Birds that I find in the field, photograph and share the stories behind the images.
Autumn Male Spotted Towhee
I photographed some sparrows, goldfinches, juncos, and this lovely male Spotted Towhee that was eating the fruit of a Fragrant Sumac tree.
Wild Turkey Tom Foraging After A Snowfall
Six days ago I was happy to see three flocks of Wild Turkeys and the smallest flock was in good light, at the edge of a forest and they were cooperative.
How Being An Army Brat Netted Me These Red-breasted Nuthatch Photos
I proudly credit being an Army Brat on discovering a great location to photograph these Red-breasted Nuthatches and other woodland birds.
Focusing On A Hermit Thrush In Sunshine And Shadows
While hoping to photograph Brown Creepers two days ago I spotted a Hermit Thrush at a distance on the ground in the deep shadows of a stand of trees.
Early Morning Immature Ferruginous Hawk In The West Desert
I didn't get the Brown Creeper photos I have been dreaming of yesterday but I did take lovely images of an immature Ferruginous Hawk in early morning, golden light.
Focusing On Mountain Chickadees Feeding On Douglas Fir Seeds
I wanted to share two photos of the Mountain Chickadees I photographed yesterday morning that flew in and fed on Douglas Fir seeds.
Leaping American Pipit At Farmington Bay WMA
With scores of pipits flying in, flying out and moving around on the rocks it was a challenge to decide which bird to have in my viewfinder.
Male Great-tailed Grackle Portraits
I don't often get to have Great-tailed Grackles in my viewfinder let alone have them close enough to take portraits of them so when the opportunity presents itself, I jump at the chance.
Male Dark-eyed Junco Close Up At Farmington Bay WMA
As common as Dark-eyed Juncos are I have surprisingly few photos of them in my galleries and that is why I get excited when I can add a new photo of them to my portfolio.
Searching For Rough-legged Hawks
It is currently the time of the year when I start looking for Rough-legged Hawks in northern Utah, the temps have dipped below freezing, there has been frost on the ground and now we've had our first snow.
Photographing The Earth’s Shadow With A Great Blue Heron
Because I arrived at twilight that morning and had a clear sky I knew that I could take photos of the Great Blue Heron with the blue colored Earth's Shadow and pink Belt of Venus behind it.
Brown Creeper – One Of My Nemesis Birds
Crappy images like this blurry Brown Creeper make me more determined to get the photos I want, that I salivate over and dream about.
Reasons Why We May Be Seeing Fewer Northern Harriers At Farmington Bay
I don't see nearly as many harriers over the marshes at Farmington Bay as I used to five to ten years ago but the marshes have changed some since I moved to northern Utah.
Focusing On A Greater Yellowlegs With A Small Fish
I'd watched the Greater Yellowlegs foraging and most of the time the prey was too tiny to see but this little fish was a nice catch for the shorebird and for me.
White-crowned Sparrow Adult Perched In A Hackberry Tree
I photographed this adult White-crowned Sparrow about two weeks ago in northern Utah while it perched on a hackberry tree on a hill with blooming rabbitbrush in the background.
Immature Male Red-winged Blackbird
I photographed this young male Red-winged Blackbird singing at the top of a Russian olive tree at Farmington Bay WMA nine days ago.
Red-breasted Nuthatch – Contrasting Light and Shadows
What I like about this male Red-breasted Nuthatch photo is the contrast of light and shadows. While I can't see all the fine feather details in the shaded part of the nuthatch what I can see is simply enough.
Small Flock Of Male Wild Turkeys With One Odd, Dark Tom
Two days ago I spotted a Wild Turkey tom crossing a dirt road high up in the Stansbury Mountains and to my delight there were several more males following behind him.
Sharp-shinned Hawk Perched And Preening
When it comes to accipiters I see Sharp-shinned Hawks less frequently than I do Cooper's Hawks or Northern Goshawks so when I have a Sharp-shinned Hawk in my viewfinder I become very excited.
Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler At Farmington Bay WMA
Whatever the gender, I was delighted that the Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler perched in the tree long enough for me to take a nice series of images of it.
Savannah Sparrow On Some Rocks At Farmington Bay WMA
Usually when I see and photograph Savannah Sparrows they are on barbed wire, fence posts, railings or on the ground so seeing a Savannah on rocks was a nice change for me.
Utah’s Long-staying Rare Brown Pelican
I photographed Utah's long-staying rare Brown Pelican again yesterday morning at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and as I took photos of it I worried about its future.
American Bitterns Can Be Hard To Spot
American Bitterns can be very hard to spot at times since they blend into their habitat so well because of their cryptic plumage patterns and because they are so skulky.
Immature Yellow-rumped Warbler And Damselfly Prey
When I photographed this immature Yellow-rumped Warbler two days ago I couldn't tell what prey it had snagged so I was surprised when I got home and saw that the warbler had snatched a damselfly.
Male Brewer’s Blackbird Close Up
Yesterday morning I was able to take close up images of a male Brewer's Blackbird in the kind of light that showed all of its beautiful iridescent colors with the silky blue water of a pond in the background.
Audubon’s And Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warblers Perched In The Same Tree
Here in northern Utah it isn't often that Myrtle and Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warblers are found perched in the same tree but four days ago that is what happened to me.
Molting Immature Clark’s Grebe Shaking Its Feathers
Our Clark's and Western Grebes will be leaving here soon and except for a few downy feathers on this one's forehead it looks like it is ready to take on its first migration.
Photographing Autumn Townsend’s Solitaires
Last Friday as I looked for birds in a few West Desert canyons I was serenaded by the songs and calls of Townsend's Solitaires and while I loved hearing them it was frustrating because they were either too far away or hidden from my view.
Enchanted By Fall Ruby-crowned Kinglets
For a few moments yesterday morning I was absolutely enchanted by a small flock of Ruby-crowned Kinglets in Box Elder County in northern Utah.
Utah’s Yellow Warblers Have Taken Wing For Now
I haven't seen a Yellow Warbler in northern Utah for sometime now and it is pretty safe to say that these birds has taken wing and have headed to warmer climes for the winter.