Two days ago I was able to photograph a Green-tailed Towhee foraging next to a gravel road up in a Wasatch Mountain Canyon, getting these birds out in the open can be a challenge so I was excited that this towhee was in the clear.
Last month I had a few opportunities to photograph juvenile Mountain Bluebirds in a Wasatch Mountain canyon while they were being fed by adults and as they learned to hunt on their own.
Both of the fledgling Short-eared Owls I took photos of that morning appeared very relaxed while I photographed them, they looked around, preened, yawned, stretched and even rested with their eyes closed.
Maybe I have the summer doldrums. I am not sure, but I know I will be glad to get back out shooting again.
I was also delighted to photograph this juvenile Mountain Bluebird on the way to Gravelly Range early in the morning.
It felt amazing to be alone with these northern Utah Short-eared Owl chicks for a few brief moments yesterday.
Yesterday I was able to photograph a Western Meadowlark bathing in a puddle in a gravel road on Antelope Island State Park under mostly sunny skies.
Yesterday morning I photographed this Pronghorn buck in the road near Ladyfinger Point on Antelope Island State Park as he stood next to the double yellow lines.
And this one of the Long-tailed Weasel at the side of the road that shows its face, dark eyes and cute rounded ears but it also shows that the weasel appears to be injured on the left of its nose.
I might need to go wandering up the canyons and Sky Line Drive soon just to see what birds and creatures I can find.
This Western meadowlark image was taken January 2nd on Antelope Island after a snow fall and it made me think of how hard life can be for these birds.
Raising the glass attached to my camera that is! I'm excited about the photographic opportunities that will present themselves in 2015.
Last month while up in Montana I saw this young Red-tailed Hawk just standing in the road looking around and not acting the least bit concerned about the pickup or the two large lens that were pointed at it.
I don't see Dusky Grouse near as often as I would like to see them so I was quite happy when I saw several of them last week on my way up Skyline Drive to Bountiful Peak in northern Utah.
A few days ago I spotted this female American Kestrel on the road to Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, and I do mean in the road. She almost didn't move even when the pickup was 20 feet from her as we rolled to a stop.
What I saw through my lens was a Mountain Plover, a bird I have long dreamed of seeing. A rarity here in Utah.
Near the summit of Francis Peak, elevation 9,560 feet, I spotted this Dusky Grouse male on the edge of a gravel road with a steep drop off to the west and I was able to get a few photographs of it before we motioned to a pickup truck coming down from the summit to move forward.
This past week I have seen a few Sage Thrashers on Antelope Island State Park and although none of them were close enough to photograph I know it won't be long before I will be able to create new images of them.
The coyote pup followed after the parent but stopped in the road long enough for a few close up photos.