Birds on Wires – European Starling
I know a lot of people don't like European Starlings because they are in introduced species that cause lots of problems for native birds.
Winter Wanderers – Rough-legged Hawks
I have started seeing Rough-legged Hawks again in northern Utah and that has me excited. I have seen them in Utah County and Davis County but I haven't gotten any quality photos of them yet
How House Finches moved East
House Finches are fairly common birds throughout the U.S. Mexico and into Central America but they didn't used to be common in the eastern U.S.
Greater Scaup drake at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
This Greater Scaup drake is making the transition into his breeding plumage an was in among American Coots, a resting female scaup, Pied-Billed Grebes and a single Canvasback.
An American Coot munching on food
American Coots are common birds and some folks might find them fairly plain but I like them and enjoy photographing them too.
Snow Birds – Dark-eyed Juncos
When I lived in Virginia I could almost predict when the first snow would fall because the juncos showed at my feeders up a day or two before the first winter storm.
Downy Woodpecker In The Willows At Farmington Bay
I was delighted to spot this male Downy Woodpecker in the willows the last time I went out to Farmington Bay Bird Refuge.
Pair of Greater Yellowlegs in flight
Shorebirds are still migrating through the Salt Lake Valley and Farmington Bay WMA and there have been quite a few Greater Yellowlegs in the area.
Preening Brewer’s Blackbird
I have been seeing plenty of blackbirds lately at Farmington Bay WMA and a few days ago I photographed this preening Brewer's Blackbird on a fence post.
Red-tailed Hawk lifting off
Lately it has been wonderful to see and photograph more birds including raptors. I think the long dry spell that started the end of July might be over finally.
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay perched on an oak
Last month I was able to photograph this Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay on my way up to Cascade Springs in Wasatch County, Utah as it perched on an oak near the road.
Autumn colors and a resting Clark’s Grebe
Autumn colors have begun to appear and they are delightful when reflected on the water with a nearly black and white subject like this resting Clark's Grebe.
Red-winged Blackbird and a Midge
This male Red-winged Blackbird was photographed yesterday at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.
Young Raccoon On A Duckweed Mat
This young Raccoon looks as grumpy as I feel this morning.
Tricolored Heron Hunting The Gulf Of Mexico’s Shoreline
Tricolored Herons are smaller than Great Blue Herons and larger than Snowy Egrets and all three of these wading birds hunt in many of the same locations along the Gulf Coast.
Looking ahead to winter
We catch up and share stories of birds we saw in the warmer months and reveal the journeys we have been on.
Juvenile American Dippers
The drive to Cascade Springs was beautiful yesterday with the beginnings of fall colors on the mountains but for me the best part was photographing American Dippers again.
The Dunlin gets the worm
I wanted to post a shorebird today that I haven't posted in a while so I picked this image where the late afternoon Dunlin gets the worm
Fire in the sky, fog and a female American Kestrel
The American Kestrel had just finished devouring a small bird of some sort, I really couldn't tell what it was because there were only a few small feathers left by the time I spotted the tiny falcon and when we stopped to photographer her.
Photos that make me laugh – Ruddy Duck female
Some times when I open a photo I took I can't help but laugh for various reasons, in this case when I opened the file the pose of this Ruddy Duck female just "quacked" me up.
Ferruginous Hawk in flight and chicks in a nest
Ferruginous Hawks are the largest hawk in North America which are only found in Canada and the United States and recent DNA analysis suggests that Ferruginous Hawks may be closer to Eagles in taxonomy than that of a hawk.
Greater Yellowlegs and its distorted reflection
Yesterday I photographed two Greater Yellowlegs at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, there was snow on the ground and all around Farmington Bay the snow was falling heavily.
Wishful Thinking
Two years ago I photographed this Rough-legged Hawk with a vole in its talons as it flew along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park with the Great Salt Lake in the background.
Moon set over the Stansbury Mountains of the West Desert
Yesterday while in the West Desert in Tooele County the cirrus clouds appealed to me that fanned out over the Stansbury Mountains.
Waves and a Forster’s Tern
The nonbreeding Forster's Tern in these two images is the same bird and the images were taken ten frames and a few seconds apart as the tern stood on the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida.
Ferruginous Hawk Pano
I love the raised wings of the Ferruginous Hawk, the bright blue sky with just a hint of clouds and the regal raptor soaring above me and the Stansbury Mountains in Tooele County, Utah
What is wrong with this Coyote picture?
That is dog food on a road on Antelope Island State Park. Someone threw it onto the road it didn't just fall from the sky.
Coyote on a Great Salt Lake beach
I hope that no one is getting sick of my Coyotes images. I took this Coyote photo two days ago as it walked on a Great Salt Lake beach.
Bison bull in front of the Wasatch Mountain Range
I'm pleased with this bison image because it contains so many icons of the western U.S., the bison grazing on prairie grasses, the Great Salt Lake and a mountain range in the background.
Resting Mule Deer buck at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
So, my best shots of the day were of this resting Mule Deer buck that I almost missed spotting because he blended in so well with the habitat.