Birds

Birds that I find in the field, photograph and share the stories behind the images.

More Raptor Rapture – Red-tailed Hawk Juvenile

By |September 9th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

These juvenile Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) images were taken on two consecutive days last week. I'm always excited to have a bird in my view finder and when I can photograph hawks for two days in a row... I feel raptor rapture.

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk In Landing Pose

By |September 5th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had fun yesterday photographing this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) as it perched on rocks and hunted for prey. This image shows the Red-tailed coming in for a landing.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron or Orange-eyed Day Heron?

By |September 4th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Yellow-crowned Night Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Despite having "Night Heron" in their name Yellow-crowned Night Herons (Nyctanassa violacea) are not strictly denizens of the dark, they can and do stalk their prey during the daylight hours too.

Bathing Laughing Gull in breeding plumage

By |September 2nd, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I photographed this adult Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla) in breeding plumage while it bathed in the shallow waters of a tidal lagoon at Fort De Soto's north beach a few years ago.

Springtime Eastern Kingbird

By |August 31st, 2012|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Eastern Kingbirds, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The scientific name of Eastern Kingbirds is Tyrannus tyrannus, Tyrannus means "tyrant" and they are well named because they will harass any bird that comes near their nests including crows, ravens and much larger birds like hawks.

Savannah Sparrows in Glacier County, Montana

By |August 29th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Glacier County, Montana, Savannah Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

During my travels in Montana earlier this month I saw loads of Savannah Sparrows and although there were many in southwestern Montana I only photographed the ones on the farm in Glacier County.

Juvenile Swainson’s Hawk in Beaverhead County, Montana

By |August 28th, 2012|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Swainson's Hawks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Not only did I see numerous Red-tailed Hawk juveniles on my recent trip to Montana, I also saw quite a few Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) juveniles too.

Fun With A Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk

By |August 24th, 2012|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Red-tailed Hawks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While I was away in Montana for eight days starting last week I had a fantastic time photographing this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk.

American Avocets In Breeding And Nonbreeding Plumage

By |August 22nd, 2012|Categories: American Avocets, Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I photographed this American Avocet in nonbreeding plumage as it foraged in Glover's Pond at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area in northern Utah a few years ago in the month of November.

Which Way Did Mia Go?

By |August 19th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Humor, Montana, Red-tailed Hawks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Some images strike my funny bone, this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk photograph sure has. This is but one of many captions that came to my mind after viewing it.

What I could have done to improve this image

By |August 19th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This image could have been better. I have no doubt about that. I did get the exposure right and I like the action. But there are far too many things about this photo that just don't work.

Ferruginous Hawk in Beaverhead County, Montana

By |August 18th, 2012|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Ferruginous Hawks, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Ferruginous Hawks are the largest hawks found in North America. They inhabit low elevation, open areas in the western United States and some locations in southwestern Canada and winter in southwestern US and Mexico.

Ruddy Turnstones In Breeding And Nonbreeding Plumage

By |August 17th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Ruddy Turnstones in breeding and nonbreeding plumage can appear to be two different species to novice birders and bird photographers as can several other bird species.

Dunlins In Breeding And Nonbreeding Plumage

By |August 16th, 2012|Categories: Dunlins, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Dunlins exhibit a vast difference between nonbreeding and breeding plumage, so different that a novice birder might mistakenly believe that they were two different species.

Fish Crows – Why I Can’t Dislike Them

By |August 13th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, Egmont Key State Park, Fish Crows, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Gopher Tortoises, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was going to do a simple post about this image of a Fish Crow with a young Gopher Tortoise in its bill that was taken on Egmont Key State Park (also Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge), an island located just to the west of Fort De Soto, Florida.

Landing Wood Stork

By |August 6th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Wood Storks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Wood Storks (Mycetaria americana) are the largest wading bird in North America and the only stork that breeds in the U.S.. Wood Storks are considered endangered primarily due to loss of habitat.

Laughing Gull – Small in the Frame

By |August 5th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Small in the frame|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On the day that I photographed this Laughing Gull either Hurricane Ike or Gustav was out near the center of the Gulf of Mexico that was churning up the water

Least Sandpiper – The World’s Smallest Shorebird

By |August 4th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Least Sandpipers, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Least Sandpipers (Calidris minutilla) are the world's smallest shorebird, weighing in at a mere 0.7 ounces (20 g), a length of 6 inches and a wingspan of 13 inches.

The Price For These Red-tailed Hawk Images

By |August 2nd, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

After having driven around the north end of the island we headed south thinking there probably wouldn't be much to shoot there... until I spotted this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk perching on some of the darker rocks on the island.

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk from the north side of the Centennial Valley, Montana

By |July 31st, 2012|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Red-tailed Hawks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On my mid-July journey to southwestern Montana it seemed like there were juvenile hawks every where I looked, the east and west side of the Centennial Valley and the south and north sides too.

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