My Daily Story Timeline
Every day, I write about the true stories behind my images and share them on my site. One day, I might write about birds; the next, about an insect; and the following day, I might focus on a specific location. Each of these stories revolves around nature, my connection to it, or my concerns about preserving our natural world. This daily journal primarily serves as a collection of factual accounts from my journeys in the field.
While my primary passion is for birds, since everything in nature is interconnected, I photograph everything and write about it all. My life has always been intertwined with nature, and I hope it always will be.
Best wishes,
Mia
Photographing Spring Yellow-rumped Warblers In The Wasatch Mountains
Three days ago I photographed Yellow-rumped Warblers in the Wasatch Mountains, these warblers are a challenge because they move so quickly but they are always fun to have in my viewfinder.
Singing Gray Catbird Close Up
Gray Catbirds have returned to northern Utah for their breeding season and I am thrilled to be hearing their songs and calls again.
Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird Nectaring And Landing Series
The Black Twinberry Honeysuckles weren't even in bloom quite yet yesterday in the Wasatch Mountains when I spotted this male Broad-tailed Hummingbird hovering near some to get nectar.
Yellow Warbler High In The Uinta Mountains
The other bird I photographed that day in the high Uintas was a gorgeous male Yellow Warbler foraging in an aspen tree very close to where I sat inside a "mobile" blind at the edge of a dirt road.
Male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds On Their Favorite Perches
Male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds show a preference in the perches that they use to rest, to keep an eye on their territories and once they select a favorite perch it can be like striking gold for a bird photographer.
Why This Bad Weather Gets Me Down
We've had cloudy and sometimes rainy weather for quite some time now in northern Utah with storms rolling in one after the other and it does prevent me from getting out into the field with the birds.
Yellow-rumped Warbler Foraging On The Bank Of A Creek In The Wasatch Mountains
I took a couple hundred images of the Yellow-rumped Warblers as they flitted around in search of prey next to the creek and after reviewing my images I only found a few that I felt were worth keeping.
Female Belted Kingfisher in the Wasatch Mountains
The nicest surprise of the morning was when a female Belted Kingfisher perched on a branch close to a creek and the road.
Yellow-bellied Marmot Pups Greeting Each Other Outside Their Burrow
We didn't stay long at the Yellow-bellied Marmot burrow because I wanted to take my mom to the Spiral Jetty and we still had a long, dusty way to go but we enjoyed the time we had with the pups.
Some Of The Birds Seen At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge During The Month of May
May is a time of renewal at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and as the marsh begins to green up the migrant birds return and along with the year round residents their songs and calls can be heard over the wetlands.
West Desert Wild Turkey Hen At The Edge Of A Meadow
In my post about Chipping Sparrows, Wild Turkeys and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds earlier this week I mentioned that I had taken more photos of the turkey hen so this morning I thought I'd share one more photo of her.
Red Admiral Butterflies And Wax Currants In Bloom
While I photographed male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds a few days ago in the West Desert I also took a few moments to photograph some of the butterflies nectaring on the blooms of the Wax Currant bush which included Red Admiral butterflies.
Female Yellow-headed Blackbird Foraging On The Ground At Bear River MBR
The fore and background of this image may be messy or cluttered looking but I love the way this photo shows the female Yellow-headed Blackbird in the habitat I find them in at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
Chipping Sparrows, Wild Turkeys and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds
The gems of my photographic journey yesterday morning were Broad-tailed Hummingbirds that were hanging around a Wax Currant bush next to the dirt road where the sounds of their wings alerted me to their presence.
Wildflower Season Has Started In Northern Utah – Lewis’s Flax
Everywhere I go in the lower elevations of northern Utah I can see wildflowers blooming now.
Male Ring-necked Pheasant And Midges At Bear River MBR
I don't know if the Ring-necked Pheasants eat the midges but I know that many of the other birds at the refuge do so I like to think of midges as bird food on the wing.
Yellow Warblers – Glimpses of Gold The Wasatch Mountains
On my second trip up into the mountains last week I was focused on a Barn Swallow perched in bushes near a creek when I caught a bit of movement in the bushes below the swallow and spotted this Yellow Warbler.
Luke’s SWOT Analysis And Desert Diorama
Okay, so you may be wondering who Luke is? Luke is my youngest grandchild, he is 11, he is in 5th grade and he lives in North Carolina.
Male Red-tailed Hawk With Yellow Wildflowers
What is better than photographing a male Red-tailed Hawk? Photographing the hawk with blooming wildflowers, in this case Gray's Biscuitroot.
Painted Lady And Mourning Cloak Butterflies On Fragrant Sumac
This Mourning Cloak butterfly I photographed five days ago not far from where I photographed the Painted Lady was also nectaring on Fragrant Sumac and it too looked a bit worn because they are a migratory butterfly species as well.
Photographing Uinta Ground Squirrels In A Wasatch Mountain Canyon
Two days ago while up in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains I was able to finally realize a personal goal while photographing Uinta Ground Squirrels.
Vesper Sparrow Up Close In The Wasatch Mountains
To my surprise when the Vesper Sparrow lifted off it flew onto the top of another sagebrush that was even closer to me which was nearly perfect for taking portraits of the sparrow and I took full advantage of the opportunity.
Red-tailed Hawk Behavior When A Northern Harrier Attacks
When I heard a call to my left I glanced in that direction and saw a female Northern Harrier flying towards the Red-tailed at break neck speed.
Adult Spotted Sandpiper On The Weber River
Two days ago while near the Weber River up in Summit County I heard a familiar sound and I knew from that sound that a Spotted Sandpiper was nearby.
Cliff Swallow Surfing A Phragmites “Wave”
When I opened this adult Cliff Swallow image on my computer at home the first thought I had was that it looked like the Cliff Swallow was surfing on a phragmites "wave".
White-faced Ibis Perched On Cattails
I haven't seen or photographed White-faced Ibis perched in the nearly ten years that I have lived here so I was thrilled to have my first opportunity to do so yesterday at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
Mule Deer Doe & May Snow In The Stansbury Mountains
My best photo of the morning was a Mule Deer doe in a stand of junipers and even then a cloud blocked the beautiful light. Yes, that is snow on the junipers, on May 1st!
Nesting House Wrens And A Closed Gate
I tried to get up into a canyon in the Stansbury Mountains yesterday but was met with a closed gate so I turned my Jeep around and decided that I would explore a different canyon.
Adult Uinta Ground Squirrel Close Up In The Wasatch Mountains
I didn't get any photos of the Uinta Ground Squirrels while I was up in the canyons last week and I will need to fix that soon because I adore these furry, dark-eyed ground squirrels.
Green-tailed Towhees Are Returning For Their Breeding Season
When mom and I found this adult Green-tailed Towhee singing while perched on a blooming Utah Serviceberry of course we had to stop and take its photo!