Birds that I find in the field, photograph and share the stories behind the images.
I dug way back into my files this morning to share this urban Red-winged Blackbird male singing. The date was February 23, 2014, the location was my local pond.
It is almost the end of February and I'm wondering what happened to winter this year in the Salt Lake Valley. Has winter gone on walkabout? Where is the snow?
I hope this comparison helps anyone who might be struggling with Trumpeter Swan and Tundra Swan identification in the field or when they are looking at their own photos.
It was my first full spring in Utah, nearly 14 years ago, when my keen eyes were used to find my first Black-billed Magpie nest on Antelope Island State Park.
On my last trip up to Bear River MBR, I stopped to take a video on the auto tour loop, and a Great Blue Heron surprised me by flying into view over the river.
Last week, I took a photo of a Pied-billed Grebe in breeding plumage at my local pond. Today, I decided to do a comparison with one in nonbreeding plumage.
This Bald Eagle photo isn't my best image of this species, and that is alright with me. I took the photo five days ago on the auto tour loop at Bear River MBR.
I was at one of my local ponds yesterday morning when a gorgeous adult female Merlin flew in and landed on a tree not far from where I stood behind my tripod.
Yesterday morning, at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, I took a short video of Canada Geese in the road while I was on the north side of the auto tour loop.
This male Great-tailed Grackle caught my eye two days ago at one of my local ponds because he was displaying on a red-roofed cupola against a bright blue sky.
Because it was a bright, sunny day yesterday morning, I went down to my local ponds. I photographed an American Coot munching on frosty grass near one of them.
The day I photographed this young Red-tailed Hawk, I took 135 images of the immature raptor in just a little over a minute at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
This morning, I wanted to share more of my Greater White-fronted Goose images I took six days ago. I haven't gone through all of my photos of this goose yet.
Tundra Swans and memories are on my mind this morning. Six years ago, I sat in my Jeep watching hundreds of Tundra Swans at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
Two years ago today, I spotted this gorgeous adult Bald Eagle perched on a pole from about a half-mile away on a bright, sunny morning up in far northern Utah.
When I was up at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge at the end of January, I stopped on the auto tour loop to take photos of a small gaggle of Canada Geese.
I was out running errands yesterday when I found a Greater White-fronted Goose. I drove home to grab my gear so I could photograph this 'specklebelly' goose.
Today, I'm sharing a simple Great Blue Heron photo I took late last month at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I liked the heron's reflection on the Bear River.
While I was up at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge yesterday, I photographed a Bald Eagle on a leaning post, plus trees with the Earth Shadow and Belt of Venus.
Much like the Great Blue Herons I shared yesterday, the Western Meadowlarks I found at Farmington Bay WMA two days ago were also behaving as if it were spring.
Yesterday morning, I was surprised to find Great Blue Herons already at the nests of the rookery at Farmington Bay WMA. There were more than twenty herons.
While I was out enjoying some sunshine yesterday morning, I photographed an adult Pied-billed Grebe from a distance and up close at one of my local ponds.
I remember feeling very thrilled when I found this leucistic American Coot on January 2, 2023. I'd been hoping to find a leucistic coot for quite a long time.
Once upon a time, in a marsh not so far away, I photographed a Ring-billed Gull flying in heavy fog. It was the densest fog I have ever photographed in.
While looking for a photo to share this morning I found this immature Rough-legged Hawk on a No Swimming Sign with the snowy Wasatch Mountains in the background.
It was a dreary, low-light kind of day last winter when I photographed this American Robin kicking snow to uncover frozen crabapples for breakfast from my Jeep.
This morning, I'm sharing three portraits of an American Crow, two of which include the very pale, nearly icy-blue nictitating membrane that these crows have.
This morning, I'm sharing a simple bathing Pied-billed Grebe photo that I took four years ago. I like this grebe image because of all the flying water droplets.
Seven days ago I found a Ring-necked Duck and an odd Lesser Scaup drake at my local pond. The scaup puzzled me and I wondered if he might be a hybrid.
I've been paying a lot of attention to a drake Ruddy Duck at my local pond because he has gone into breeding plumage earlier than is normal for this species.