breeding season

3000 Daily Posts In A Row Milestone

By |2023-07-19T13:06:50-06:00July 19th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Milestone, Targhee National Forest, Williamson's Sapsuckers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Today is a milestone day for me. I'm celebrating the fact that I have shared 3000 daily posts here at On The Wing Photography in a row.

Spring Male Great-tailed Grackle Portraits

By |2022-04-09T05:35:55-06:00April 9th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I had fun taking spring male Great-tailed Grackle portraits because these males were displaying and not paying attention to me or my camera.

Male Great-tailed Grackle – Whatchu Lookin’ At?

By |2022-03-18T05:23:00-06:00March 18th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I photographed this Great-tailed Grackle male in a pine yesterday I was torn between focusing on taking photos of him and laughing out loud.

It Is Great-tailed Grackle Breeding Season

By |2022-03-27T03:29:24-06:00March 16th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had a fun time at my local pond yesterday because it is Great-tailed Grackle breeding season and photographing these grackles kept me on my toes.

Great Blue Herons At The Farmington Bay Rookery

By |2024-01-29T03:45:40-07:00February 18th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The breeding season has begun for the Great Blue Herons at the Farmington Bay rookery and throughout northern Utah.

Nesting Western Grebe Plus Good News On The Parleys Canyon Fire

By |2021-08-18T06:58:41-06:00August 18th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Western Grebes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One year ago today I found a nesting Western Grebe with two eggs at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and I realized yesterday that I had never shared photos of it.

Chipping Sparrow With Food For Its Chicks

By |2021-06-03T05:28:36-06:00June 3rd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Chipping Sparrows, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was photographing a Lark Sparrow when I spotted this Chipping Sparrow with food in its bill fly in and land on a juniper bough.

Adult MacGillivray’s Warblers With Food For Their Chicks

By |2021-05-15T09:36:42-06:00July 2nd, 2020|Categories: Birds, MacGillivray's Warblers, Morgan County, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

My best opportunities photographing the adult MacGillivray's Warblers with food for their young yesterday happened when the female popped into view with prey in her bill.

Yellow Warbler Female With Food For Her Chicks

By |2021-05-08T17:01:28-06:00July 1st, 2020|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The female Yellow Warbler often flew in, landed out in the open and then dove down to deliver the prey she had gathered to her chick that was hidden in the willows.

Cooler Weather Today In Northern Utah

By |2021-01-17T12:39:39-07:00June 29th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I woke this morning and opened my living room window to the smell of rain in the air and even in the darkness I could see that the street was wet and I am okay with that, we need the moisture.

MacGillivray’s Warblers In The Wasatch Mountains

By |2021-05-15T09:43:20-06:00June 7th, 2020|Categories: Birds, MacGillivray's Warblers, Morgan County, Song Sparrows, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Despite the difficulties I have finding and photographing MacGillivray's Warblers I will keep trying to take better images of them.

Hearing Thousands Of American Goldfinches Flying Overhead

By |2021-07-04T08:02:05-06:00May 28th, 2020|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have never heard so many American Goldfinches flying overhead for such a long period of time and I was in awe. I still am.

Tree Swallows Nesting In The Uinta Mountains

By |2024-03-25T07:42:35-06:00May 25th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Tree Swallows, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Tree Swallows and other birds should be nesting in the Uinta Mountains by now and I am itching to hop into my Jeep to drive up there to find them.

Nesting Northern Flickers Provide Nests For Other Birds

By |2024-03-07T14:34:56-07:00May 1st, 2020|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Northern Flickers, Targhee National Forest|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

By excavating their own nests Northern Flickers provide nests for other woodland birds that can't excavate nesting cavities on their own and those nests can be used over and over again. Nature is brilliant.

Nesting Mountain Bluebirds And Other Woodland Birds

By |2024-02-26T09:52:54-07:00April 30th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Chipping Sparrows, House Wrens, Mountain Bluebirds, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I had a blast photographing a pair of Mountain Bluebirds at a natural nesting cavity at the edge of a forest along with some other woodland birds. 

Adult Eared Grebe At Bear River MBR Plus A 4.2 Aftershock

By |2021-05-04T05:17:37-06:00April 15th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Eared Grebes, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The light yesterday morning was a little bit funky because of high, thin clouds overhead but I took a few photos of the birds that I was able to get close to including one of the Eared Grebes.

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.

Long-billed Curlews Have Returned For Their Breeding Season

By |2021-03-14T15:39:25-06:00March 29th, 2020|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Long-billed Curlews, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago I heard and saw my first of the season Long-billed Curlews while looking for birds to photograph in northern Utah and I could barely contain my excitement.

Red-tailed Hawk Nesting Season Has Begun!

By |2022-10-04T04:41:23-06:00March 28th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The female Red-tailed Hawk blended into the lichen covered cliff face so well that even with my sharp eyesight I didn't see her until the male landed next to her.

Adult White-faced Ibis In Breeding Plumage

By |2021-05-13T04:07:25-06:00March 27th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, White-faced Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When White-faced Ibis are in breeding plumage it is easy to see how they got their common name, in nonbreeding plumage, not so much.

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.

Greater-Sage Grouse Leks In March

By |2021-03-26T10:37:43-06:00March 8th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

March is a time when my mind wanders to windswept, high country sagebrush steppes where Greater-Sage Grouse will dance, fight and court on their leks as they have done for eons.

Will Grebes Nest This Year At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge?

By |2021-04-14T04:21:50-06:00February 12th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Western Grebes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I was at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge three days ago I realized that in just a few weeks the Clark's and Western Grebes will be returning to the marshes for their breeding season.

Utah’s Yellow Warblers Have Taken Wing For Now

By |2021-05-08T17:11:49-06:00October 6th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I haven't seen a Yellow Warbler in northern Utah for sometime now and it is pretty safe to say that these birds has taken wing and have headed to warmer climes for the winter.

Nesting House Wrens And A Closed Gate

By |2024-02-26T09:18:24-07:00May 1st, 2019|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I tried to get up into a canyon in the Stansbury Mountains yesterday but was met with a closed gate so I turned my Jeep around and decided that I would explore a different canyon.

Green-tailed Towhees Are Returning For Their Breeding Season

By |2021-05-13T14:52:19-06:00April 29th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Summit County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When mom and I found this adult Green-tailed Towhee singing while perched on a blooming Utah Serviceberry of course we had to stop and take its photo!

Marsh Wren Nesting Season Has Begun At Bear River MBR

By |2023-09-19T14:48:18-06:00March 23rd, 2019|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Marsh Wrens, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Marsh Wren nesting season has begun here in northern Utah and in my opinion one of the best places to see, listen to and photograph them is from the auto tour route at Bear River MBR.

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