Bald Eagles – Age Progression from one to five years old
A simple guide to aging Bald Eagles by their plumage development, legs and their bills with images showing the age progression.
Horned Larks
Yesterday was awesome for Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris) in Tooele County, Utah.
Side lit Coyotes
Yesterday I was tickled to spot not just one but a pair of coyotes on the causeway going to Antelope Island State Park
Northern Shovelers blasting off
This morning when we had almost reached Antelope Island I spotted a huge flock of Northern Shovelers blasting off from the water
So ya think ya want to be a bird photographer?
Be prepared to become addicted to birds. You will have withdrawals if you don't shoot often enough, your shutter button finger will develop a nervous twitch
Bye bye Blackbirds? The USDA is killing birds with DRC-1339
Recently the USDA accepted responsibility for a smaller die off in South Dakota which brought to light a little known program called "Bye bye Blackbird" which uses DRC-1339, a poison that is also called an avicide.
The Importance of Honest Self Critique in Bird Photography
I've enjoyed photography for a long time but for quite awhile I didn't understand the value or importance of honest self critique.
Reddish Egret, Laughing and Ring-billed Gulls
There were quite a few Laughing Gulls on and near the shoreline, a few Ring-billed Gulls and two Reddish Egrets hunting on the beach that day.
Gray Days
Gray days sometimes force me to slow down, to take a deep breath and they allow me the luxury of liesurely looking through my older image files
Bald Eagle – Second Year
This is a second year Bald Eagle, and while the adult birds are probably the most photographed, I enjoy photographing all ages & phases of plumage of bald eagles.
If only…
Taking the time to review my "bad images" strengthens me as a photographer.
Northern & Loggerhead Shrikes
Today was a good day, I finally took some images of a Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) that weren't taken from too far away.
Ring-necked Pheasant
Male Ring-necked Pheasants are very colorful and sport red face wattles, iridescent ear tufts, the white neck ring and bronze colored chest and back with barring. I remember my grandfather using the pheasant feathers for the flies that he tied.
Bald Eagle and Depth of Field
I believe these two eagle pictures illustrate what changes the depth of field settings can have on the appearance of an image.
Northern Harrier expelling a pellet
This Northern Harrier took about a minute to expel the pellet and I filled my buffer several times trying to catch all the action. The harrier appeared to be concentrating so hard on regurgitating the pellet that it nearly fell off of the fence.
Northern Harrier Wingtip Repair
There are times when I think an image might be worth a little extra work in post processing and this young male Northern Harrier image seemed worth the effort to repair a clipped wingtip.
Hidden Treasures
As a bird photographer I often strive for images where the subjects are out in the open, without distractions in the fore or background, but as with any photographic "rule", they are made to be broken.
Ghostly Coyote
Yesterday there was a thick bank of fog over Antelope Island State Park but we saw quite a few coyotes moving in through it, all of them looked ghostly.
Black-headed Grosbeaks
This male Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) sure caught my eye with its beautiful orange, black and white plumage.
Roseate Spoonbills
Cotton candy pink... are the descriptive words I thought of when I saw my first Roseate Spoonbill.
Laughing Gulls
Laughing Gulls are quite common on the east and Gulf coastlines of the US, during breeding season they are usually found near saltwater but in nonbreeding season they are known to wander widely.
Lazuli Bunting males
Male Lazuli Buntings resemble bluebirds but they are smaller and the blues are a different hue than the Mountain, Eastern and Western Bluebirds.
Eared Grebe – Gray Day
Eared Grebes are the most abundant grebe in North America, there are times I see huge flocks of them on the Great Salt Lake numbering in the tens of thousands.
Short-eared Owl In A Fog
I hope to find some Short-eared Owls this winter in Utah, I think that some snow would make for a lovely setting for these delightful & enchanting birds.
Adult Burrowing Owl blur
This blur was not intentional, but I do like the effect caused by the head of the Burrowing Owl spinning. Makes me dizzy just viewing the photo!
Western Meadowlark on a cold Utah Morning
Not too long after I had gotten to my location I spotted a Western Meadowlark hunkered down on a rock trying to warm up with the rays of the rising sun.
Song Sparrow – Small In Frame
What I like about this image is the pose of the Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), the warm tones of the background, the detail and colors
Wilson’s Plover
There are times that I open an image on my computer screen and I can't help but laugh. This is one of those images for me because of the tilt of the head of the Wilson's Plover.
Great Egret – Light on White
Great Egret (Ardea alba) in flight, a balance of whites and light
White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrows are one of the many birds that I see often during the cold winters of northern Utah.