Tooele County

Singing Green-tailed Towhee

By Mia McPherson, on May 8th, 2013%

Singing Green-tailed Towhee

Yesterday I was able to photograph this Green-tailed Towhee as it sang on top of a Juniper in a canyon of the Stansbury Mountains in Tooele County, Utah. So far this is the best image I have been able to create of this species. This was a large crop though and wouldn’t be suitable for printing so my hope is that I’ll be able to approach this species more closely to get some frame filling images of Green-tailed Towhees.

Mule Deer Doe in the Stansbury Mountains

By Mia McPherson, on May 7th, 2013%

Mule Deer Doe

I photographed this Mule Deer doe while camping in North Willow Canyon in the Stansbury Mountain Range of Tooele County, Utah. The doe and several others were grazing on the grasses of our campsite when we came back from photographing bird and this doe sort of danced her way towards us, that is about the closest I can come to describing how she was moving. She definitely kept her eyes on us while the rest of the deer nibbled the fresh spring grasses.

The Mulies are losing their heavy winter coats and will soon appear in their sleeker summer coats and giving birth to the fawns.

Mia

More Mule Deer images

Female American Kestrel in the West Desert

By Mia McPherson, on April 28th, 2013%

Female American Kestrel perched on a mound of dirt in the west desert – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

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. I don’t know if we were in Tooele or Juab County at that point but it did seem to be an odd place for an American Kestrel to be, miles from the closest cliffs or mountains and in an area were the vegetation was almost nonexistent. She flew up from the road and landed on one of the trail markers for the Pony Express and from there across the road to perch on a small mound of dirt.

American Kestrel female about to lift off from a mound of dirt in the west desert - Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

I took four images of the female kestrel while she was on that mound of dirt last Wednesday and I hoped that my exposure was going to work because I didn’t have time to change it before she lifted off and flew out over the arid desert. This was my last image of her before she left and I love the pose she left me with along with the memories of an American Kestrel in the west desert of Utah.

I don’t know why she was there but I am very glad she was.

Mia

Tale Of A Red-tailed Hawk

By Mia McPherson, on April 26th, 2013%

Perched adult Red-tailed Hawk

This is a rather short tale about a Red-tailed Hawk although the tail of the Red-tailed Hawk is no shorter than any other Red-tailed Hawk. It is just a tale of a perched Red-tailed Hawk adult …

Adult Red-tail lifting off

Who lifted off from its lofty perch…

Red-tailed adult with wings spread out

To soar and survey its kingdom…

Red-tailed Hawk adult flying by

And to give me a look at its regal eye as it flew past me in its royal plumage.

Mia

More Red-tailed Hawk images

Great Horned Owls and Horned Larks – Birds with Ear Tufts

By Mia McPherson, on April 15th, 2013%

Female Horned Lark

Great Horned Owls and Horned Larks are species of birds that have ear tufts that I photograph regularly here in Utah. The female Horned Larks “horns” are not usually visible. This female was photographed near the Stansbury Mountains in Tooele County, Utah.

Male Horned Lark

The “horns” of male Horned Larks are though and because the “horns” are a dark color they stand out more. This male was photographed near the Stansbury Mountains in Tooele County, Utah on a different day than the female above.

Female Great Horned Owl

The ear tufts of male and female Great Horned Owls are clearly visible and the size of the owls is how to determine gender. This female is larger than male Great Horned Owls. She was photographed on Antelope Island State Park in Davis County, Utah as she rested in a Tamarisk.

Male Great Horned Owl

This male was photographed on Antelope Island State Park in Davis County, Utah resting in the same Tamarisk on a different day than the female was photographed. The Tamarisk are an invasive species and have since been chopped down, I think it is a shame that the Tamarisks were not girdled which would have killed them but still left the dead Tamarisk for Owls and other birds of prey to use as perches.

It’s spring, isn’t it? How come there is snow on the ground this morning??? Springtime in Utah is fickle I tell you!

Mia