Low Light Female Short-eared Owl Blur
I know that blurs aren't everyone's cup of tea but I have grown quite fond of this beautiful, shaking, Short-eared Owl blur.
I know that blurs aren't everyone's cup of tea but I have grown quite fond of this beautiful, shaking, Short-eared Owl blur.
One thing I know for certain is that when the weather clears I know I am going to head back up there. And I will probably think about the title of this post... Warning - Swainson's Hawks Ahead.
It felt amazing to be alone with these northern Utah Short-eared Owl chicks for a few brief moments yesterday.
I photographed this rainy day Red-tailed Hawk in Clark County, Idaho last year as it perched on an old pole with glass insulators on it
This portrait of a Great Horned Owl chick in a hay barn might not have been taken in the most aesthetically pleasing location but I don't think the owlet gives a hoot about the rusty iron beams and corrugated metal walls.
I liked this image of the side lit Short-eared Owl more than I thought I could.
Five days ago I photographed this male Swainson's Hawk landing with his talons reaching out for the lichen covered rocks he was going to perch on.
I am thoroughly enjoying photographing Burrowing and Short-eared Owls in May and satisfying my owl obsession.
I found an exceptionally obliging Turkey Vulture in Box Elder County warming up in the morning sun.
This year I've seen far more Short-eared Owls in Utah than I have since I moved here in 2009 and I've been enjoying photographing these nomadic and enchanting owls for over a month.
I photographed this juvenile Burrowing Owl balancing act last year in northern Utah not long after the sun came up
So just as I focus on the on the bird he decides to defecate in flight and my image shows the Northern Harrier in a post-defecation pose.
I am not sure why the Red-tailed Hawk lifted off with nesting material in its bill from the nest, maybe the hawk felt that piece of nesting material wasn't suitable.
Two bald headed birds, but very different in appearance, one is a vulture who cleans up the earth and the other a wading bird with pink and carmine plumage.
This banking Red-tailed Hawk is one of the pair that are busy building their nest and making nearby forays to find nesting materials.
This Swainson's Hawk was right next to the road the entire time I photographed it and I was able to get a series of it it where the hawk nearly filled the frame from top to bottom.
This image shows a Short-eared Owl nictitating membrane that is partially exposed. The dark line near the center of the eye is the edge of the nictitating membrane.
I was able to take quite a few images of a very cooperative first spring Northern Harrier that was perched on an old post next to the road in Box Elder County.
I was able to photograph this Peregrine Falcon in flight in front of a brightly colored sandstone cliff face with the light of the setting sun on it. I was delighted.
Last September I was able to observe and photograph a Merlin in southwestern Montana over a period of several days.
Turkey Vultures are Nature's clean up crew. They consume road kill and other dead animals and and in doing so they clean up the messy stuff.
I was able to get a few images of a Golden Eagle yesterday morning as it perched on some huge, ancient boulders in early morning light.
It has been a while since I photographed this Short-eared Owl in Tooele County at the James W. Fitzgerald WMA
At the end of January there was a nice, clear morning at Farmington Bay WMA and I spotted a juvenile female Northern Harrier in a field of snow next to the road who was a cooperative subject.
I went looking for a Snowy Owl and got Barn Owls in flight instead at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
I am always grateful to see Barn Owls in winter and to be able to photograph them in sweet light is a delight.
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.
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.