Hovering Kestrel shots aren't easy to capture without baiting or using decoys, part of that is because I can't tell when a kestrel might get it in its mind to hover for prey, the other part is being in the right place at the right time.
I hope the Pronghorn we do have continue to flourish because they are majestic creatures and the western landscape wouldn't be the same without them.
These are but a few of the birds I photographed this week in various Utah locations and all of them made great subjects!
Just a simple Willet image today that I took on Antelope Island State Park earlier this month.
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.
Barn Swallows probably built adobe homes long before humans every did, they use mud as plaster to form their nests and the rain that fell the night before and yesterday morning created puddles that the Barn Swallows were using to get the mud they need for their nests.
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.
This is an adult Swainson's Hawk just after it lifted off from the barb wire on top of a fence on Antelope Island State Park a few days ago.
Midges are an important food source for the birds that live and breed in the marshes and wetlands of Utah and they have recently begun to hatch.
Yesterday I was lucky enough to find and point out this springtime Raven perched in front of a field of pink Filaree, a wildflower from the Geranium family.
Northern Harriers fascinate me partly because they are sexually dimorphic; meaning that the males and females look different even though they are the same species, and also because of their owl-like facial discs.
The Willets are moving into their nesting territory on Antelope Island State Park and I am excited about that. What I am not excited about is that the biting gnats (no-see-ums) are back too.
There are a few similar species that occur in Utah and surrounding states that could be confused with Mountain Plovers.
I can't resist photographing Burrowing Owls, I just can't. They are so much fun to see and observe.
This is just a simple Long-billed Curlew post with images I took not long before I discovered the Mountain Plovers on April 10th on Antelope Island State Park.
Yellow-headed Blackbirds are filling the marshy areas of Utah with their odd mechanical calls once again as the males court the females for their annual spring fling.
The American Bison on Antelope Island are starting to show signs of shedding their winter coats and for awhile they will look a bit ratty.
Great Horned Owls and Horned Larks are species of birds that have tufts that I photograph regularly here in Utah.
Male American Kestrel in low light
I wanted to share a few more of the Mountain Plover images I took which are a lifer bird for me as well as being rare in Utah.
What I saw through my lens was a Mountain Plover, a bird I have long dreamed of seeing. A rarity here in Utah.
The only native true lark that lives and breeds in North America is the Horned Lark.
Who knew that one day my photos would be in a book published by National Geographic? I am truly honored.
These Pronghorn images were taken a few years ago during the spring and I thought I would share them this morning partly because the yellow flowers in these images; Gray's Biscuitroot, have just started to bloom this year.
Just some funny images of birds for a Monday. These photos just beg for humorous captions.
When we stopped at one of the parking lots that overlooked Bridger Bay I heard a call that made me jump in my seat and before I could say "Long-billed Curlew!!" I could see the bird flying towards the grasses.
I do hope that non-photographers and the general public know that behavior like this is an exception and that ethical photographers would not have gone up and petted the Sandhill Cranes.
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!
I photographed this male Horned Lark just two days ago and I'm tickled that I can see new growth of grasses in the frame.
Normally we have Western Meadowlarks year round here in the Salt Lake Valley but because this past winter was harsh it seemed that they moved south for a bit. They are back now and singing their songs of spring.