Hawks, Eagles, Ospreys and Vultures

Longing for Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

By |June 17th, 2014|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Red-tailed Hawks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It is raining here in the valley this morning and snow is falling in the high country in the middle of June so I am sitting here dreaming of Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.

An Osprey With Its Feet Entangled By Filamentous Algae

By |May 31st, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Lettuce Lake Regional Park, Ospreys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I photographed this Osprey at Lettuce Lake Regional Park from the observation tower, the Osprey had tried to catch a fish but came up with just the filamentous algae in its talons.

Monday Mornings Medley of Birds on Antelope Island

By |May 13th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Burrowing Owls, Chukars, Davis County, Horned Larks, Red-tailed Hawks, Sage Thrashers, Say's Phoebes, Utah, Western Kingbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Western Kingbird After several days of not being able to photograph birds because of bad weather I was pleasantly surprised to have a medley of birds to photograph on Antelope Island Monday.

Fracking Does Not Belong In Our National Wildlife Refuges

By |April 18th, 2014|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Beaverhead County, Birds, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Conservation, Environment, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Swainson's Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Oil and gas companies want to come in our National Wildlife refuges to explore for oil and natural gas, they want to exploit; not preserve and protect, the resources found within the boundaries of our National Wildlife System.

The Courtship And Copulation Of A Pair Of Red-tailed Hawks

By |March 26th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I was able to see and photograph a pair of Red-tailed Hawks courting and copulating in Tooele County, Utah.

Northern Harrier Along The Shore Of The Great Salt Lake

By |February 15th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two years ago I could often find Northern Harriers hunting along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park and I photographed a series of images of this female Northern Harrier on February 16th of that year.

An Osprey in flight with a huge Flounder

By |February 2nd, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Ospreys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Osprey flying in from the Gulf over the north beach of Fort De Soto came as a surprise to us so I had little time to prepare and get my setting right due to how fast the Osprey was flying.

Snow Birds – Rough-legged Hawks

By |January 17th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

But for me the "Snow Birds" I have grown to love here in Utah are Rough-legged Hawks who only visit in the winter and spend the rest of their lives breeding in high subarctic and Arctic regions.

Red-shouldered Hawk In Flight

By |January 14th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Red-shouldered Hawks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Red-shouldered Hawk photo was taken in Florida in November of 2008 just after the hawk lifted off from an old snag near a Great Blue Heron I had been photographing.

Resting Northern Harrier

By |January 10th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Farmington Bay Waterfowl Area used to be my "go to" place for photographing Northern Harriers but this winter they are hard to find.

Eye Level With A Northern Harrier

By |January 6th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Even though I have been a bird photographer for some time now I still get a thrill when I am eye level with a bird of prey because it feels as if I am more strongly connected to the raptor when they fly in close at eye level.

Red-tailed Hawk Juvenile In Low Light Conditions

By |January 4th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In the winter I shoot a lot in fog, smog and low light conditions here in northern Utah but if you follow my blog you probably already know that and have heard me mention it a time or two (or four or a hundred).

Seeing The Tail End…

By |December 31st, 2013|Categories: American Barn Owls, Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-tailed Hawks, Ring-necked Pheasants, Rough-legged Hawks, Tooele County, Turkey Vultures, Utah, Western Grebes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Seeing the tail end... of 2013 on this last day of December.

Rough-legged Hawk lifting off

By |December 27th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Rough-legged Hawks are among my favorites of the raptors that over winter in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah because I only see them at this time of the year while they wait to head back to the subarctic and Arctic to breed.

One Gray Ghost A Leaping

By |December 23rd, 2013|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I couldn't find Ten Lords a Leaping to photograph or in my archives but did locate one Gray Ghost a Leaping which tops the Lords for this bird photographer.

Two Hours With Fog, Frost And A Four Year Old Bald Eagle

By |December 19th, 2013|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Patience is absolutely a must for bird photographers and it doesn't hurt to throw a little crazy in the mix too. Spending two hours in freezing temps to photograph a bird might be a little crazy.

Juvenile Female Northern Harrier – The Eyes Have It

By |December 14th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Eye color can be used to sex juvenile Northern Harriers, brown for juvenile females and yellowish for the males and this harrier is a definite brown-eyed beauty.

Female Northern Harrier in flight at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area

By |December 11th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

While I was photographing some ducks and grebes yesterday I spotted this female Northern Harrier in flight coming in from the south and when she flew over the water I was able to get a series of images of her against the sky.

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