Bird behavior

One Willet’s defense of its young

By Mia McPherson|July 16th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Davis County, Utah, Willets|Tags: adult, aerial defense, alarmed, Bird behavior, Black-billed Magpie, calling, chicks, defense, defensive, flight, flying, grasses, Great Salt Lake, juveniles, magpie, magpies, perched, Pica hudsonia, prairie grasses, predators, response, sandpipers, shorebirds, threat, Tringa semipalmata, Tringa semipalmata inornata, wildlife, Willet, willets, young|

Yesterday I observed an adult Willet defending its young from a group of Black-billed Magpies that were near the Willet's chicks.

Northern Harrier expelling a pellet

By Mia McPherson|December 29th, 2010|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: Bird behavior, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, hawk, hawks, nature, Northern Harrier, pellet, pellet expulsion, regugitating a pellet|

This Northern Harrier took about a minute to expel the pellet and I filled my buffer several times trying to catch all the action. The harrier appeared to be concentrating so hard on regurgitating the pellet that it nearly fell off of the fence.