Monthly Archives: July 2021

Bird Identification From A Partial View

By |July 30th, 2021|Categories: Bird ID, Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Spotted Towhees, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There are times I take cruddy photos on purpose when I know that my view of the entire bird is obstructed and that I might only have a partial view of the bird.

Gray Catbird Adult Finding Food For Its Young

By |July 28th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Gray Catbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bird activity in the Wasatch Mountains has gotten slow but I was able to find and photograph an adult Gray Catbird with food for its young two days ago.

Yellow Warbler Photographed In A Smoky Haze

By |July 27th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning the second bird I photographed was a Yellow Warbler on an old branch in a smoky haze high in the Wasatch Mountains.

Franklin’s Gull Feasting On Brine Flies Plus News About The Great Salt Lake

By |July 25th, 2021|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Franklin's Gulls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While Franklin's Gulls are in northern Utah for their breeding season brine flies are an important food source for the adults and their young and are a part of their breeding success here in the Great Basin.

Nashville And MacGillivray’s Warblers – A Visual Comparison

By |July 24th, 2021|Categories: Birds, MacGillivray's Warblers, Nashville Warblers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In late summer I see Nashville and MacGillivray’s Warblers in the same locations and habitats foraging for the same food, aphids.

Immature Belted Kingfisher With A Spider Web

By |July 23rd, 2021|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

What I missed seeing was that the immature Belted Kingfisher had spider webs stuck to its face in a long series of photos that I took of it next to a creek in the Wasatch Mountains.

Female Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly

By |July 22nd, 2021|Categories: Great Spangled Fritillary Butterflies, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This is a female Great Spangled Fritillary, a butterfly species that can be abundant in the Wasatch Mountains at this time of the year. 

Goofy Looking Canada Goose Lift Off

By |July 21st, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Canada Geese, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Some of the bird photos I take make me laugh and this goofy looking Canada Goose lifting off from the marsh at Bear River MBR is one of them.

Fritillary photobombing a Two-tailed Swallowtail butterfly

By |July 20th, 2021|Categories: Morgan County, Two-tailed Swallowtails, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week I photographed a fritillary butterfly photobomb a Two-tailed Swallowtail butterfly as it nectared on a Showy Milkweed high in the Wasatch Mountains.

Yellow Warbler Fledgling Plumage Changes

By |July 18th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The past few weeks I've been hearing and seeing Yellow Warbler fledglings while I have been photographing birds high in the Wasatch Mountains.

Blooming Blue Elderberry

By |July 17th, 2021|Categories: Blue Elderberry, Summit County, Trees, Shrubs and Flowers, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Blue Elderberry shrubs are blooming right now high in the Wasatch Mountains. Two days ago I took a few photos of the elderberry blossoms.

Male Lazuli Bunting Plus American Mink Family Photos

By |July 16th, 2021|Categories: American Mink, Birds, Lazuli Buntings, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I started my morning off yesterday in the Wasatch Mountains photographing an American Mink family that appeared on the bank of a creek. 

Turkey Vulture, An Aspen And A Smoky Haze

By |July 15th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Turkey Vultures, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The last bird I photographed high in the Wasatch Mountains three days ago was an adult Turkey Vulture perched in an aspen in a smoky haze.

Two-tailed Swallowtail And Showy Milkweed

By |July 14th, 2021|Categories: Morgan County, Two-tailed Swallowtails, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I returned home and could view my images on a large screen I was able to identify this swallowtail butterfly as a male Two-tailed Swallowtail.

Least Chipmunk On A Smoky Morning In The Mountains

By |July 13th, 2021|Categories: Least Chipmunks, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I couldn't escape the smoke that is covering Utah even high in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday but I was delighted to photograph a Least Chipmunk and wildflowers through the smoky haze.

Twelve Years In Utah

By |July 10th, 2021|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Red-necked Phalaropes, Utah, Wilson's Phalaropes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Twelve years ago this morning I woke in Grand Island, Nebraska. I was a little more than 800 miles from my destination of Salt Lake City.

Immature And Adult Male Belted Kingfisher Images

By |July 9th, 2021|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Three days ago I was delighted to have both an immature and an adult male Belted Kingfisher in my viewfinder as I sat next to a creek in the mountains.

Surprise Pine Siskin

By |July 8th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Pine Siskins, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I was high in the Wasatch Mountains photographing bees on a Musk Thistle when a Pine Siskin landed on the flower.

Male Brown-headed Cowbird Displaying

By |July 5th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Brown-headed Cowbird breeding activity hasn't slowed down yet high in the Wasatch Mountains if this displaying male is any indication of their mating attempts.

Male American Goldfinch Perched On A Chokecherry Tree

By |July 4th, 2021|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

At the end of June I had a few moments to focus on an adult male American Goldfinch perched on a chokecherry tree high in the Wasatch Mountains.

Female Spotted Sandpiper Post-coital Photo

By |July 2nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

What intrigued me the most was the post-coital posture of the female Spotted Sandpiper where she kept one wing raised for a long period of time.

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