Birds that I find in the field, photograph and share the stories behind the images.
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge can be a great location to take winter Great Blue Heron photos out on the frozen marshes and wetlands during January.
One year ago tomorrow I was at Bear River MBR where I took these winter Ring-billed Gull images from the west side of the auto tour loop at the refuge.
If you go to Bear River MBR during the winter chances are that you have or will see a Bald Eagle perched on this large wooden post at one time or another.
For the second year in a row the first bird I photographed in the New Year was a Rough-legged Hawk and both were photographed at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
The first bird that I could positively identify seeing for 2022 was a Canada Goose flying away from my local pond yesterday morning.
As I sit here this morning wrapped in a blanket to ward off the morning chill I welcome 2022 and realize that it is time to put the New Year into focus.
As the tail end of 2021 comes to a close it seemed fitting that the last photo I took yesterday was the tail end of a Common Goldeneye on what might have been my last trip into the field this year.
The first bird I photographed in 2021 was this adult male Rough-legged Hawk perched above the wetlands at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
On the 3rd of December I spotted a small, colorful shape from a distance in a Russian Olive tree and knew immediately that I had found a male American Kestrel.
In December of 2019 I took quite a few Ring-billed Gull photos in whiteout conditions down at my local pond and loved the challenge that taking them presented.
I did get out to find and photograph birds on Christmas Day at Farmington Bay WMA and then later in the morning I found more closer to home.
These are all birds I have photographed on Christmas Day through the years and all of them were photographed at Farmington Bay WMA.
This Christmas Eve morning is so very different from the one I had in 1998. I was sitting at my computer that morning much the same as I am now but I lived in Virginia then and I was going through some rough times.
The Great Egret landed where I had views of Hooded and Common Mergansers and three Mallards resting on the ice on the Bear River.
To my delight I was able to take Great Blue Heron photos yesterday on the Winter Solstice that I found on the banks of the Bear River at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
Happy Solstice and Yuletide! Hello Winter! Happy return to the light!
It was announced yesterday that the Burrowing Owl is the 2022 ABA Bird of the Year! Burrowing Owls are small, long-legged, sandy-colored, charismatic owls with bright yellow eyes.
It was a truly gloomy day when I spotted this immature Red-tailed Hawk perched in a tree with many branches at Farmington Bay last December.
This Barn Owl covered in hoar frost was taken during my first full winter living in Utah and it was also the subject of my first blog post here on my site.
Nine days ago this Rough-legged Hawk resting on a National Wildlife sign in low light was the first hawk I spotted and photographed.
On my last trip up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge I found this Loggerhead Shrike perched on a twig near the end of the auto tour loop.
I haven't been outside to measure the snow but I'd estimate that 6 to 8 inches have fallen already just by looking out my living room window.
It was early in the morning when I photographed this immature Common Merganser in a morning mist almost five years ago at my local pond.
My post yesterday was about my computer not booting which messed up my morning post. Today my post is about getting my computer to boot yet I'm still feeling frazzled.
I photographed this California Gull after it bathed almost a year ago at a small pond close to where I live in Salt Lake county on a cold afternoon.
I spotted a single female Hooded Merganser on the Bear River two days ago and photographed her as she ran on top of the water to lift off.
Yesterday I found and pointed out a few birds at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge including a very late Clark's Grebe I spotted from the auto tour route.
I came across this photo of an adult Chukar standing in top of fresh snow the other day and felt a pang of sadness.
Last week I spotted a Merlin perched on a large wooden post way out in the marsh at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah.
Yesterday I heard a male Rough-legged Hawk calling which is highly unusual away from their breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra and taiga of the far north.