Common Raven – My First Of Year Bird 2024
My first bird of the year for 2024 was a Common Raven I found yesterday morning on my way out to the auto tour loop of Bear River MBR.
Northern Utah Winter Waterfowl Photo
The photo I liked the most from yesterday was of winter waterfowl on a small pond with mist rising from the water and hoar frost covering the vegetation.
American Barn Owl Covered In Hoar Frost
This Barn Owl covered in hoar frost was taken during my first full winter living in Utah and it was also the subject of my first blog post here on my site.
Rough-legged Hawk on a Designated Parking Sign
Many of the birds here in the Salt Lake Valley find a place to roost in the evening and overnight frost begins to accumulate on their feathers like it did on this Rough-legged Hawk on a parking sign.
Frosty Trees at Farmington Bay
I remembered this image I took a few years ago of frosty trees at Farmington Bay and how it quietly says "winter".
Great Blue Heron hunkered down against winter’s brutal cold
Last December I photographed this Great Blue Heron as it hunkered down against the brutal cold at the edge of the water in a marsh.
Female American Kestrel On A Frosty Winter Morn
American Kestrels are year round residents in Utah and when the cold sets in they are less skittish and will allow closer approaches.
Snow Birds – Rough-legged Hawks
But for me the "Snow Birds" I have grown to love here in Utah are Rough-legged Hawks who only visit in the winter and spend the rest of their lives breeding in high subarctic and Arctic regions.
Two hours with fog, frost and a four year old Bald Eagle
Patience is absolutely a must for bird photographers and it doesn't hurt to throw a little crazy in the mix too. Spending two hours in freezing temps to photograph a bird might be a little crazy.
Frosted Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area
I have mentioned in recent posts that winter can be harsh in the Salt Lake Valley in posts with images I had taken at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area so I wanted to share these two images taken there yesterday.
White-crowned Sparrows with Frost and Fluff
One of the food items that White-crowned Sparrows depend on during the harsh winters in Utah are the fluffy seeds of the Rabbitbrush that can be covered in hoar frost.
American Barn Owls and Harsh Winters
American Barn Owls are typically strictly nocturnal but during harsh winters with lots of snow they do hunt during the day here in Utah.
Song Sparrows in Winter
Song Sparrows are found throughout the U.S. and into Canada, some populations move south during the winter to southern states and northern Mexico. So far 30 subspecies of Song Sparrows have been described.
Western Meadowlark on a cold Utah Morning
Not too long after I had gotten to my location I spotted a Western Meadowlark hunkered down on a rock trying to warm up with the rays of the rising sun.
Frost this morning!
I get very excited about small things at times, a colorful sunrise, the sight of a shooting star, the first spring crocus and in the fall; the first time I see frost.
Low Light Bird Images
What I appreciate a great deal about my avian photography is working with the light, not fighting it in the camera or in post processing, so I am presenting these images below as what they are, photos taken in low light.
Frost-covered American Barn Owl
This was taken on an early December morning, there was heavy, dismal fog and at times a light snow was falling. The hoar frost was still clinging to the feathers and the facial disc of the Barn Owl.