Some Birds And Blooms From The Wasatch Mountains

Male Yellow Warbler singing in low light – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

This morning I wanted to share some photos of the birds and blooms that I took images of one morning last week while I was high in the Wasatch Mountains. These photos are shared in the order that I took them.

I’m starting off with an image of a singing Yellow Warbler. This male Yellow Warbler is the mate of the female warbler I have photographed in her nest at this location. I know this because before he perched on this branch to sing I saw him take food to her in the nest. The nest is no longer clearly visible because the willows have leafed out.

Low light male Yellow Warbler – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

I enjoyed seeing the male Yellow Warbler perched out in the open even though the sun hadn’t yet lit up this perch. His bright yellow plumage glowed despite the low light conditions.

Peek-a-boo feeding male Broad-tailed Hummingbird – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

When the sun rose up above the mountains to my east it lit up the blooming Black Twinberry Honeysuckle clump below where I had parked my jeep. It didn’t take long for a male Broad-tailed Hummingbird to show up to feed on the nectar in the blossoms. Other hummingbirds came and went but I liked how this one was peeking through his wings. Plus this photo showed his bright rose-pink gorget.

American Goldfinch perched on a big stick – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 800, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

After a bit I heard flocks of American Goldfinches flying over where I was parked. When a male American Goldfinch landed on a stick in front of me I felt I had to take his image.

After I got home and saw this photo I thought I might post the image separately and call the post “American Goldfinch – Wears Yellow Feathers And Carries A Big Stick” but I decided to share it today. This goldfinch just seems to have a big attitude.

Song Sparrow looking for food for its young – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/800, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

There is a Song Sparrow nest in a willow thicket nearby where I was parked so it didn’t surprise me to see an adult looking for food for their young. I watched this sparrow capture some insect prey and take it into the thicket. I could hear quiet begging calls from deep in the thicket so I suspect it won’t be long before I see this Song Sparrow’s chicks out and about.

Gray Catbird fresh from bathing – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

I saw a flash of movement and spotted a Gray Catbird land on a branch in front of me. It’s feathers were damp and it may have been bathing in the cool water of the creek below me while hidden from my view. The catbird stayed long enough for me to take about 10 photos before it flew off.

Mallard ducklings feeding at the edge of a creek – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/500, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

After paying attention to the Gray Catbird, Song Sparrow, Broad-tailed Hummingbird and the male Yellow Warbler I was delighted to see a hen Mallard and 8 of her ducklings come out into the open to feed at the edge of the creek.

Chokecherry starting to bloom in the Wasatch Mountains – Nikon D500, f10, 1/800, ISO 800, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

I haven’t forgotten the “blooms” part of today’s post. While I was up in the mountains the Chokecherry trees were somewhere between starting to bloom and in full glorious bloom. I stopped to take a photo of this Chokecherry tree because there were just a few open flowers and plenty of buds.

Red-tailed Hawk looking over a meadow of wildflowers – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

Not far from the Chokecherry blossoms I took images of I spotted a Red-tailed Hawk down below the road and stopped for it too. I loved the bright pop of yellow wildflowers in the meadow behind and below the hawk. You’ll see more of those flowers later on in this post.

Flowering Serviceberry in the Wasatch Mountains – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2500, ISO 500, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

As I headed north I found some serviceberry shrubs in bloom and took photos of their bright white flowers. I hope that this year they will set fruit despite our ongoing drought conditions for the birds and wildlife that eat the berries.

Chokecherry in full bloom high in the Wasatch Mountains – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

When I found more Chokecherry trees in full bloom I stopped to take in their heady, honey-like perfume. Oh, that did me so much good to inhale that wonderful aroma. Last year I only smelled that scent one time because the flowers withered before they could fully bloom from the dryness here.

Flowering Chokecherry in the Wasatch Mountains – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 500, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

As I inhaled the scent of the blooming Chokecherries I took a few photos of their beautiful flowers. When I look at these images I can almost smell the flowers. I hope these trees set fruit this year too.

Adult male Black-chinned Hummingbird in the mountains – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 500, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

In my Two-tailed Swallowtail post yesterday I mentioned that if I hadn’t stopped for the butterfly I would have missed out on photographing a male Black-chinned Hummingbird that flew in. This is that hummingbird. The tiny male hummingbird never showed me the violet iridescence of his gorget but I was happy he showed up just the same.

Song Sparrow singing on a spring morning – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/800, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

And while I photographed the male Black-chinned Hummingbird this nearby singing Song Sparrow delighted my auditory senses. Of course I had to photograph the sparrow too.

Flowering Mountain Goldenbanner – Nikon D500, f9, 1/1000, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

Earlier in this post when I wrote about the Red-tailed Hawk I found I mentioned that the yellow wildflowers would be seen again. The Mountain Goldenbanner wildflowers were starting to bloom in the high country and I stopped at a meadow where I have seen them blooming in previous years.

Flowering Mountain Goldenbanner close up – Nikon D500, f9, 1/1250, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

To put it simply, I just wanted to photograph the goldenbanners again. I wasn’t in a hurry to be anywhere and time spent photographing wildflowers makes me happy.

While I saw and photographed other birds this post has already long enough. Congrats for sticking with me this long.

I took my time and enjoyed the sounds, scents and the views. All in all it was a wonderfully relaxing morning spent photographing birds and blooms in the high country of the Wasatch Mountains.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my bird photos in their galleries. Click here to see more of my wildflower photos along with shrubs and trees.