Birds that I find in the field, photograph and share the stories behind the images.
Molting Immature Green-tailed Towhee
Green-tailed Towhees that hatched this year undergo a molt on or near their natal breeding grounds prior to fall migration.
Two Black-capped Chickadee Photos From This Week
I'm happy to have had these two little Black-capped Chickadees in my viewfinder this week. I enjoy seeing, hearing, and photographing these perky primarily black and white birds.
Upside Down Nashville Warbler Foraging For Aphids
I wanted to share this particular image today and explain how I got this shot of an upside down male Nashville Warbler hanging on a willow branch while foraging for aphids.
Rare Veery In The Wasatch Mountains
I might just start believing that September 1st is my lucky day after seeing, photographing and identifying a rare Veery in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday.
Yellow Warbler And A Hawthorn
These bright Yellow Warblers are getting ready for their long, fall migrations and while I am happy to see that they seem to have had a successful breeding season it also felt a touch bittersweet to me.
Four Years Ago Today I Found A Rare Upland Sandpiper
Four years ago today stopping for a Golden Eagle perched on a power pole in Box Elder County would net me a rare Upland Sandpiper sighting because of the sandpiper's chattering call.
Willow Flycatcher And Thoughts About Fall Migration
I took forty-eight photos of this flycatcher three days ago as it watched for flying insects from its perch and I realized that these might be the last Willow Flycatcher photos that I take this year.
The Funniest Yellow Warbler Photo I Have Ever Taken
Two days ago near a creek in the Wasatch Mountains I took the funniest Yellow Warbler photo I have ever taken in all the years that I have been photographing birds.
Warbling Vireo High In The Wasatch Mountains
The surprise for me was that the Warbling Vireo decided to perch out in the open with a fairly clean background and that it stayed there for almost a minute.
Adult And Immature Cedar Waxwings High In The Wasatch Mountains
On August 10th I drove into the mountains for a quiet, relaxing morning and came away with quite a few bird photos I have yet to process.
Finally, Nashville Warbler Photos I Am Happy With
I was "over the moon" excited when I spotted an adult male Nashville Warbler out in the open at the top of a willow yesterday while up in the Wasatch Mountains.
Molting House Wren
About two weeks ago I photographed a molting House Wren high in the Wasatch Mountains as it perched near a willow thicket.
Immature Male Downy Woodpecker Close Up
A few weeks ago while up in the Wasatch Mountains I was able to see and photograph an immature male Downy Woodpecker as it foraged for food in willows and while clinging to a Common Mullein.
Barn Swallow Landing In The Wind
When this Barn Swallow came in to land it struggled a bit with the wind which is why its wings were raised to regain its balance in this image.
Immature Eastern Kingbirds At Bear River MBR
I only had two minutes with these immature Eastern Kingbirds and I felt I had to make every second I had with them in my viewfinder count. I succeeded.
High Key Ring-billed Gull In Whiteout Conditions
I took this photo of a Ring-billed Gull walking through the snow in whiteout conditions on December 30, 2019 at a pond not far from where I live.
Green-tailed Towhees – He? She? It?
This is probably far more information on "He? She? It?" than anyone wanted to see this morning but after photographing the adult and immature Green-tailed Towhees yesterday I thought this was a great time to do this post.
Western Tanager Photos From This Week
On four out of five trips up into the Wasatch Mountains this week I've been able to take images of immature and female Western Tanagers
Adult Cedar Waxwing Resting In A Stand Of Hawthorns
Stopping to eat my muffins at this location was a great idea because this week on three trips to this spot I've photographed more than just Cedar Waxwings at this location.
Messy, Molting Song Sparrow
This Song Sparrow will replace its damaged feathers quickly and will look like it normally does once again. Until then, I still think it is a beautiful, albeit somewhat ruffled, bird.
Pine Siskin In The Wasatch Mountains
The bird activity picked up just after the sun rose over the mountains peaks and as I scanned the area for birds I spotted this Pine Siskin almost directly in front of me clinging to a small branch.
Black-capped Chickadee In The Wasatch Mountains
I saw and heard Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees yesterday morning but only this Black-capped Chickadee came in close enough for me to photograph.
Young Cedar Waxwing Photos
I was excited when I found this young Cedar Waxwing out in the open and within the range of my lens right after it caught a crane fly to eat for breakfast.
Yellow Warbler Among Ripe Serviceberries
Several Yellow Warblers flew into the serviceberry and in this photo I can see that this female has been feeding on the ripe berries because her lower mandible has a juicy residue on it.
Adjusting To Life During A Global Pandemic
I've felt varying degrees of disappointment when comparing "what should have been" with the way we have had to adjust to life and living during a global pandemic as I am sure many of us have this year.
Adult Cedar Waxwing With Ripening Serviceberries
The Cedar Waxwing didn't appear to be on the shrub to eat the serviceberries because all it did was call and look around. Perhaps its young were also in the area.
Immature MacGillivray’s Warbler Photos
One of the birds I had in my viewfinder for a few moments yesterday morning was an immature MacGillivray's Warbler where it perched on the branches of a serviceberry at the edge of a dusty, gravel road.
Wintry View Of Bear River MBR And The Snow-covered Wasatch Mountains
Just viewing this winter photo of the refuge made me feel refreshed and cooler. I also realized it might be hot now but cooler weather will be here before long.
An Adult Male And Immature Western Tanager
It was fun to have the male and immature Western Tanager in my viewfinder for a few moments high in the Wasatch Mountains last week. I hope I see more soon.
Swimming Spotted Sandpiper Chick Photos
I was over the moon to be able to take these photos of the young Spotted Sandpiper swimming across the alpine creek because I've never had the opportunity to do so before.