Northern & Loggerhead Shrikes
Today was a good day, I finally took some images of a Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) that weren't taken from too far away.
Hidden Treasures
As a bird photographer I often strive for images where the subjects are out in the open, without distractions in the fore or background, but as with any photographic "rule", they are made to be broken.
Black-headed Grosbeaks
This male Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) sure caught my eye with its beautiful orange, black and white plumage.
Roseate Spoonbills
Cotton candy pink... are the descriptive words I thought of when I saw my first Roseate Spoonbill.
Laughing Gulls
Laughing Gulls are quite common on the east and Gulf coastlines of the US, during breeding season they are usually found near saltwater but in nonbreeding season they are known to wander widely.
Lazuli Bunting males
Male Lazuli Buntings resemble bluebirds but they are smaller and the blues are a different hue than the Mountain, Eastern and Western Bluebirds.
Short-eared Owl In A Fog
I hope to find some Short-eared Owls this winter in Utah, I think that some snow would make for a lovely setting for these delightful & enchanting birds.
Wilson’s Plover
There are times that I open an image on my computer screen and I can't help but laugh. This is one of those images for me because of the tilt of the head of the Wilson's Plover.
Great Egret – Light on White
Great Egret (Ardea alba) in flight, a balance of whites and light
Black-bellied Plover
I love watching Black-bellied Plovers hunting. They take a few steps, stop, look and listen, then do it all over again.
Song Sparrow
Sometimes life gets so busy that it takes me quite awhile to edit some of the images I take, this Song Sparrow photo is one of those.
Wood Stork portrait
It is my opinion that Wood Storks do not get nearly the same exposure as other big white wading birds.
Adult Burrowing Owls
I felt it was time to put the beauty of the adult Burrowing Owls in the limelight.
Black-crowned Night Heron portrait
Since I moved to Utah I have never been able to get as close to Black-crowned Night Herons like I was able to approach this bird in Florida.
Juvenile Flycatchers
Near the camp site one afternoon I could hear tiny peeping sounds in the pines and I went to investigate, the sweet calls were coming from these juvenile Flycatchers.
Shorebirds of Fort DeSoto – Ruddy Turnstones
One of the easier medium-sized shorebirds to identify on Fort De Soto's beaches and tidal mudflats are the Ruddy Turnstones. The only other turnstone that frequents North America is the Black Turnstone and it occurs on the Pacific coast.
Shorebirds of Fort DeSoto – The Plovers
Throughout the year you can see and photograph many different species of Plovers on Fort De Soto’s beaches, tidal lagoons and spartina marshes.
Pinto Bean Laughing Gulls
On several occasions I have seen and photographed Laughing Gulls that have strange colored markings on their bills and legs. I have assumed that they are partially leucistic though I could be wrong.
Comparing Two Grebe Species
Two Grebe species that are often misidentified are the Clark's and Western Grebes.
Sage Thrashers
Sage Thrashers are from the Mimid family. They forage mainly on the ground for insects, though they do eat berries at times.
Nesting American Oystercatchers
Nesting American Oystercatchers create simple scrapes on coastal beaches, dunes and salt marshes to lay their eggs in. They usually lay between 2-3 eggs around April to May.