Orioles, Meadowlarks and Blackbirds

Brewer’s Blackbirds Displaying and Nesting

By |May 13th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

While out on Antelope Island State Park on Friday I spotted a male Brewer's Blackbird on top of a bush, the light was just great for viewing and photographing the iridescent teals, blues, greens and purples that can show up on these "black" birds.

Western Meadowlark – Up Close And Personal

By |April 26th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Utah, Western Meadowlarks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

During the spring Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta) can be easy to locate and then approach because they spend so much time singing from the tops of boulders, bushes, posts and other manmade objects.

Yellow-headed Blackbird and a Midge

By |April 20th, 2012|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Midges, Utah, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yellow-headed Blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) can perch on cattails, reeds, rushes or mounds of vegetation and snatch Midges right out of the air.

Lesson Learned – Beyond The Viewfinder

By |March 31st, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Chukars, Davis County, Utah, Western Meadowlarks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Had I not seen that moving, tan blob beyond my viewfinder I could have easily missed being able to create these Chukar images. Sure, I have hundreds (if not thousands) of Chukar images but I am always looking for different poses, light conditions and settings to photograph my subjects in and this worked out very well.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds – Friday Photos

By |March 30th, 2012|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yellow-headed Blackbirds have begun to show up in large numbers in my area of the country. I'm seeing them perched on cattails, phragmites and in flight.

Brewer’s Blackbirds

By |March 16th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Brewer's Blackbirds may not be the most well known of the Blackbird family; I am fairly certain that the Red-winged Blackbirds have that claim to fame, but they are beautiful and interesting subjects to photograph.

Red-winged Blackbirds

By |March 2nd, 2012|Categories: Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Red-winged Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Red-winged Blackbirds are birds that I associate with spring, the males begin calling perched on top of reeds, cattails, grasses and shrubs and flash their brightly colored coverts to attract a mate.

Western Meadowlarks And Spring

By |February 16th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Utah, Western Meadowlarks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Tis the season of changes, for a bit it acts like winter and soon switches to act like spring. . The flute like call of Western Meadowlarks is a sound I associate with spring and lately I have been hearing them quite often.

Wild and Wonderful – Antelope Island State Park – The Birds

By |January 25th, 2012|Categories: American Barn Owls, American Kestrels, American White Pelicans, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Brewer's Blackbirds, Burrowing Owls, California Gulls, Chukars, Common Ravens, Davis County, Great Horned Owls, Green-winged Teals, Horned Larks, Killdeer, Long-billed Curlews, Northern Harriers, Northern Shovelers, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Rough-legged Hawks, Sage Thrashers, Utah, Western Meadowlarks, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This is the third post in my series about Wild and Wonderful Antelope Island State Park, I've saved the best (and longest) for last. The Birds! Okay, maybe they aren't the best thing about Antelope Island State Park, but I am a bird photographer and they are what I am most passionate about!

Friday Photos ~ Horned Lark and Western Meadowlark

By |January 13th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Horned Larks, Utah, Western Meadowlarks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Horned Larks and Western Meadowlarks are birds that I enjoy photographing all year long in Utah and yesterday they gave me some wonderful opportunities.

Taking A Look Back On A Few Previous Autumn Birds

By |October 28th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Pied-billed Grebes, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-winged Blackbirds, Ring-necked Pheasants, Tooele County, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Photographing birds during Autumn is a wonderful time for me in Utah, the beautiful fall colors delight and enthrall me, the air gets nippy and I find myself feeling a surge of energy whenever I am outdoors.

Midges and Birds – Food for thought

By |May 14th, 2011|Categories: American Avocets, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Cliff Swallows, Marsh Wrens, Midges, Utah, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This is the time of the year that "midges" are as thick as flies on you-know-what at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

Spring Fever…

By |March 27th, 2011|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Cliff Swallows, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-winged Blackbirds, Utah, Western Grebes, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Spring seduces me. Refreshes me. It whispers to me softly to come outside and savor nature and wildlife.

Bye Bye Blackbirds? The USDA Is Killing Birds With DRC-1339

By |January 30th, 2011|Categories: Birds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Davis County, European Starlings, Florida, Great-tailed Grackles, Pinellas County, Red-winged Blackbirds, Salt Lake County, Utah, Wildlife Ethics & Etiquette, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Recently the USDA accepted responsibility for a smaller die off in South Dakota which brought to light a little known program called "Bye bye Blackbird" which uses DRC-1339, a poison that is also called an avicide.

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