Why I See More Than A Tree In These Photos

By |2023-12-29T05:01:28-07:00December 29th, 2023|Categories: Conservation, Davis County, Environment, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Habitat, Trees, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Both of these photos show the same tree on Goose Egg Island at Farmington Bay WMA. The images were taken in December of 2022 and 2013.

Box Elder Seeds And Water Birch Leaves

By |2023-11-19T04:41:53-07:00November 19th, 2023|Categories: Box Elders, Salt Lake County, Utah, Water Birch|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm sharing two photos this morning: one of Box Elder Maple seeds and another of Water Birch leaves that I took last autumn while on walks close to home.

Yellow Warbler And Golden Quaking Aspen Leaves

By |2023-09-17T05:10:35-06:00September 17th, 2023|Categories: Birds, East Canyon, Morgan County, Quaking Aspens, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Three years ago today, I was up in the Wasatch Mountains, focused on a bright Yellow Warbler snugly nestled in a hawthorn tree on a hillside.

Pretty but Problematic: The Bradford Pear Tree

By |2023-05-07T07:15:39-06:00May 7th, 2023|Categories: Bradford Pears, Salt Lake County, Trees, Shrubs and Flowers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On the first of May I took a series of blossoming Bradford Pear tree images. I've been meaning to do that for years to show that they are pretty, but...

Sycamore Bark Close Up

By |2023-09-08T02:46:15-06:00December 5th, 2022|Categories: American Sycamore, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday afternoon, after I walked around my local pond and the Jordan River Parkway Trail, I stopped to take close up photos of the bark on my neighbor's American Sycamore tree.

Golden Cottonwood Leaf On Fresh Snow

By |2022-11-11T03:46:49-07:00November 11th, 2022|Categories: Eastern Cottonwood, Salt Lake County, Trees, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I had planned on walking along the Jordan River after the sun came up and when I saw that there was fresh snow on the ground I was even more excited.

Cottonwood Tree On The Jordan River Trail

By |2022-10-14T05:55:49-06:00October 12th, 2022|Categories: Fremont Cottonwood, Jordan River Parkway Trail, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Being a tactile person, I appreciated getting close to and touching a cottonwood tree on the bank of the Jordan River on my walk last Sunday.

Low Light Male Mountain Bluebird

By |2022-04-22T05:44:49-06:00April 22nd, 2022|Categories: Birds, Mountain Bluebirds, Scenics, Summit County, Trees, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago while I was high in the Wasatch Mountains this adult male Mountain Bluebird landed close enough for me to take photos of him.

Snow Dusted Views Of Utah’s West Desert Mountains

By |2021-10-14T06:47:43-06:00October 14th, 2021|Categories: Tooele County, Trees, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I saw snow on Utah's West Desert mountains for the first time since late spring so I thought I'd share a few views of what I saw while out there yesterday morning.

Thoughts on Our Drought, Douglas Firs, And Birds

By |2021-09-27T05:44:04-06:00September 27th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Tooele County, Trees, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Drought stressed Douglas Fir trees will produce what is called a "stress crop" of cones which is what I believe is happening to the firs in this location.

Poppies, Birds, Trees, Butterflies And A Smoky Haze

By |2023-08-18T12:13:26-06:00August 5th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Flatbud Prickly Poppy, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Trees, Utah, Weidemeyer's Admiral Butterflies, West Desert, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first time I raised my lens yesterday morning it was for blooming Prickly Poppies that were along the shoulder of the bumpy gravel road.

Trees, Shrubs, Wildflowers And A Butterfly

By |2024-02-09T04:59:37-07:00May 23rd, 2021|Categories: California Tortoiseshell Butterflies, Shrubs, Tooele County, Trees, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On a recent trip to the West Desert sky island mountains in Tooele County I found my lens pointed at trees, shrubs, wildflowers and a butterfly.

Blooming Chokecherry Trees In Utah’s Wasatch Mountains

By |2021-05-23T09:11:15-06:00June 8th, 2020|Categories: Summit County, Trees, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I am not just a bird photographer. I am also a student of nature each and every time I venture into the field because being out there teaches me something new on practically every journey.

Serviceberries Are Blooming In The Wasatch Mountains

By |2022-08-15T05:40:44-06:00May 24th, 2020|Categories: Morgan County, Shrubs, Trees, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

What got me so excited was seeing how many serviceberries there were blooming on the slopes of the mountains and how thick the blossoms were on each of the shrubs.

Fall Colors In The Wasatch Mountains Plus A Male Dusky Grouse

By |2022-10-02T06:08:47-06:00September 28th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Dusky Grouse, Sky Line Drive, Bountiful Canyon, Trees, Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This morning is cloudy and gray but seven years ago today it was bright, the air was crisp and the fall colors of the Front Range of the Wasatch Mountains were in their full glory.

Douglas Firs – Bird Food Grown, Stored And Served in Handy Cones

By |2023-10-17T19:33:45-06:00September 15th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Daggett County, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Pine Siskins, Red Crossbills, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Trees, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The cones of Douglas Firs provide food for birds and mammals and the trees provide shelter and nesting areas too. I've been paying attention to the Douglas Firs we have here for several years because of the birds I know I can find eating the seeds of the trees from their cones.

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird Defending His Chokecherry Perch

By |2021-05-11T14:58:38-06:00June 27th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Morgan County, Shrubs, Trees, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It was interesting to watch and photograph this little Broad-tailed Hummingbird defend his favorite perch from the intruders I barely saw but could hear as they flew in and he flew out to chase them away.

Flowering Serviceberries – More Blooming Bird Food

By |2021-05-13T20:45:28-06:00June 9th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Lazuli Buntings, Morgan County, Shrubs, Trees, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Like the chokecherries I wrote about yesterday it seems that because of our wetter than normal spring the serviceberries are also doing very well so there should be plentiful fruit for the birds to feast on before they migrate this fall.

Flowering Chokecherry Trees – AKA Blooming Bird Food

By |2024-03-10T09:47:26-06:00June 8th, 2019|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Morgan County, Shrubs, Smith and Morehouse Reservoir, Summit County, Trees, Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Because of our wetter than normal spring it seems that the chokecherries are doing well, extremely well. Many of the chokecherry branches are bending low because of the weight of the blossoms. 

Lazuli Buntings In Serviceberry Trees – Fattening Up Before Migration

By |2021-06-01T04:25:01-06:00August 26th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Lazuli Buntings, Morgan County, Shrubs, Trees, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Over the past couple of weeks I have been able to photograph male, female and immature Lazuli Buntings as they have been gorging on the fruits of Serviceberry trees to fatten up before their migration.

Aspen Eyes – Where Trees Appear To Gaze At The World Around Them

By |2024-02-18T14:10:53-07:00June 17th, 2018|Categories: Clark County, Idaho, Summit County, Targhee National Forest, Trees, Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I love seeing the Aspen eyes of the forest upon me and I find myself happy to photograph them whenever I can.

Gunlock State Park, a few birds and Mojave Joshua Trees

By |2021-07-08T10:59:16-06:00October 13th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Gunlock State Park, House Finches, Mojave Desert, Red-tailed Hawks, Trees, Utah, Washington County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I enjoyed my journey to Beaver Dam Wash, Gunlock State Park and the Mojave Desert even though I didn't see the birds I hoped to photograph, every journey is an adventure.

Conservation Is A State Of Harmony

By |2023-01-11T07:07:47-07:00October 6th, 2014|Categories: Conservation, Dead Horse Point State Park, Trees, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I would love to say that while I am wandering around exploring the natural wonders we have been gifted with that I can forget about the assaults on the land and the creatures that live there but I can't.

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