Tundra Swan – Trumpeter Swan Comparison
I hope this comparison helps anyone who might be struggling with Trumpeter Swan and Tundra Swan identification in the field or when they are looking at their own photos.
Ring-necked Duck And An Odd Lesser Scaup
Seven days ago I found a Ring-necked Duck and an odd Lesser Scaup drake at my local pond. The scaup puzzled me and I wondered if he might be a hybrid.
Bird Talk: American White Pelicans
My subject today is about bird talk: American White Pelicans, my friend Adonis, and his recent first trip back East, and to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Eared And Horned Grebe Nonbreeding Plumage Comparison
This morning, I wanted to share an Eared and Horned Grebe nonbreeding plumage comparison. Why? Because, at this time of year, I can see both species.
Male House Finch Color Comparisons
I photographed this male House Finch at Farmington Bay WMA 3 days ago. I noticed that he seemed dull compared to male House Finches I saw in Arkansas this year.
Least Sandpiper In Kamas Valley
The most surprising and wonderful bird I saw and photographed on Thursday with my friend, April Olson, was a migrating Least Sandpiper in the Kamas Valley.
Adult Male Red-winged Blackbird Crooner
The last time I went up to Bear River MBR, I photographed this male Red-winged Blackbird crooner singing loud and strong.
Singing Red-winged Blackbird Male
After my long and photo heavy Tundra Swan post yesterday I am keeping my post today simple. I'm sharing a single photo of a singing Red-winged Blackbird male.
Lesser And Greater Yellowlegs Comparison
On Monday, I photographed both Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs foraging in a shallow duckweed-covered pond at Farmington Bay WMA early in the morning.
Juvenile Green-tailed and Spotted Towhee Side By Side
Until two days ago I had never gotten photos of a juvenile Green-tailed and young Spotted Towhee in the same frame so I was thrilled when I saw them fly in.
One Wary Dusky Flycatcher
There is a story behind these Dusky Flycatcher photos that I took earlier this week while I sat in my Jeep next to a creek in the Wasatch Mountains.
Trumpeter Swan Photos From Bear River MBR
When I was at Bear River MBR two days ago I was excited to be able to take a nice series of Trumpeter Swan photos on the west side of the auto tour loop.
Bird Identification From A Partial View
There are times I take cruddy photos on purpose when I know that my view of the entire bird is obstructed and that I might only have a partial view of the bird.
American Tree Sparrow In The Wasatch Mountains
Yesterday I was thrilled to spot and photograph an adult American Tree Sparrow high in the Wasatch Mountains.
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.
Gray Flycatcher Perched In Fragrant Sumac
As it turns out this flycatcher gave me a wonderful behavioral clue that made identifying it a little easier for me because I watched it wag its tail slowly up and down repeatedly while perched which Gray Flycatchers are known to do.
How I Know That This A Vesper Sparrow
The first ID features I noticed yesterday with this Vesper Sparrow were the bright, white eyerings and the rufous lesser coverts and I could make my ID from just those two features.
Female and Male American Kestrel Comparison
I've seen people struggle with seeing the differences between male and female American Kestrels and I hope this simple comparison will help.
The answer to the Gull and Tern Quiz is…
The majority of you voted for the correct answer: Juvenile Herring Gull, 1st winter Laughing Gull and Royal Tern
Gull and Tern Quiz
I came across this image this morning while working up my post Bird images from warmer days and all at 300mm or less and thought it might make a great image for a Bird ID Quiz.
Comparing Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night Herons
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.
The ID of the female duck is…
The answer to the ID quiz is a female Green-winged Teal! Out of 49 people taking the quiz there were 6 votes for Mallard, 8 votes for Blue-winged Teal, 9 votes for Gadwall and 26 votes for Green-winged Teal.
Black Skimmers – Down and dirty
My friends say when my images have such a low angle that I must have been "Down 'n dirty". Well I know for sure I was dirty, I had sand everywhere!
American Oystercatchers – Juvenile and Adult
I watched this American Oystercatcher juvenile and its sibling from the time they were just tiny chicks beginning the day after they had hatched.
Friday Photos – White Morph Reddish Egret
Reddish Egrets seem to be natural born "Dancers" when they are hunting for prey, they twirl, spin, piroquette and dip.
White Ibis
In Florida White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) are a fairly common wading bird in Florida they are also seen along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico
Common and Red-breasted Mergansers
Mergansers are considered "diving ducks" and one of the things the three species of mergansers found in North America all have in common are their serrated bills.
Northern & Loggerhead Shrikes
Today was a good day, I finally took some images of a Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) that weren't taken from too far away.
Juvenile Flycatchers
Near the camp site one afternoon I could hear tiny peeping sounds in the pines and I went to investigate, the sweet calls were coming from these juvenile Flycatchers.
Shorebirds of Fort DeSoto – Ruddy Turnstones
One of the easier medium-sized shorebirds to identify on Fort De Soto's beaches and tidal mudflats are the Ruddy Turnstones. The only other turnstone that frequents North America is the Black Turnstone and it occurs on the Pacific coast.