Adult Western KingbirdAdult Western Kingbird Close Up – Nikon D7100, f9, 1/1600, ISO 500, +.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 300mm, natural light

Even though spring has arrived in northern Utah the weather is still very changeable and when I go out into the field to find birds I never quite know what I might see, especially when a weather front is coming in or has just passed. I do know that I keep my eyes wide open and my ears tuned in for familiar and unfamiliar sounds. You just never know what you might see.

I haven’t seen or heard kingbirds yet this year but I expect to see one any day now. I enjoy seeing kingbirds hawking for prey, building their nests and chasing other birds out of their territory. They are quite vocal and many times I hear them before I see them.

This adult Western Kingbird close up was photographed two years ago on Antelope Island State Park as it perched on a sign post close to a nest site. I can’t remember if it was looking for prey or keeping an eye on an intruder but I remember being grateful that it perched so close that I could see wonderful details in its plumage.

Spring is such an exciting time for me as a bird photographer because of the migrants that are trickling in to breed here or the ones that pass through heading much further north to their nesting grounds and it is a change of pace from all of the birds I photograph during the winter.

Life is good.

Mia

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