plumage

My Leucistic Song Sparrow Sighting

By |2023-10-15T04:15:48-05:00October 15th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Leucistic, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

My second gobsmack in a week occurred when I spotted a stunning leucistic Song Sparrow while driving slowly along the road at Farmington Bay WMA two days ago.

Late Summer Baby Pied-billed Grebes

By |2023-09-22T03:52:02-05:00September 20th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Pied-billed Grebes, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On my most recent trip to Bear River MBR, I had a huge thrill. I found four baby Pied-billed Grebes still in their striped juvenile plumage in the marsh.

Irresistible Young Yellow Warbler

By |2022-07-09T05:15:07-05:00July 9th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I photographed a juvenile Yellow Warbler in the patchy mix of yellow and gray feathers that they only sport for a short time after fledging.

Willow Flycatcher In Creek-side Willows

By |2021-05-04T12:47:19-05:00June 12th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Willow Flycatchers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

My persistence and knowledge of a Willow Flycatcher's territory paid off again yesterday morning when the flycatcher flew in close and landed on a willow branch not far from where I sat in my Jeep.

Two Months of Photographing a Cooperative Northern Harrier

By |2021-04-10T07:23:32-05:00May 13th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There was a very cooperative first spring male Northern Harrier in a location where I photographed Short-eared Owls last year in northern Utah and for two months I could reliably see and photograph it frequently.

Age Related Color Morphs of Little Blue Herons

By |2024-03-14T04:01:20-05:00March 22nd, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Little Blue Herons, Pinellas County, Roosevelt Wetlands|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Little Blue Herons start off their lives with white plumage, then look piebald with blue and white fathers and finally look more "blue" as adults.

Pale-chested American Kestrel – Variability in the Underparts of Male American Kestrels

By |2022-12-10T09:04:15-06:00January 16th, 2017|Categories: American Kestrels, Birds, Box Elder County, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The male American Kestrel caught my eye immediately because he has such a pale chest that the spots on his chest stood out like tiny black jewels set in a field of snow white.

An Intriguing and Very Tame Northern Harrier

By |2021-04-10T07:29:08-05:00May 28th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While I have been photographing Short-eared Owls in northern Utah I have come across this intriguing and very tame Northern Harrier over and over in the same location.

Immature Black-billed Magpie

By |2021-11-10T04:22:04-06:00August 2nd, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Right now on Antelope Island State Park teenaged birds are molting into their adult plumage including young Black-billed Magpies.

Stained and Unstained Sandhill Cranes

By |2024-03-27T12:33:26-05:00September 26th, 2013|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Sandhill Cranes, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A few days ago I saw quite a few Sandhill Cranes starting at just past the Visitors Center for Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, in one of the farmer's fields I saw 11 of them feeding in the freshly tilled soil.

Two different Swainson’s Hawks

By |2021-03-31T16:37:17-05:00August 1st, 2013|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Montana, Swainson's Hawks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Red-tailed Hawks have the most variable plumages of North American hawks but Swainson's Hawks are also pretty variable, there are light morphs, intermediate morphs and dark morphs.

Willets in Beaverhead County, Montana

By |2021-04-25T10:08:14-05:00July 29th, 2012|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

These images were taken at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Montana. There were two Willets; an adult and a juvenile, on the shoreline of the lower lake that delighted me.

Bald Eagles – Age Progression from one to five years old

By |2024-03-14T10:12:34-05:00February 16th, 2011|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A simple guide to aging Bald Eagles by their plumage development, legs and their bills with images showing the age progression.

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