An American Kestrel attacking a Red-tailed Hawk – How I Messed Up This Shot
It isn't every day that I have the opportunity to photograph an American Kestrel attacking a Red-tailed Hawk in the air, in fact this would have been my best opportunity.
It isn't every day that I have the opportunity to photograph an American Kestrel attacking a Red-tailed Hawk in the air, in fact this would have been my best opportunity.
I did spot a juvenile Northern Harrier in the fog resting on a clump of vegetation in the snow covered field on the east side of the road and took a few images of it.
I took this image of a Western Grebe in late Summer last year at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge when the marsh vegetation has started to turn gold and mornings had begun to feel crisp and invigorating.
I had to share at least one image of this Mountain Cottontail on Antelope Island State Park that showed its little, fluffy white tail, after all that is where they get part of their name.
Ring-billed and California Gulls are the typical gulls I find in Utah so it wasn't much of a surprise to find this California Gull at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
It is interesting to see this whirlpool effect of Northern Shovelers on the surface of the Great Salt Lake and to hear the sounds of their bills dabbling in the water.
The first bird I raised my lens for yesterday was this Black-billed Magpie in a snowstorm near the visitor center.
Yesterday I was able to photograph juvenile and adult White-crowned Sparrows on the same branch a few minutes apart at a gate at Farmington Bay WMA.
I only have a few portraits of an adult Black-billed Magpie and yesterday I was able to add several of them to my portfolio.
I spent about 15 minutes with this Barn Owl yesterday after I spotted it along the north side of the auto tour loop at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
This American Pipit on a tuft of grass was photographed last November at Farmington Bay WMA and was only one of what appeared to be hundreds of pipits feeding on small insects.
Male American Kestrels look for and locate potential nesting cavities within their territories and inspect them prior to the nesting season.
I spent a little bit of time yesterday morning photographing a few birds including this Northern Harrier in flight over Farmington Bay WMA.
It was the first of the winter Burrowing Owls I was to find yesterday while on Antelope Island State Park.
I was delighted to photograph a female Red-winged Blackbird at White Rock Bay as she perched a dead greasewood branch.
Among those spring migrants that I most look forward to seeing are the Western Burrowing Owls.
A couple Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays in Ophir Canyon Road in Tooele County were the most cooperative of the jays that I found.
This adult Sage Thrasher with prey was photographed on public lands in Tooele County in one of the canyons of the Stansbury Mountains last July.
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is a winter wonderland right now and although it is very quiet it is still teeming with life.
It isn't unusual to see birds like this frost covered juvenile Northern Harrier at Farmington Bay WMA, Utah early in the morning before the sun rises and warms them up.
I photographed this adult Bald Eagle at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge early on New Year's Day when the light of dawn was still golden.
On January 1st I spotted this resting Barn Owl on some hay bales not too far from the juvenile Red-tailed Hawk at the hot spring.
I'm quite used to seeings birds and bison in close proximity on Antelope Island State Park not just during the warmer months but during the winter too.
When I photographed this Turkey Vulture in Box Elder County last summer it flew from the post it had been perched on and landed a bit further away where it quickly began cleaning its bill
Just a simple image today of a resting Mountain Cottontail on a snow drift taken on Antelope Island State Park near the park headquarters.
I photographed this frosty Mule Deer buck in snow on Antelope Island State Park in December of 2013 while he was following a few does through a field of snow-covered mullein.
I photographed this Ring-billed Gull in flight at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge on New Year's Day on the west side of the auto tour loop.
Through the steamy mists of a hot spring I found a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk at Blue Creek Spring in Box Elder County and I hoped to get a few decent images of it.
This Barn Owl seems to be flying straight into the New Year and that is what I am doing. Spreading my wings and facing what comes at me head on.
I don't know how many hours I have spent in the field photographing birds and wildlife this year but I know that every moment has been special and I treasure that.