Birds that I find in the field, photograph and share the stories behind the images.
The second bird I photographed yesterday morning on Antelope Island State Park was an adult Sage Thrasher in gorgeous early morning light.
I was hoping to find my first of the year Swainson's Hawks yesterday but instead I spotted my first of year Ospreys.
I haven't found my first of season Swainson's Hawk yet but I expect that to change any day now as spring migration is almost in full swing.
Yesterday morning I was able to photograph a spring Turkey Vulture warming up in the morning light from a rural road in Box Elder County.
I thought this male Mountain Bluebird photographed on the Aquarius Plateau in Wayne County, Utah positively glowed in the early morning light.
Finding Greater Sage-Grouse away from their leks isn't easy. It takes sharp eyes, keen observation skills, plus knowing what to look for.
It is Black-billed Magpie nesting season on Antelope Island State Park and throughout their breeding range in western North America.
This adult male Yellow Warbler photo taken in the Wasatch Mountains a few years ago reminds me that any day now I could see and hear these bright yellow birds.
A little birdie told me that Tree Swallows returned to the marshes at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge about the middle of this month.
Last week I spotted and photographed a mated Red-tailed Hawk pair on the branches of a tree in front of a cliff in early morning light.
I took a few American Robin photos yesterday morning high in the Wasatch Mountains in two counties and two very different settings.
I spent a few minutes photographing Sandhill Cranes twice yesterday, once not long after sunrise and then later in the morning.
The last time I was up in the Wasatch Mountains I found a Wild Turkey tom displaying next to some old farm equipment for the nearby hens.
Red-tailed Hawk nesting season has started in northern Utah and I found a few pairs yesterday morning that have already gotten busy with nest building.
Spring birds I look forward to seeing and hearing include Long-billed Curlews which should be arriving in northern Utah any day now.
Yesterday afternoon I received an email from the UBird Google group with a first of the year Turkey Vulture sighting and that got me excited.
This Saturday, March 13th, is Swan Day here in Utah. It is a day to celebrate these large, white, beautiful birds that spend time here during the winter.
Earlier this month I had a brief opportunity to photograph a Common Raven on a gate at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge on a bright, beautiful morning.
The calls of a Say's Phoebe are among the sounds I listen for in March and they are the first members of the tyrant flycatcher family I see each year in northern Utah.
When I spotted this immature Bald Eagle high in the Wasatch Mountains three days ago I hoped at some point to get photos of it in flight.
On my last visit to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge I heard the unmistakable song of a Marsh Wren singing and throughout the morning I heard more of their songs.
Yesterday I was thrilled to spot and photograph an adult American Tree Sparrow high in the Wasatch Mountains.
Sage Thrashers return to northern Utah in March and it is now time for me to start listening for their songs and melodies.
I photographed this female Belted Kingfisher calling from a branch in March of 2017 close to the Jordan River not far from where I live.
Yesterday morning was clear, bright, chilly, and I spent ten minutes photographing an adult male Rough-legged Hawk that I found in the West Desert.
It was the highlight of my morning to find, observe, listen to, and photograph ten Sandhill Cranes at Bear River MBR yesterday.
I will not be sad to see February 2021 in the rear view mirror. It has been the second worst month for bird photography on record for me. Ever.
Earlier this week while looking through older photos I came across this Loggerhead Shrike perched on a Witness Post image and I chuckled out loud.
Earlier this week I photographed a light morph, adult male Rough-legged Hawk in the West Desert of Utah with three different backgrounds.
When I photographed this male Ruby-crowned Kinglet a few years ago he was foraging in a sumac close to the edge of road in Box Elder County.