 20th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Glacier County, Great Horned Owls, Montana, Nesting Birds, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

I know that what this person did was not right and the 8 moderators of that group should have said something but in 15 days they haven't said a word about them being too close to the owl chick.

Red-tailed Hawk Chicks – The Wind Blew Their Nest Away

By |2021-06-14T04:55:58-06:00June 15th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Nesting Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I saw the Red-tailed Hawk chicks near where the nest had been though and I spent less than two minutes with them and took a few images before leaving them alone.

Male Short-eared Owl in Search of Prey for Chicks

By |2021-04-04T13:13:25-06:00May 15th, 2017|Categories: Box Elder County, Nesting Birds, Short-eared Owls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There have been a few Short-eared Owls that I keep seeing in the same locations over a period of about a month and yesterday I believe that I saw and photographed a male Short-eared Owl hunting for prey for his chicks.

Spring Means Nesting Birds and Chicks – Please Give Them Space

By |2021-09-23T16:13:44-06:00March 24th, 2017|Categories: American Coots, American Oystercatchers, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Ferruginous Hawks, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Madison County, Montana, Nesting Birds, Pinellas County, Utah, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Why? Because the image is never as important as the well being and safety of my subject, especially when it comes to nests and chicks.

Breeding Season for Killdeer at Bear River MBR

By |2024-03-18T19:29:23-06:00April 24th, 2016|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Killdeer, Nesting Birds, Utah, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It is breeding season for Killdeer at Bear River MBR and for all of Utah.

Greater Sage-Grouse in Wayne County, Utah

By |2023-03-15T18:29:51-06:00November 19th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Conservation, Environment, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Since the snow has started to fall in the high country of Utah I have started thinking about Greater Sage-Grouse again.

Bald Eagle landing on ice in a fog at Farmington Bay WMA

By |2021-06-16T12:00:26-06:00October 19th, 2015|Categories: Baiting, Bald Eagles, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

During the winter Farmington Bay has a large population of overwintering Bald Eagles that migrate down from northern states and Canada.

Gutsy Brewer’s Blackbird at a Red-tailed Hawk Nest

By |2022-06-18T07:28:23-06:00October 12th, 2015|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Montana, Nesting Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

This past summer I found a Red-tailed Hawk nest right next to a road in Montana that had three chicks in it that I felt I could photograph without stressing the hawks.

Go to Top