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Drake Ruddy Duck And His Sky Blue Bill

By Mia McPherson|April 28th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ruddy Ducks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: blue bill, bluebill, breeding plumage, Bubbling Display, close up, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, male, Oxyura jamaicensis, park, pond, portrait, Ruddy Duck, spring, stiff, swimming, tail, up close, urban, water, waterfowl|

Yesterday morning, I had a real treat photographing a drake Ruddy Duck close to home. He was in his most dapper breeding plumage, including his sky blue bill.

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird In A Strong Breeze Plus A Favorite Perch

By Mia McPherson|May 13th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: behavior, branch, breeze, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, calling, colorful, favorite perch, gorget, hummingbird, hummingbirds, landing, male, mountains, perched, preference, Selasphorus platycercus, specific locations, stiff, strong, take off, taking off, tongue, upright, year after year|

When the male Broad-tailed Hummingbird had had enough of getting bounced around he took off in a hurry with the wind fluffing up his upper chest feathers and the right side of his colorful gorget.