It Has Been Five Years…
That is one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven posts about birds, wildlife, flowers and the incredible scenery I see out in the field.
Nesting Northern Flickers Provide Nests For Other Birds
By excavating their own nests Northern Flickers provide nests for other woodland birds that can't excavate nesting cavities on their own and those nests can be used over and over again. Nature is brilliant.
Photographing Willow Flycatchers
Once I'm in Willow Flycatcher habitat the next thing I do is to listen for them. I often hear Willow Flycatchers before I see them because they can blend into their habitat well.
My Rare Mountain Plover Sighting Happened Almost Seven Years Ago
My rare Mountain Plover sighting happened almost seven years ago on Antelope Island State Park when I spotted, identified and photographed of the plovers during spring migration.
I Spotted My First Of Season Western Kingbirds Four Days Ago
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.
Perched Broad-tailed Hummingbird Male
It won't be long before I hear the buzzing wings, chips and chitters of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds in the mountains of northern Utah and I am very much looking forward to their return.
Resting Adult Black-crowned Night Heron
About two weeks ago I was able to photograph two Black-crowned Night Herons, one was immature and the other was an adult.
Puzzling Absence Of Double-crested Cormorants This Winter At My Local Ponds
Every winter since I moved to northern Utah in 2009 I have found a few Double-crested Cormorants overwintering at my local ponds but this winter has been very different.
Adult Canada Goose Resting On Ice At Bear River MBR
Yesterday I shared a photo of a Bald Eagle resting on the icy marsh at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and this morning I am sharing a Canada Goose doing exactly the same thing.
Early Morning Immature Black-crowned Night Heron
I spent some time yesterday morning focused on photographing an immature Black-crowned Night Heron at the dawn of the day in the marsh at Farmington Bay WMA.
Immature Bald Eagles Up High In The Wasatch Mountains
On the first of February when I found and photographed an unusual and distinctive Bald Eagle with leucism I also photographed two more immature eagles in the same area.
Second Winter Bald Eagle With Leucism On Its Forehead, Crown And Throat
Yesterday morning I spent some time up in the Wasatch Mountains and I am so glad that I did because I found a second winter Bald Eagle with leucism.
Concentrating On Great Blue Herons In Winter
There were plenty of Great Blue Herons to photograph yesterday morning at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and I was more than happy to take photos of them.
Photographing Great Blue Herons On The Frozen Marshes Of Bear River MBR
Yesterday morning I spent time focusing on photographing Great Blue Herons on the frozen marshes of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
Low Light Drake Mallard Portrait
Because of the low light and snowy conditions on the first day of the year I did not take many photos of the birds that I saw but I did get a few mallard images that I liked.
Focusing On Winter Redheads
Why were the mallards sticking close to this Redhead? That was because she was diving down into the pond and bringing up aquatic vegetation to feed on and the mallards were stealing bits of it from her.
Dark Morph Ferruginous Hawk Photographed In Early Morning Light
I photograph birds all the time and there are a few that simply take my breath away and totally mesmerize me, this dark morph Ferruginous Hawk is one of those birds.
Resting Ruddy Duck In A Fog
I'm really glad I looked at these ducks in the fog and decided to take photos of them even though I was looking towards the sun instead of away from it like I typically do when photographing birds.
Photographing A Cooperative Immature Cooper’s Hawk
I couldn't have asked for a better birdy subject yesterday morning than this relaxed and cooperative immature Cooper's Hawk and I loved the setting it was in too.
Immature Turkey Vultures In Northern Utah
I don't have many decent photos of immature Turkey Vultures so when I spotted several of them 11 days ago in northern Utah I was excited but my hopes for good light on the hatch year birds were dashed by clouds.
Rare Brown Pelican At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
The Brown Pelican didn't do much while I had it in my viewfinder and I probably took way too many photos of it but I don't care, it was unique to see here in land-locked Utah and the setting of the Bear River was definitely different than the many times I have photographed this species back East.
Photographing Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk Siblings
I spent 26 minutes yesterday photographing juvenile Red-tailed Hawk siblings and had a blast watching them preen, lift off, flying, scratching, resting and landing.
Resting Great Blue Heron In Winter
The Great Blue Heron had flown in and landed near the shoreline on the other side of the pond where the bank was covered with snow and the heron rested there for a bit.
Female And Male Black-necked Stilts
These two Black-necked Stilt photos were taken 9 days ago at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and I thought they could easily show the difference between the female and male of this species.
Male Red-tailed Hawk Resting On A Desert Cliff
The best bird I spotted that I could photograph was a male Red-tailed Hawk resting on a cliff face and what I loved about this photo was all the grasses, lichen, wildflowers and the sage high up on the cliff.
Resting Sage Thrasher Plus My Concerns About Biting Gnats
So as of right now I am not sure whether I will be spending time on the island after the biting gnats come out which means if I am going to photograph Sage Thrashers displaying I need to find the thrashers some place else.
Resting Black-billed Magpie Close Up On Antelope Island
So far this year the only photo I've taken of the nest building magpies that I have liked is this close up of a resting Black-billed Magpie who was taking a break from looking for nesting materials.
White-tailed Antelope Squirrel Resting On A Boulder In Wayne County, Utah
I photographed this White-tailed Antelope Squirrel in 2016 near Torrey in Wayne County, Utah, the squirrel was resting on a boulder a couple hundred yards away from where I was camping.
Domestic Mallard Feather Details – Up Close
I really can't pin down why I like this mallard photo and honestly I don't feel a need to figure out why I do. I simply do.
Resting Feral Domestic Mallard With An Eye On Me
The only image I liked of the few I took yesterday afternoon was of this resting, feral domestic Mallard that appeared to be keeping an eye on me while it floated next to the shoreline of the pond.