migration

I Spotted My First Of Season Western Kingbirds Four Days Ago

By |March 25th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Western Kingbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While I was up in Box Elder County, Utah four days ago I spotted my first of season Western Kingbirds chasing each other around in flight near a ranch.

Barn Swallows – Soon To Arrive In Northern Utah

By |March 14th, 2020|Categories: Barn Swallows, Birds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Perhaps the next weather front coming from the south will push these Barn Swallows into northern Utah, I know I will be watching for their arrival.

Rough-legged Hawks Will Be Leaving – Swainson’s Hawks Will Arrive Soon

By |February 29th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Rough-legged Hawks, Swainson's Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It is almost time for me to see a seasonal switch of raptors here in northern Utah because the Rough-legged Hawks will leaving and the Swainson's will arrive soon.

Focusing On A Greater Yellowlegs With A Small Fish

By |October 24th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Greater Yellowlegs, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'd watched the Greater Yellowlegs foraging and most of the time the prey was too tiny to see but this little fish was a nice catch for the shorebird and for me.

Immature Yellow-rumped Warbler And Damselfly Prey

By |October 13th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

When I photographed this immature Yellow-rumped Warbler two days ago I couldn't tell what prey it had snagged so I was surprised when I got home and saw that the warbler had snatched a damselfly.

Molting Immature Clark’s Grebe Shaking Its Feathers

By |October 10th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Clark's Grebes, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Our Clark's and Western Grebes will be leaving here soon and except for a few downy feathers on this one's forehead it looks like it is ready to take on its first migration.

Hatch Year Cooper’s Hawk Resting In Sagebrush

By |September 23rd, 2019|Categories: Birds, Cooper’s Hawks, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Spotting this immature Cooper's Hawk resting in sagebrush yesterday was the highlight of my morning and even though the setting is messy I like that it shows this young hawk in the habitat this species can be found in.  

Fall Yellow-rumped Warbler In My Viewfinder

By |September 20th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

For a few brief moments yesterday morning I had a lovely Yellow-rumped Warbler in my viewfinder at Farmington Bay that had perched in a leafy tree and I took full advantage of it being nearby.

Swallow Quartet – Bank, Barn, Cliff And Tree Swallows At Bear River MBR

By |September 7th, 2019|Categories: Bank Swallows, Barn Swallows, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Cliff Swallows, Tree Swallows, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was glad to be able to photograph Bank, Barn, Cliff and Tree Swallows perched on top of a stand of phragmites near the auto tour route on the refuge in early morning light.

Early Spring American Tree Sparrow

By |March 19th, 2019|Categories: American Tree Sparrows, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

The last time I wrote about American Tree Sparrows I said that they would be migrating soon and that I hoped I could take a few more photos of them before they migrated and I had that opportunity two days ago.

Migrating Turkey Vultures Are On The Wing

By |March 9th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I miss seeing and photographing Turkey Vultures during the winter and now I am excited that very soon I'll be seeing them roosting on fence posts, rocky outcroppings, cattle gates, trees, corrals and the ground, riding the thermals, thermoregulating and scarfing up road kill all over the place!

Adult And Immature Tundra Swans At Bear River MBR

By |January 10th, 2019|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I am itching to get back out into the field and one of the places I am most excited to get back to is Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Box Elder County, Utah because of the Tundra Swans that I know are there.

Autumn Audubon’s Yellow-rumped Warbler

By |November 13th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Wood-Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I seem to have missed out on seeing lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers this year during their fall migration, I saw a few back in late September and early October but haven't seen any for some time.

Greater Yellowlegs In Utah During Late Fall and Winter? It’s Not Unusual

By |November 5th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Greater Yellowlegs, Shorebirds, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've been seeing lots of Greater Yellowlegs recently at Farmington Bay WMA here in northern Utah and that might seem unusual because signs of winter have already shown but it really isn't that unusual at all for this species of shorebirds.

Gunnison Island Pelicans Are On The Move – Help Out By Reporting Wing Tagged American White Pelicans

By |September 30th, 2018|Categories: American White Pelicans, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bird photographers, birders, nature watchers and citizen scientists can help out by reporting all banded birds including our Gunnison Island American White Pelicans.

Snowy Egrets in Flight On A September Morning

By |September 25th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Snowy Egrets, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

It has been a while since I photographed Snowy Egrets so having them in my viewfinder yesterday morning was a real treat especially since they will be migrating soon and I will go the winter without seeing them.

Incredible Phalarope Migration Happening Now at the Great Salt Lake

By |July 19th, 2018|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Red-necked Phalaropes, Utah, Wilson's Phalaropes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Red-necked and Wilson's Phalaropes have started their fall migration and one of the places where they gather in large numbers is the Great Salt Lake where they show up in the tens of thousands to feed and rest before continuing their journey.

Snowy Egrets Have Migrated Back To Northern Utah

By |April 14th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Snowy Egrets, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I lived in Florida I saw Snowy Egrets year round and that kind of spoiled me but here in Utah they leave for the winter and come back to the marshes and wetlands surrounding the Great Salt Lake for their breeding season.

Tundra Swans Of Bear River MBR On The Wing

By |March 26th, 2018|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Seeing a few flocks of Tundra Swans in flight two days in northern Utah was a reminder that these big, white swans have already begun their migration to their breeding grounds on the tundra of northern Canada and Alaska.

Killdeer Calling in Flight at Night

By |March 19th, 2018|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Killdeer, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A few nights ago I opened the door to check out the cloud cover and weather conditions before going to bed and for the first time since I moved to Utah I heard a flock of calling Killdeer flying past in the pitch black night.

Franklin’s Gulls at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By |October 14th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Franklin's Gulls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Franklin's Gulls are only here in northern Utah during the breeding season, during the winter they spend their time along the west coast of South America.

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