Dreaming of Sandhill Cranes
Last night I only had dreams about Sandhill Cranes but it won't be long before I will be seeing and hearing them for real. I can barely wait.
Last night I only had dreams about Sandhill Cranes but it won't be long before I will be seeing and hearing them for real. I can barely wait.
This isn't just just a Henry Mountain Range issue, it is a Utah issue. It is an issue where ever there are Coyotes, cattle, rabbits, hares and voles.
One of the locations I am daydreaming about is the Centennial Valley of Montana and the birds I find there.
I will photograph birds big and small, those that are flashy and those that are dull. From rare to common it doesn't matter to me.
Early in January I was able to photograph a few American Coots as they walked on ice at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management area and marveled again at how big their feet are.
Three days ago I had fun photographing a Northern Harrier searching for prey along the Antelope Island Causeway
Three days ago I didn't just have fun with Coyotes on Antelope Island State Park I also had fun with this fluffy male Horned Lark.
Yesterday was a Coyote kind of day for me seeing two Coyotes fight, a pair chase off an intruding Coyote and another pair with an intruding Coyote following them.
The first year I after I moved to Utah was great for photographing Burrowing Owls and their young both on Antelope Island State Park and the causeway to it.
Maybe when the weather clears tomorrow I'll be able to get back out Farmington Bay to photograph more birds.
After posting Great Blue Heron images yesterday I decided to post images of Great Egrets which are also a large wading bird species this morning.
Photographing this bird brought back memories of a day I spotted a Great Blue Heron struggling because it was caught in a trotline in the Chattahoochee River in Georgia
It was lovely to see the sunshine yesterday and to have the Western Meadowlark and Belted Kingfisher in my viewfinder.
The last bird I photographed was this male Belted Kingfisher and I was surprised that it stuck around as long as it did.
Even when the light is cruddy I can't resist taking images of Coyotes no matter where I spot them.
Watching this Pronghorn sniffing the ground and chasing another buck in the area was fascinating to me.
This Western meadowlark image was taken January 2nd on Antelope Island after a snow fall and it made me think of how hard life can be for these birds.
I can not imagine not being able to raise my lens and see Bald Eagles through my viewfinder as a bird photographer and nature lover.
Every once in a while though the winter sun would penetrate through the fog and it was during one of those moments that I photographed this frost-covered bison bull as it rested in the grasses.
Earlier this week I was able to photograph a juvenile White-crowned Sparrow up close while it fed on sagebrush seeds on Antelope Island State Park.
Yesterday while looking for birds to photograph I was enchanted by this Mercur Canyon Mountain Bluebird male while in Tooele County, Utah.
Yesterday I had a three Coyote day on the causeway to Antelope Island State Park, one was by itself and the other two were traveling together.
I wasn't expecting much from the images but to my delight I liked the effect of the white Tundra Swans on the pure white snow.
Except for one fleeting glance of a Chukar at the end of November I have not seen Chukars on Antelope Island for several months.
This isn't hunting, not the kind I grew up respecting where the hunters provided food for their families, this is killing for nothing more than the sake of killing.
I spent the yesterday morning photographing with two great friends at Antelope Island State Park and Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area and had a wonderful time.
It was chilly but bright yesterday morning and there were bluebird skies overhead and Antelope Island State Park beckoned and I of course heeded that call.
Raising the glass attached to my camera that is! I'm excited about the photographic opportunities that will present themselves in 2015.
As 2014 comes to an end I know I have tons to be grateful for in my personal life, my ever growing passion for bird and nature photography and life in general.
Yesterday was another interesting day on Antelope Island seeing snow-covered Bison, snowy weather, birds and spotting Coyotes at a Mule Deer carcass.