Box Elder County

Great Blue Herons Aren’t Really Blue – So What’s Up With Their Name?

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

The name "Great Blue Heron" has always seemed off to me because these large herons are much more gray than they are blue.

Male Short-eared Owl Perched At The Edge Of A Sagebrush Sea

By |November 5th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Short-eared Owls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I am always looking for Short-eared Owls in northern Utah because they are year round residents here but they are nomadic which means I don't always see them.

Common Loon In An Uncommon Location

By |October 31st, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Loons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bird photography was a little slow at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge yesterday morning until I spotted a Common Loon floating on the Bear River.

Immature Great Blue Heron – With And Without The Hand Of Man

By |October 22nd, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Is one of these immature Great Blue Heron images more visually appealing than the other? That depends on the personal tastes of the person viewing them.

Tundra Swans Are Showing Up In Northern Utah

By |October 21st, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I can barely wait to hear and see my first of season Tundra Swans and to see them on the wing over the marshes that surround the Great Salt Lake.

On The Lookout For Rough-Legged Hawks

By |October 19th, 2020|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm hoping that this week I'll be able to spot my first of the season Rough-legged Hawks and that I'll be able to get photos of them too. Fingers are crossed!

Foraging Autumn Bushtits In Northern Utah

By |October 14th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Bushtits, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Seeing and photographing the Bushtits in northern Utah was a gift that I didn't expect yesterday and I am grateful to finally have images of them that I like.

Calls And Songs Of Townsend’s Solitaires

By |October 2nd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Summit County, Townsend's Solitaires, Utah, Video, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I know where in the mountains to find Townsend’s Solitaires by seeing them, hearing them and by knowing their preferred habitat.

Potpourri Of Ruby-crowned Kinglet Photos

By |September 18th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This morning I wanted to share a potpourri of Ruby-crowned Kinglet photos because I adore seeing and photographing these quick moving, charismatic little birds.

Male Spotted Towhees – One Immature And One Adult

By |September 14th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Spotted Towhees, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Spotted Towhees are among the most colorful members of the sparrow family and I always enjoy photographing them on those occasions when they are out in the open.

I’m Just Mad About Sparrows

By |September 8th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Brewer's Sparrows, Lincoln's Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, Utah, Vesper Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had a great time photographing all of the sparrow species I saw two days ago and I could have stayed with them all morning long. I might do just that later this week.

Focusing On Taking Immature Cooper’s Hawk Photos

By |September 7th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Cooper’s Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first bird I photographed yesterday morning was an immature Cooper's Hawk that I found because I spotted a Red-tailed Hawk on a cliff face that the young accipiter decided to harass. 

Four Years Ago Today I Found A Rare Upland Sandpiper

By |August 31st, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Rarities, Upland Sandpipers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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.

Male Checkered White Butterflies On Thistles

By |August 25th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Checkered White Butterflies, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A while back I came across some butterfly photos that I had taken on July 19, 2015 that I hadn't processed or identified so recently I went about finding out what species of butterfly I had photographed.

Common Sunflower, Great Basin Bumble Bee And Long-horned Bee At Bear River MBR

By |August 21st, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Great Basin Bumble Bees, Long-horned Bees, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I photographed this Common Sunflower I noticed the Great Basin Bumble Bee right away then I saw the other bee and what appears to be two midges on the upper left quadrant of the flower petals.

Immature Eastern Kingbirds At Bear River MBR

By |August 19th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Eastern Kingbirds, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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.

Adjusting To Life During A Global Pandemic

By |August 7th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-necked Stilts, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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.

Wintry View Of Bear River MBR And The Snow-covered Wasatch Mountains

By |August 3rd, 2020|Categories: American Herring Gulls, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, California Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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.

Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly – Other Things With Wings

By |July 17th, 2020|Categories: Box Elder County, Davis County, Eight-spotted Skimmers, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonflies, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Five days ago I photographed a lifer dragonfly when I found a male Twelve-spotted Skimmer that was hanging around a spring-fed seep next to a gravel road in Box Elder County.

Recently Fledged Red-tailed Hawks From Two Nests

By |July 13th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had a great time photographing three recently fledged Red-tailed Hawks from two different nests in northern Utah yesterday morning.

Curious Short-eared Owl Fledgling At Bear River MBR

By |June 26th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Short-eared Owls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I took quite a few photos of the fledgling Short-eared Owl that I had a clear view of and even though the lighting wasn't the best I was enchanted by the views I had of it.

Eastern Kingbird Perched On Pickleweed

By |June 24th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Eastern Kingbirds, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One of the birds I was excited to see and photograph yesterday morning was an adult Eastern Kingbird perched on a pickleweed next to the road.

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