New World Sparrows & Allies

New World Sparrows are seed eating passerine birds with conical bills.

Chipping Sparrow With Nesting Materials In The Uinta Mountains

By |June 6th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Chipping Sparrows, Summit County, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

While photographing some Pine Siskins that were foraging and gathering nesting materials I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye and spotted a Chipping Sparrow with nesting materials in its bill.

Green-tailed Towhee Perched On A Blooming Utah Serviceberry

By |May 31st, 2018|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Morgan County, Shrubs, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I spent some time up in the canyons of the Wasatch Mountains yesterday photographing the birds I found including this handsome Green-tailed Towhee perched on a blooming Utah Serviceberry.

Green-tailed Towhee Singing In A Mountain Canyon

By |May 25th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Summit County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had fun yesterday morning photographing a male Green-tailed Towhee singing in a mountain canyon, this was a bird I heard before I spotted him perched on a flowering branch.

I’m Looking Forward to Photographing Green-tailed Towhees

By |May 3rd, 2018|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Morgan County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Green-tailed Towhees are migratory so I don't see them year round in Utah like I do their close relatives the Spotted Towhees. Green-tailed Towhees spend their winters in the southern most parts of the U.S. and in Mexico and I miss seeing a hearing them while they are away.

Adult White-crowned Sparrow Perched On A Budding Tree

By |April 21st, 2018|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Three days ago after I photographed the female American Kestrel eating her prey on a lichen-covered rock I was able to take a few photographs of a single adult White-crowned Sparrow that was perched on a budding tree.

Spring Dark-eyed Junco Small In The Frame

By |March 30th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Dark-eyed Juncos, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was only able to photograph one of the Dark-eyed Juncos I saw yesterday because it was the only one that stayed still long enough for me to raise my lens, focus and fire my shutter button, the rest were way too skittish.

Hovering Northern Harrier Plus My Lifer Harris’s Sparrow

By |March 20th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Harris's Sparrow, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In some shrubs next to Glover Pond I saw two sparrows and the one that quickly drew my eye was a lovely first winter Harris's Sparrow, jackpot, a lifer!

White Crowned Sparrows With And Without The Hand Of Humans

By |March 8th, 2018|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I try to take my bird photos with my subjects in natural settings and I spend a lot of time out in nature to do that but I'm realizing I need to include the "hand of mhumans" in my bird photos too because some species fit into the urban environment as easily as they do out in more natural areas.

Photographing American Tree Sparrows in Northern Utah

By |March 1st, 2018|Categories: American Tree Sparrows, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had a great deal of fun yesterday morning while photographing the American Tree Sparrows that I found in abundance on Antelope Island State Park foraging on the ground and perching on the bushes on the northern end of the island.

My Year of Bird Photography in 2017

By |December 31st, 2017|Categories: American Tree Sparrows, American White Pelicans, Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Green-tailed Towhees, Idaho, Prairie Falcons, Red-naped Sapsuckers, Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Short-eared Owls, Swainson's Hawks, Utah, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I love what I do, I love my subjects and it doesn't matter if I find them close to home or further away. I am blessed. 2017 has been wonderful and I am excited for what 2018 may bring.

What Not To Do When Finding a Baby Bird – Caged Lark Sparrow

By |October 31st, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Lark Sparrows, Nesting Birds, Utah, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I wasn't sure I wanted to write this post about an imprisoned Lark Sparrow I heard about on a Facebook group that is about identifying birds but after mulling it over I decided I'd tell the story.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Goldfinch & American Tree Sparrow in Northern Utah

By |October 30th, 2017|Categories: American Goldfinches, American Tree Sparrows, Birds, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I spent time photographing primarily small birds yesterday in northern Utah which included Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, American Goldfinches and American Tree Sparrows.

Adult and Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow Portraits

By |October 20th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning while looking for birds to photograph on Antelope Island State Park I had two White-crowned Sparrows fly into a rabbitbrush that was so close to me that all I could do was take portraits of them.

White-crowned Sparrow Juvenile Feeding On Wild Sunflower Seeds

By |October 18th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I've been seeing plenty of White-crowned Sparrows on Antelope Island State Park of late and yesterday they were busy feeding on the wild sunflowers that grow there.

Dark-eyed Junco, Mullein & Blooming Rabbitbrush

By |October 16th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Dark-eyed Juncos, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday while looking for birds to photograph a single Dark-eyed Junco popped up into my view and perched on a dried mullein stalk in front of blooming rabbitbrush.

Adult White-crowned Sparrow on Blooming Rabbitbrush

By |October 6th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

When I spotted this White-crowned Sparrow perched on a blooming rabbitbrush yesterday I quickly swung my lens toward it, focused and started taking photos as quickly as I could.

Towhees, Warblers, Kinglets, Gnatcatchers – Oh My!

By |September 26th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Common Yellowthroats, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Spotted Towhees, Utah, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It has been a long time since I have had such a birdy day and the towhees, warblers, kinglets, gnatcatchers and the rest of the birds that I saw thrilled me all morning long.

Adult and Immature Song Sparrows

By |September 21st, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Song Sparrows, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I was able to photograph and adult Song Sparrow eating while perched at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge early in the morning.

Juvenile Dark-eyed Junco, Trial Lake and Mirror Lake Highway

By |August 17th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Dark-eyed Juncos, High Uintas, Summit County, Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was delighted to photograph a lovely, little Dark-eyed Junco juvenile perched in a conifer near Washington Lake which is not too far from Trial Lake and the Mirror Lake Highway.

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