wading birds

A Few Bird Images From This Past Week

By |April 13th, 2013|Categories: American Avocets, Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Great Egrets, Long-billed Curlews, Mountain Plovers, Rarities, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Even though I only got out to photograph birds three times this week each of the days I did get out were very memorable!

Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork Size Comparison

By |February 15th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This photo shows a Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork on the shoreline of a tidal lagoon at Fort De Soto County Park in Florida and it shows how the Wood Stork can dwarf the Roseate Spoonbill in height.

Great Blue Herons In Florida And Utah

By |February 13th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Great Blue Herons are year round residents in both Florida and Utah although conditions during the winter months can be starkly different for these large wading birds in the two locations and climates.

Breeding plumage Tricolored Heron in flight

By |February 5th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Tricolored Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I've always liked this image of a Tricolored Heron in breeding plumage that flew past me while I sat in the water of a tidal lagoon near a Spartina marsh in Florida. Warm water, a sea breeze, birds, nature and photography.

Bird Images From Warmer And Sunnier Days

By |January 31st, 2013|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Brown Pelicans, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets, White Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I love winter, I love seeing snow on the mountains and feeling the crispness in the air but I am getting tired of gray cloudy days and heavy fog so I thought I would post a few bird images from warmer and sunnier days that I took while I lived in Florida.

Monday Blues – Little Blue Heron that is

By |January 28th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Little Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , |

I don't know how much snow fell over night here in the Salt Lake Valley because it is still dark outside and while I am truly not "blue" about it I thought some images from warmer times of a blue bird might be in order for a Monday.

Comparing Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night Herons

By |January 22nd, 2013|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Bird ID, Black-crowned Night Herons, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Utah, Yellow-crowned Night Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The adult Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night Herons aren't terribly difficult to tell apart though the juveniles can be more of a challenge.

Great Blue Heron Winter Delight

By |January 13th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I spotted this Great Blue Heron yesterday at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area and loved the setting with the fresh snow blanketing the steep creek bank.

Roseate Spoonbills In A Sea Fog

By |January 9th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Roseate Spoonbills|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One very foggy May morning I came across a small flock of Roseate Spoonbills in a tidal lagoon at Fort De Soto's north beach and photograph them for about 15 minutes before they flew off to find food.

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron – A Winter Treat

By |January 6th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've mentioned before that Great Blue Herons stay in the Salt Lake Valley over winter even though the temperatures get very cold and so do some of the Black-crowned Night Herons.

Tricolored Heron in breeding plumage with prey

By |November 10th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Tricolored Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While in breeding plumage Tricolored Herons have redder legs, darker red eyes, blue lores and blue on the bill plus a longer, white occipital plume than they do during the nonbreeding season.

Four years ago today at Fort De Soto

By |October 17th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Egrets, Laughing Gulls, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Just a few images taken 4 years ago today at Fort De Soto's north beach. It was not a super busy day but I did get quite a few images that I like.

4 Years ago today when Hurricane Ike stirred things up at Fort De Soto

By |September 12th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets, Ring-billed Gulls, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Four years ago today Hurricane Ike was out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and the waves that it generated made a strong splash at Fort De Soto County Park.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron or Orange-eyed Day Heron?

By |September 4th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Yellow-crowned Night Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Despite having "Night Heron" in their name Yellow-crowned Night Herons (Nyctanassa violacea) are not strictly denizens of the dark, they can and do stalk their prey during the daylight hours too.

What I could have done to improve this image

By |August 19th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This image could have been better. I have no doubt about that. I did get the exposure right and I like the action. But there are far too many things about this photo that just don't work.

Great Blue Heron Portrait

By |August 2nd, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) got up close and personal with me a few years ago in Florida, it largely ignored my presence altogether as it stalked prey on shore of the Gulf of Mexico.

White Morph Reddish Egret in Stormy Light

By |June 11th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In my two previous posts of a Snowy Egret and a Great Egret I mentioned how the early morning light and a nearby storm gave those images a feeling of drama. These white morph Reddish Egret images were taken that same morning not long after I created the Great Egret photos.

Great Egret on a Stormy Morning

By |June 10th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I posted a Snowy Egret hunting in early morning light and mentioned that early morning or late afternoon light can add drama to an image, in today's post I will explain a bit more about the dramatic light in the Snowy Egret image and these images of a Great Egret (Ardea alba).

Birds of Bear River MBR – Snowy Egrets

By |June 5th, 2012|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Snowy Egrets, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Recently I spent two days in a row photographing birds at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (aka Bear River National Wildlife Refuge) and found plenty of birds to aim my lens at.

Snowy Egret – Moody Blues

By |May 18th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Low light, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Snowy Egret image was taken just after the sun had risen above the horizon in about the same location as the egret image I posted yesterday but at a completely different time of the year.

Snowy Egret – Show Me Those Golden Slippers!

By |May 17th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was photographing at Fort De Soto's north beach on May 30th, 2008 when I had a very cooperative Snowy Egret start fishing in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico right in front of me.

Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) in Breeding Plumage

By |May 14th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Tricolored Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Some images remind me of the wonderful day I had when I created a certain image, this photo of a Tricolored Heron in breeding plumage photographed at the north beach of Fort De Soto, Florida is one of those files.

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