West Desert Horned LarkWest Desert Horned Lark female – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

I have been seeing Horned Larks by the thousands here in southern Utah but they haven’t been very cooperative, for that matter so far the only bird I have gotten high quality images of is the Peregrine Falcon that I posted yesterday.

This West Desert Horned Lark in golden light was taken in the foothills of the Stansbury Mountains of Tooele County on a clear morning last month.

West Desert Horned Lark at sun riseFemale West Desert Horned Lark at sunrise – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

Horned Larks return to the breeding grounds where they hatched every migration. Because they do local populations have adapted to the colors found in their habitat in their plumage which gives us about 15 distinct subspecies in the western part of their range. The Horned Larks I have photographed in southern Utah have been paler overall than the larks I photograph in northern Utah.

I hope to find and photograph more birds today. I also hope the wind won’t be as much of a problem as it has been my first two days down here. It was miserable for a while.

Life is good.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Horned Lark photos plus facts and information about this species.