Common Merganser Drakes in the Winter
I haven't posted any Common Mergansers lately and today I thought I would because we should start seeing them soon here in northern Utah.
I haven't posted any Common Mergansers lately and today I thought I would because we should start seeing them soon here in northern Utah.
With the forecast of possible snow this week I've been thinking about how much fun it can be to photograph Pied-billed Grebes in the wintertime again.
I photographed this California Gull back in May on Antelope Island State Park in falling rain and like the streaks of rain in the frame.
I photographed this male American Kestrel a few days ago at Farmington Bay WMA as it flew out of a nest box.
I took images of a Clark's Grebe in flight yesterday and I will probably never be able to do that again because they only fly at night.
Three years ago today snow was falling in the Salt Lake Valley, Frary Peak on Antelope Island State Park was white and snow squalls were making their way over Farmington Bay WMA.
While at Farmington Bay WMA two days ago I couldn't resist photographing this juvenile Pied-billed Grebe in one of the ponds because of the wonderful reflections on the water.
I spent a few hours at Farmington Bay WMA yesterday and was able to witness a very brief skirmish between a Clark's Grebe that had a fish in its bill and a Ring-billed Gull that tried to steal the fish.
The only time I see Least Sandpipers here in Utah is when they are migrating through the Great Basin hub of the Pacific Flyway.
The light was beautiful yesterday morning at Farmington Bay WMA and I was able to photograph a few species if birds including this juvenile Northern Harrier flying over the marsh.
During the winter Farmington Bay has a large population of overwintering Bald Eagles that migrate down from northern states and Canada.
Last winter I photographed this lovely little female American Kestrel at Farmington Bay WMA after a snow fall as she perched on a "Waterfowl Resting Area" sign.
I did get some images of the Song and White-crowned Sparrows on the wild rose and I like how this Song Sparrow had its back to me but gave me a nice head turn over its shoulder.
I believe that the first shorebirds I ever noticed as a very young girl were Killdeer and I think I noticed them mostly because they were so noisy.
Male American Kestrels usually grab the show with their bright colors and bold patterns but I think the females are equally as stunning.
It is early October but I am already starting to get excited about seeing my first of the season Rough-legged Hawks.
This photo of Bison bulls fighting in the snow on Antelope Island State Park was taken the end of December 2014 with the Nikon D810 using a high ISO because it was so dreary that morning
I've been thinking about this upcoming winter wondering if we will get a normal amount of snow and of course about the birds I will see on cold mornings at Farmington Bay.
It wasn't very birdy yesterday on Antelope Island State Park but the views were spectacular and I simply felt good to be alive surrounded by the beauty.
I've been able to photograph several shorebird species the past week and although Greater Yellowlegs are common at Farmington Bay WMA I still think they are quite lovely.
It isn't every day that I add a lifer to the list of shorebirds I have seen and photographed but yesterday I did when I saw and photographed a Pectoral Sandpiper.
Farmington Bay's Snowy Egrets were the birds I photographed most yesterday because they were cooperative and because they were active, very active.
After a long, hot summer I always look forward to the first day of autumn because it usually means cooler temperatures along with the scenery becoming more colorful as the leaves begin to turn.
Yesterday morning I photographed this Pronghorn buck in the road near Ladyfinger Point on Antelope Island State Park as he stood next to the double yellow lines.
As many of my readers know I like to take portraits of the birds and animals I photograph but I also like to take images that show my subjects smaller in their native habitat.
The Sage Thrashers on Antelope Island State Park are busy getting ready for migration and the thrashers hatched this year appear to be almost ready to go.
I wanted to post an image of a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird today because despite their bad reputations as brood parasites they are native birds that I think are worth pointing my lens at.
The Sandhill Crane colts at Farmington Bay are as tall as their parents and look just like them except for the markings on their head and the color of their bills and eyes.
Newly born American Bison calves are called "Reds" or Little Reds" after they are born in the spring and compared to the darker adults they appear very red.
After a rainy summer day there were puddles on the dirt roads of Antelope Island State Park and this juvenile Loggerhead Shrike took advantage of a puddle and bathed.