A few winter birds at Farmington Bay and flapping wings
Maybe when the weather clears tomorrow I'll be able to get back out Farmington Bay to photograph more birds.
Maybe when the weather clears tomorrow I'll be able to get back out Farmington Bay to photograph more birds.
Even when the light is cruddy I can't resist taking images of Coyotes no matter where I spot them.
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.
Every once in a while though the winter sun would penetrate through the fog and it was during one of those moments that I photographed this frost-covered Bison bull as it rested in the grasses.
Yesterday I had a three Coyote day on the causeway to Antelope Island State Park, one was by itself and the other two were traveling together.
I wasn't expecting much from the images but to my delight I liked the effect of the white Tundra Swans on the pure white snow.
Except for one fleeting glance of a Chukar at the end of November I have not seen Chukars on Antelope Island for several months.
I spent the yesterday morning photographing with two great friends at Antelope Island State Park and Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area and had a wonderful time.
It was chilly but bright yesterday morning and there were bluebird skies overhead and Antelope Island State Park beckoned and I of course heeded that call.
As 2014 comes to an end I know I have tons to be grateful for in my personal life, my ever growing passion for bird and nature photography and life in general.
Yesterday was another interesting day on Antelope Island seeing snow-covered Bison, snowy weather, birds and spotting Coyotes at a Mule Deer carcass.
Yesterday morning found me on Antelope Island in low light and falling snow with a pair of Golden Eagles wishing for better light and clear skies.
Two days ago this Western Meadowlark kept me from being skunked at Farmington Bay WMA because there weren't many other birds to photograph up close.
Yesterday morning started out gray and cloudy on Antelope Island and I photographed a few Bison bulls grazing and charging each other.
This beautiful rufous Red-tailed Hawk has been hanging around Farmington Bay for a couple of months now much to the delight of many photographers and myself.
I've been seeing plenty of American Kestrels lately but none have been close enough to get nice images of so I pulled this one out of my archives from 2010.
Typically by this time of the year the water at Farmington Bay WMA is frozen over but this year it wasn't when I photographed this Pied-billed Grebe 4 days ago.
Still waiting for snow here in the Salt Lake Valley so I am posting another snowy image of a Barn Owl taken in December of 2013.
I love to photograph birds in flight and it doesn't matter which species it is. But I do thoroughly enjoy photographing raptors like this Northern Harrier as they fly by.
The day in 2011 when I photographed this Rough-legged Hawk was gray but it didn't really bother me to capture this handsome bird in low light.
So, is this the year that the Grinch stole winter?
After a long dry spell for birds on Antelope Island today I was surprised to photograph this Mountain Chickadee, a bird I didn't expect to see on the island.
The light and clouds looked iffy this morning but Antelope Island didn't disappoint when it came to bison and birds plus some dramatic light.
Barn Owls are gorgeous with their dark as ebony eyes, beautiful plumage and graceful flight so I find it difficult to suppress my delight when I see them on the wing.
In February of 2011 there was a first year Bald Eagle at Farmington Bay WMA that seemed totally unafraid and unconcerned about the people near it.
Personally, I love to see American Robins any time of the year and to watch them searching for prey. Common? Yes, but delightful too.
Last December I photographed this Great Blue Heron as it hunkered down against the brutal cold at the edge of the water in a marsh.
I write about the raptors I expect to see during the winter in Utah but there are also song birds I keep an eye out for too like this immature Northern Shrike.
Today there are great big clouds with small patches of blue sky but two years ago it was very different, we were having a blizzard.
Harlan's Hawks are a subspecies of Red-tailed Hawks that breed in Alaska and northern Canada and spend their winters in the northern Great Plains.