Male Eight-spotted Skimmers at Farmington Bay
A few days ago I discovered several male Eight-spotted Skimmers close to the edge of Glover Pond at Farmington Bay and was delighted to photograph these beautifully patterned Odonata.
A few days ago I discovered several male Eight-spotted Skimmers close to the edge of Glover Pond at Farmington Bay and was delighted to photograph these beautifully patterned Odonata.
The Black-necked Stilt adults seem to be still keeping an eye on their young and that is what this male Black-necked Stilt was doing near the auto tour loop.
I thought the invisible fence made this roadside Swainson's Hawk in rural Montana an interesting subject to share.
My journey in life has taken me to many places and I'm glad that it brought me to Utah where I am enjoying photographing birds, wildlife and scenery. Seven years ago today.
Another change that has officially occurred was that Sandhill Cranes were moved from the genus Grus to Antigone.
Last month while looking for owls in northern Utah I found a mated pair of Mourning Doves resting side by side on a barbed wire fence.
Finding Red-naped Sapsuckers feeding chicks at a nesting cavity in the Uintas made my day!
The American Bison dust bath only lasted about one minute, I wish I could shower that fast some mornings!
At times the male Cassin's Finch looked like he was on alert but I can't be sure why, it might have been because of the other finches nearby or that he was keeping an eye out for predators in the sky.
I was photographing this adult hoping to get it on lift off and in flight but looked away from my viewfinder to check my exposure exactly at the time it did lift off so I missed the shots.
The male Short-eared Owl in Clark County, Idaho was a beauty even in the poor light.
I liked this image of a Tree Swallow near Modoc Creek because of the eye contact, head turn, colors and the pattern of the conifer needles in the background.
I was able to see and photograph a long Short-eared Owl preening session where I could see the owl's ear canal, uropygial gland and some extremely interesting and twisted poses.
While I have been photographing Short-eared Owls in northern Utah I have come across this intriguing and very tame Northern Harrier over and over in the same location.
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.
The subdued beauty of Mourning Doves is often overlooked especially if there are more colorful birds around but for me their beauty is undeniable.
I am thoroughly enjoying photographing Burrowing and Short-eared Owls in May and satisfying my owl obsession.
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 my favorite nesting tree in the Targhee National Forest and this Northern Flicker nesting cavity.
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.
Six years ago today I photographed my first Short-eared Owl in low light at Bear River MBR and it was the day my obsession and fascination with these beautiful owls began.
The Long-billed Curlews on Antelope Island are fascinating subjects to photograph and observe or anywhere for that matter.
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.
While I was focused on the lark a small bird; presumably a sparrow, zoomed past and I captured an image of a startled Horned Lark who reacted by raising his wings and calling while he moved down the rock a bit.
Yesterday at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge I was able to photograph several first spring Red-winged Blackbird males.
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.
Yesterday it was the northern Utah Short-eared Owls that made me so very glad that I am a bird photographer and that for a little while I am part of their world.
I was able to take this male Yellow-headed Blackbird portrait because the bird seemed more intent on catching midges than being nervous about me.
I was able to take a Mallard drake portrait of one of the ducks that were close and loved how this showed the blue green iridescence.