A very foggy morning at Farmington Bay WMAA very foggy morning at Farmington Bay WMA – HTC One M8 cell phone pic

When I left home yesterday morning to head to Farmington Bay WMA there were mostly blue skies overhead and the sun was shining but when I got to Farmington Bay it was completely socked in with fog. At times I couldn’t see any further than 50 to 75 feet from the road because the fog was so dense. The image above was taken facing east at Unit 1 and beyond the curtain of fog and I know that there were eagles, gulls and waterfowl out on the ice but I sure couldn’t see them. I couldn’t even see the Wasatch Mountains.

Juvenile Northern Harrier in a fogA juvenile Northern Harrier in a fog – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1/4000, ISO 640, +1.7 EV, Nikon 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

I did spot a juvenile Northern Harrier in the fog resting on a clump of vegetation in the snow covered field on the east side of the road and took a few images of it.  I thought I would just delete the images but after I looked at them on my computer monitor I decided I liked a few of them because of the mood the fog gave the photos. The fog was fairly thick in the distance between the bird and myself but not so thick that I couldn’t focus on it. The birds that stay in the Great Salt Lake ecosystem during the winter are tough, they have to be to survive the harsh conditions.

Farmington Bay WMA as the fog clears outFarmington Bay WMA as the fog clears out – HTC One M8 cell phone pic

Before leaving Farmington Bay at around 11 am the fog had started to lift and I could see the Wasatch Mountain Range, the blue sky and snow covered marshes of the refuge.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to view more of my Northern Harrier photos plus facts and information about this species.