Davis County

Our Willets have returned

By |April 9th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, Egmont Key State Park, Florida, Pinellas County, Utah, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday for the first time this season I saw and heard Willets on Antelope Island State Park.

Banking American Kestrel female

By |April 7th, 2014|Categories: American Kestrels, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The term "Banking" in my title doesn't mean this female American Kestrel is heading to the closest ATM or to a local branch of Wells Fargo because this little beauty doesn't care one cent about money!

Mountain Plovers – Technology Today Is Amazing

By |April 3rd, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Mountain Plovers, Rarities, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Seven days shy of a year ago I found two rare Mountain Plovers in the White Rock Bay area of Antelope Island State Park and lately I have been hoping to see them again.

Springtime male Red-winged Blackbird at Farmington Bay

By |April 1st, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-winged Blackbirds, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning's sunny weather felt lovely compared to Sunday which was gray, windy, rainy and snowy and maybe this male Red-winged Blackbird was feeling the difference in weather too.

Chukars on Antelope Island State Park

By |March 10th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Chukars, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

After seeing few Chukars on Antelope Island State Park over the winter it is a delight to see them perching on rocks, preening, calling and warming up in the first rays of sunlight on the island again.

Loggerhead Shrikes are calling on Antelope Island

By |March 6th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Loggerhead Shrikes, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Last year about this time I wrote a post complaining about Loggerhead Shrikes being MIA but this year I don't have that complaint because I am seeing and hearing these "Butcherbirds" on Antelope Island.

Spring Chukar on Antelope Island

By |February 24th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Chukars, Davis County, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

The last time I went to Antelope Island State Park I noticed that the Chukars were more visible than they have been for awhile and I also noticed a tiny wildflower called Redstem Filaree starting to green up.

Comparing American White Pelicans to Brown Pelicans

By |February 23rd, 2014|Categories: American White Pelicans, Birds, Brown Pelicans, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The recent arrival of American White Pelicans to the Salt Lake Valley started me thinking about the differences between Brown Pelicans and American White Pelicans.

White Gyrfalcon – Yet another escaped falconry bird!

By |February 22nd, 2014|Categories: American Kestrels, Birds, Davis County, Gyrfalcons, Peregrine Falcons, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In the four and a half years I have been in Utah I have seen and photographed four escaped falconry birds, one in 2009, two in 2012 and yesterday I photographed another one, an escaped White Gyrfalcon.

Caution: Spring Birds Ahead

By |February 13th, 2014|Categories: American Avocets, American White Pelicans, Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It won't be long before the American White Pelicans are back at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge which is where I photographed the pelican in the image above last spring.

Pronghorn buck in winter

By |February 7th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Pronghorn, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

It has been quite some time since I have photographed Pronghorn on Antelope Island State Park because it seems that the Pronghorn have kept mostly to the west and south sides of the island this winter.

Lone Coyote on the shore of the Great Salt Lake

By |February 6th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Coyotes, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There are times when one subject will make my day in the field worthwhile, yesterday it was a lone Coyote hunting for voles on the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake.

Horned Lark and a broken heart

By |January 29th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Frustrations in bird photography, Horned Larks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I have dreamed about getting a shot like this since I first started photographing Horned Larks, I wanted a shot of a Horned Lark at the precise moment it began to lift off with the wings lifted.

Female Short-eared Owl on a snowy day

By |January 28th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Short-eared Owls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One year ago today the sky was cloudy, the fog was thick and the snow was blowing in northern Utah. I couldn't see the tops of the mountains or across the Great Salt Lake but I did spot this Short-eared Owl perched on a snow-covered bush on the causeway my way to Antelope Island.

First winter male Common Merganser

By |January 27th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Common Mergansers, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Pied-billed Grebes, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I spotted a lone Common Merganser at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area nearly hidden in some phragmites and when we came around the corner the bird seemed to have disappeared but after a bit it came out from its hiding spot and gave us quite a show.

White-crowned Sparrow perched on a frosty shrub

By |January 21st, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I like the setting contained in this image with a frost covered branches of a shrub with reddish bark that the White-crowned Sparrow perched on close to the entrance to Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.

Snow Birds – Rough-legged Hawks

By |January 17th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

But for me the "Snow Birds" I have grown to love here in Utah are Rough-legged Hawks who only visit in the winter and spend the rest of their lives breeding in high subarctic and Arctic regions.

Male American Kestrel resting near the shore of the Great Salt Lake

By |January 9th, 2014|Categories: American Kestrels, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was going to do a post about a Bald Eagle this morning but at the last minute had a change of mind and decided to work up this male American Kestrel that I photographed resting near the shore of the Great Salt Lake.

Red-tailed Hawk juvenile in low light conditions

By |January 4th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In the winter I shoot a lot in fog, smog and low light conditions here in northern Utah but if you follow my blog you probably already know that and have heard me mention it a time or two (or four or a hundred).

Barn Owl Blur

By |December 26th, 2013|Categories: American Barn Owls, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week I did a post on the many nicknames used for Barn Owls and among them was "Ghost Owl" and for some reason when I first looked at this frame I thought the blurred wings did make it look "ghostly".

Barn Owl on a snowbank

By |December 24th, 2013|Categories: American Barn Owls, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I spotted this beautiful Barn Owl yesterday along the side of a dirt road at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, the light was dreadful but I still enjoyed watching it as it captured prey and ate it, preened, flew and rested.

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