Birds

Birds that I find in the field, photograph and share the stories behind the images.

Resting Adult Black-crowned Night Heron

By |February 25th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

About two weeks ago I was able to photograph two Black-crowned Night Herons, one was immature and the other was an adult.

Sub-adult Bald Eagle Resting In Marsh Habitat

By |February 24th, 2020|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I did find a sub-adult Bald Eagle resting on the ice on the last leg of the refuge loop and even though it was at a distance I wanted to photograph it because of the marshy habitat it was in. 

Thinking Of Spring And Short-eared Owls

By |February 23rd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Short-eared Owls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've been busy the past few days and haven't been able to get out into the field but that hasn't stopped me from thinking of spring, green fields, warm sunlight on my skin, and Short-eared Owls.

Male Red-winged Blackbirds Are Displaying On Territory

By |February 22nd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-winged Blackbirds, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago there were plenty of male Red-winged Blackbirds singing and putting on displays in the marshy areas of Farmington Bay WMA.

Photographing Limpkins At Lake Seminole

By |February 20th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Florida, Lake Seminole, Limpkins, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Eleven years ago today I was wandering and looking for birds to photograph at Lake Seminole Park in Florida and found a very cooperative Limpkin that was foraging for breakfast.

Puzzling Absence Of Double-crested Cormorants This Winter At My Local Ponds

By |February 18th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Double-crested Cormorants, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Every winter since I moved to northern Utah in 2009 I have found a few Double-crested Cormorants overwintering at my local ponds but this winter has been very different.

Adult Canada Goose Resting On Ice At Bear River MBR

By |February 17th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Canada Geese, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I shared a photo of a Bald Eagle resting on the icy marsh at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and this morning I am sharing a Canada Goose doing exactly the same thing.

Bald Eagle On An Icy Marsh – Small In Frame

By |February 16th, 2020|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Three days ago I photographed an adult Bald Eagle resting on the frost-covered, icy marsh at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah.

Early Morning Immature Black-crowned Night Heron

By |February 15th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I spent some time yesterday morning focused on photographing an immature Black-crowned Night Heron at the dawn of the day in the marsh at Farmington Bay WMA.

Will Grebes Nest This Year At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge?

By |February 12th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Western Grebes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I was at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge three days ago I realized that in just a few weeks the Clark's and Western Grebes will be returning to the marshes for their breeding season.

Northern Harriers Blending Into Their Habitat

By |February 11th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

For me this female Northern Harrier and the immature harrier in the other photo are a classic examples of what I like to call a hidden treasure type of image.

Great Blue Herons Seeking Shelter From Winter’s Wind

By |February 10th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The Great Blue Herons were hunkered down in the rushes with the warmth of the sunlight on them but they still looked cold.

Wild Turkeys, Hay Bales And The Noisy Diesel Pickup That Chased Them Away

By |February 9th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Etiquette, Utah, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In about the span of minute all of the Wild Turkeys had flown off of the bales of hay because of that noisy, diesel pickup truck being so close to them.

Adult Spotted Sandpiper – Small In The Frame

By |February 7th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I don't often see Spotted Sandpipers perched in trees so I was enchanted when this one landed on the bare branches that hung over a slow flowing creek.

European Starling On A Snowy Winter Day

By |February 6th, 2020|Categories: Birds, European Starlings, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When this European Starling perched in a Crabapple tree close to me during the snowstorm I was able to get a few photos of it before my hands started to hurt from the cold.

Winter American Robin Foraging In A Crabapple Tree

By |February 5th, 2020|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I was able to focus on this American Robin as it foraged in the branches of a crabapple tree and took a nice, long series of images of the handsome red-breasted thrush.

Immature Bald Eagles Up High In The Wasatch Mountains

By |February 4th, 2020|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On the first of February when I found and photographed an unusual and distinctive Bald Eagle with leucism I also photographed two more immature eagles in the same area.

Photographing A Great Blue Heron Flying In Dense Fog

By |February 3rd, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

These Great Blue Heron images also help me to "see" what this species would have looked like as they lived their lives in primordial swamps, estuaries and marshes hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Second Winter Bald Eagle With Leucism On Its Forehead, Crown And Throat

By |February 2nd, 2020|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Leucistic, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I spent some time up in the Wasatch Mountains and I am so glad that I did because I found a second winter Bald Eagle with leucism.

Visions Of Spring And Nesting House Wrens

By |January 30th, 2020|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Summit County, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

These nesting House Wren photos were taken two years ago at the end of May high up in the Uinta Mountains where stands of aspens are used as nesting trees.

Photographing A Herring Gull In Thick Fog At Bear River MBR

By |January 29th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Herring Gulls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

After reviewing the images I took of the gull at home on a larger screen I was happy to see that it was a Herring Gull, gulls we only see in the winter here.

Great Blue Herons In Heavy Fog At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By |January 28th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

These foggy Great Blue Heron photos are probably the foggiest images in my portfolio and despite that I truly like how they turned out.

Black-billed Magpie Portrait In Whiteout Conditions

By |January 27th, 2020|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I seem to be on a high key bird photo kick this month so I thought I would add one more of a Black-billed Magpie I photographed in a winter whiteout just a few days shy of four years ago.

Common Merganser With A First Winter Common Goldeneye Drake

By |January 26th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I found it interesting to see a first winter drake Common Goldeneye swimming with a first winter Common Merganser and decided to photograph them.

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