A few days ago I saw quite a few Sandhill Cranes starting at just past the Visitors Center for Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, in one of the farmer's fields I saw 11 of them feeding in the freshly tilled soil.
I'm having a blast meeting and photographing the new generation of Western Grebes at the refuge.
A Coyote's life isn't easy during the harsh winters of Utah but Coyotes that don't live on Antelope Island State Park have it even rougher
Two years ago I made my first journey to Flaming Gorge National Recreation are in Utah and it was an eye opening experience. Gorgeous scenery, bountiful animal life and to be there during an Indian Summer was divine.
Well, I made it through another week. Bird photography has been slow down here in the valley but there are signs migration is picking up. There was a decided nip to the air yesterday morning and I saw some frost on the ground while heading towards Antelope Island.
A bald red head, dark plumage and a white tipped bill isn't something that most people think of as handsome, regal or even good looking but Turkey Vultures are awesome at what they do.
Something about seeing this Coyote gave me hope for the human race despite how humans have tried to eradicate them for North America because to me they symbolize resilience
Yesterday was frustrating for me near Snowville, Utah because there were raptors all around but not many of them were close enough to photograph and the ones that were close were either vey skittish or wouldn't fly off of the power poles even after long periods of time.
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.
Yesterday I headed up Skyline Drive at the entrance to Bountiful Canyon to see if I could find any migrating raptors riding the thermals of the Wasatch Mountain Range and while that wasn't a "bountiful" activity finding a Moose and her calf feeding near a beaver pond was.
After looking at these images that I took last Friday I am wondering if this hummingbird that I photographed is a female Broad-tailed Hummingbird.
A few days ago after photographing hummingbirds on Antelope Island I spotted two Coyotes along the causeway, it was obvious from the start that one was an adult and one a young Coyote.
Yesterday I went back to the island to see if I could photograph more hummingbirds and they did not disappoint so I thought I would share two more images of them.
I believe these are Calliope Hummingbirds but if I am wrong please do not hesitate to correct me, I don't get upset about things like that.
It won't be long before Swainson's Hawks start to migrate to South America and some may already have started their journey south.
One of the nicknames for a Coyote is the "Prairie Wolf" and like wolves; they can be very efficient hunters.
The dark morph Ferruginous Hawk above had just lifted off from a power pole when I photographed it with a partly cloudy sky in the background.
This image shows a side view of the Pronghorn buck's face with the two unusual horn growths shown protruding from its muzzle.
I love the Barn Owl's deep-set, dark and mysterious eyes, the silent way that they glide past, their monkey like face plus their beautiful colors and patterns.
I don't often have the opportunity to photograph juvenile Western Kingbirds but last week I did at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Box Elder County.
American Coots aren't thought of as "gorgeous" birds but I do find them appealing and a challenge to expose properly because of the high contrast between the very dark feathers and the whiteness of the ivory colored bill.
Yesterday while on the auto tour route of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge the birds that I saw in the highest numbers were American White Pelicans.
Last week while heading up the Skyline Drive of Bountiful Canyon this Green-tailed Towhee was singing on top of a shrub and I was surprised when it hung around for about 2 minutes
When I spotted this Mule Deer doe standing in the golden light on the Antelope Island causeway I thought I would take a few static images of her but as soon as I stopped the doe began to run so I fired off a burst of shots as I panned her movement and knew they would be blurred
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.
The Prickly Poppy is well named because the leaves and flower stems do have spines on them.
In Florida I found it easy to get close up images of Great Blue Herons because quite often they are used to the presence of humans but here in Utah that isn't the case and Great Blue Herons are sort of skittish.
Yes, I was mobbed by Loggerhead Shrikes and I didn't mind a bit because it afforded me the opportunity to observe and photograph them up close and it was fascinating!
Last week while photographing in a canyon in the Stansbury Mountains in Tooele County, Utah I spotted this Turkey Vulture roosting in a dead tree in morning light.
I was able to photograph this Barn Swallow on Antelope Island yesterday as it rested on a rock and as I took images the swallow opened its bill for a few frames.