Families: Cracidae, Odontophoridae, Phasianidae
Upland terrestrial birds in my photo galleries include grouse, pheasants, quail, turkeys, and partridges. Some upland terrestrial birds are native and some are introduced and have naturalized.
I will share more Greater Sage-Grouse images from this lek soon but as usual I came home from this trip exhausted and it will take me a few days to get through all the images I took.
I was stunned and amazed to find not just one Greater Sage-Grouse leks but TWO!
Greater Sage-Grouse and White-tailed Prairie Dogs
While photographing Black-billed Magpies last week I noticed a pair of Chukars up close and decided to take portraits of the closest bird.
The Chukars are singing from the rocks in the morning and if I am lucky I might be able to photograph them fighting over the hens again like I did three years ago.
Yesterday was a nice day to be out photographing on Antelope Island State Park, the sun was shining, the wind was minimal and there were a few birds to be found.
Except for one fleeting glance of a Chukar at the end of November I have not seen Chukars on Antelope Island for several months.
I was going back through some of the images I took this past summer and came across this photo of a Greater Sage-Grouse I photographed in July.
I've been missing Chukars on Antelope Island for the past few months.
If hope is the thing with feathers then I want to heap as much hope as I can find into the future of Greater Sage-Grouse.
Greater Sage-Grouse should already be on the endangered species list but they aren't.
It was delightful to have light and a six-pack (plus) of birds out on Antelope Island yesterday to test my new Nikon D7100.
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.
After seeing few Chukars on Antelope Island State Park over the winter it is a delight to see them perching on rocks, preening, calling and warming up in the first rays of sunlight on the island again.
As Spring Approaches it is a Great Time to be a Bird Photographer in Utah!
The last time I went to Antelope Island State Park I noticed that the Chukars were more visible than they have been for awhile and I also noticed a tiny wildflower called Redstem Filaree starting to green up.
The weather forecast for today isn't as bright as it was on the day last January when I photographed this Chukar walking across a field of fresh snow instead the forecast for today is rather dreary.
Male Ring-necked Pheasants add a vivid splash of color against a field of white at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, I photographed this male a few days ago as it foraged in the snow.
Seeing the tail end... of 2013 on this last day of December.
Male Ring-necked Pheasants are a bold splash of rainbow colors against the white snow laying on the ground right now at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.
And it won't be long before I am photographing wildlife in drifts of snow and birds on perches covered in white.
I photographed this Chukar in a field of white undisturbed snow last January, as I recall it was bitter cold that morning but the bright sun seemed to warm the Chukar as much as it warmed my hands.
I saw and photographed my first Greater Sage-Grouse this summer in Beaverhead County, Montana while traveling through the Centennial Valley. Yay! Lifer!
I don't see Dusky Grouse near as often as I would like to see them so I was quite happy when I saw several of them last week on my way up Skyline Drive to Bountiful Peak in northern Utah.
Fluffy little chicks are adorable, they make people "ohh" and "aww" and those that hit the ground running not long after hatching are especially appealing to some folks. But they need respect and they need space so we don't endanger them.
These are but a few of the birds I photographed this week in various Utah locations and all of them made great subjects!
Even this Antelope Island Chukar on the rocks seemed to be shrugging off the winter doldrums. Or maybe it was airing out its arm (wing) pits.
Two days ago I spotted this Chukar on Antelope Island State Park on the edge of the road near the marina, the Chukar was at road level but just beyond the rock there is a slope that drops about 25 to 30 feet.
Just some funny images of birds for a Monday. These photos just beg for humorous captions.
Some times there is one bird that makes (or perhaps saves) a day, yesterday it was this Chukar for me. I can say I didn't get skunked!