Adult and Juvenile Ring-billed Gulls
It will take several molts before this immature Ring-billed Gull looks like an adult but by now, a year after it was photographed, this juvenile should look more like the adult.
Solitary Sandpiper at Bear River MBR – Not All Range Maps Are The Same
I photographed this Solitary Sandpiper two days ago at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and saw several more and I also photographed a pair of them the week before.
Sleepy Great Horned Owl in Montana
I photographed this sleepy Great Horned Owl male sitting in a opening of the granary, he was probably exhausted from helping his mate raise their young.
Roadside Short-eared Owl Female
I haven't been seeing the Short-eared Owls lately and that is most likely because their young are now on their own and they don't need to hunt as much because now they only need to feed themselves.
Great Egret portrait
While walking the boardwalk at the small rookery I was able to get close to this Great Egret that was resting under the canopy of a large tree and took this portrait of it.
Eastern Kingbird Hawking Insects From A Fence In Northern Utah
Two days ago I was able to photograph an Eastern Kingbird hawking insects from a fence on my way out of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Male Eight-spotted Skimmers at Farmington Bay
A few days ago I discovered several male Eight-spotted Skimmers close to the edge of Glover Pond at Farmington Bay and was delighted to photograph these beautifully patterned Odonata.
Black-bellied Plover on a Foggy Morning
One a fall day at Fort De Soto I was able to photograph this Black-bellied Plover on a foggy morning up close on the beach.
Swainson’s Hawk Pooping While Perched on a Fence Post
So what better image to end my week of published posts with than a Swainson's Hawk pooping while perched on a fence post in northern Utah? I can't think of one.
Bear River MBR Clark’s Grebe Portrait
This Clark's Grebe portrait shows the brilliant red eye, the smoothness of the sharp bill and tiny water droplets in the downy plumage of the grebe's face, crown and neck.
Male Black-necked Stilt near the auto loop at Bear River MBR
The Black-necked Stilt adults seem to be still keeping an eye on their young and that is what this male Black-necked Stilt was doing near the auto tour loop.
An Extreme Variation of Supplemental Plumage in an American White Pelican
Two days ago while on the auto tour loop at Bear River MBR an American White Pelican caught my eyes because of its unusually dark crown, nape, and neck plumage.
Adult American Bittern at Bear River NWR
The bird I was looking at wasn't a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron at all, it was an adult American Bittern out in the open!
Adult Snowy Egret Hunting for Prey
I liked the crouched position of this Snowy Egret as it was about to strike the prey it was hunting and when it struck it did capture and eat the small fish.
Roadside Swainson’s Hawk in Rural Montana
I thought the invisible fence made this roadside Swainson's Hawk in rural Montana an interesting subject to share.
Beaverhead County Red-tailed Hawks
These are a few of the Beaverhead County Red-tailed Hawks that I have photographed while on this trip to Montana and Idaho.
New Genus for Sandhill Cranes
Another change that has officially occurred was that Sandhill Cranes were moved from the genus Grus to Antigone.
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay – A Familiar Bird with a New Name
The long-awaited Scrub-Jay split has officially happened! Western Scrub-Jay can be crossed out in a our fields guides and the two new names California Scrub-Jay and Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay can be penciled in.
Uinta Ground Squirrels in the Uinta Mountains
One of the Uinta Ground Squirrels stood up and simply looked around right on the shoulder of the road and I couldn't resist photographing it.
American White Pelican in summer plumage
I wanted to share an image of an American White Pelican in summer plumage today because summer is upon us and today marks America's Independence Day.
Mated Pair of Mourning Doves in Northern Utah
Last month while looking for owls in northern Utah I found a mated pair of Mourning Doves resting side by side on a barbed wire fence.
Red-naped Sapsuckers Feeding Chicks at a Nesting Cavity in the Uintas
Finding Red-naped Sapsuckers feeding chicks at a nesting cavity in the Uintas made my day!
Mallard Hen with Duckling at Bear River MBR
Because I was close I wasn't able to get a single image with all of the ducklings and the hen in the frame so I focused on the Mallard hen and with one duckling resting right behind her.
Great Blue Heron Flight over North Beach
This Great Blue Heron was in flight over the north beach of Fort De Soto with dark Australian Pines in the background on a foggy morning.
American Bison Dust Bath
The American Bison dust bath only lasted about one minute, I wish I could shower that fast some mornings!
Dreaming of Oystercatchers
Last night I spent some time dreaming of oystercatchers. I could hear them in my dream and see them scurrying along the waves.
Male Cassin’s Finch in Clark County, Idaho
At times the male Cassin's Finch looked like he was on alert but I can't be sure why, it might have been because of the other finches nearby or that he was keeping an eye out for predators in the sky.
Resting Double-crested Cormorant at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
I spent the morning at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge yesterday and one of the birds I photographed the most was this resting Double-crested Cormorant.
American White Pelican Flight Over Bear River MBR
One of my favorite things is to see is squadrons of American White Pelicans wheeling in the sky high overhead circling until they are out of sight.
American Robin in the Targhee National Forest
I was trying to photograph flickers, wrens and sapsuckers in the Targhee National Forest of Idaho earlier this month when the American Robin in the photo above appeared and softly called.