The First Day of Autumn and the Heat is On in Utah
After a long, hot summer I always look forward to the first day of autumn because it usually means cooler temperatures along with the scenery becoming more colorful as the leaves begin to turn.
A September Storm over Henry’s Lake And An Inspirational Thought For The Day
This image was taken last year at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge looking east towards Henry's Lake, Idaho.
The Great Salt Lake is D(r)ying and Utah’s Water Crisis
One thing I know for certain is that we can't drink dust.
Sage Thrashers and the Rapidly Disappearing Sea of Sage
Can the disappearance of Sagebrush Seas be stopped? Yes, it could be but we need lawmakers that believe in science and act on it.
The Burrowing Owls are arriving – Caution, Extreme Cuteness Ahead!
Burrowing Owls are arriving - Caution, Extreme Cuteness Ahead! Burrowing Owls are enchanting, entertaining and so cute they are irresistible. Everyone seems to love them.
There are consequences
This isn't hunting, not the kind I grew up respecting where the hunters provided food for their families, this is killing for nothing more than the sake of killing.
The idea of wilderness needs no defense
This past Saturday I watched the movie "Wrenched" with two dear friends so it seemed only fitting to share a quote from Edward Abbey some time this week.
The Land Is One Organism
Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left.
Fracking does not belong in our National Wildlife Refuges
Oil and gas companies want to come in our National Wildlife refuges to explore for oil and natural gas, they want to exploit; not preserve and protect, the resources found within the boundaries of our National Wildlife System.
Young Burrowing Owls
The past few years I have missed seeing and photographing young Burrowing Owls on Antelope Island State Park for numerous reasons.
California Gull On The Wing
Photographing this California Gull on the wing was a highlight of my morning the day I took this photo. I love to photograph gulls.
Ethics for Nests and Chicks
I feel that as a bird photographer I need to care for my subjects every time I am in the field and that is amplified when there are young, defenseless chicks.
Good News on the San Rafael Swell
Last Friday Juan Palma; the BLM state director, yanked most of the federal acreage within the San Rafael area that was slated to be on the auction block for oil and gas leases.
Yellow Warbler – Small in the Frame
The Yellow Warbler in my image was singing along a creek lined with willows and although the bird is small in the frame I find this image appealing because of the simple lines, the bird's pose and the wonderful eye contact the bird gave me as it briefly looked towards me.
Please… give nests and chicks respect
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.
Don’t tick the Bison off
This Bison bull weighs in at about 1,500 pounds, he is wild and you don't want to tick him off like one man did on Antelope Island last weekend.
Photograph but don’t touch – Wildlife Ethics
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.
Wilson’s Plover with chicks
I enjoyed my brief, long distance opportunity to photograph and observe these Wilson's Plovers and chicks, it was a small window into their life.
Great Horned Owl fledgling in a Montana granary window
Currently throughout the breeding range of Great Horned Owls the owls have either begun to nest or have nested already. Great Horned Owls have a large range and are found in the U.S., Canada and Central America.
What is wrong with this Coyote picture?
That is dog food on a road on Antelope Island State Park. Someone threw it onto the road it didn't just fall from the sky.
Etiquette – Birders, Bird Photographers and the General Public
I think it is always important to try to remember that not everyone knows that there is such a thing as Birding or Bird Photography Etiquette. It could be a good time to bring the subject up; politely of course.
An estimated 400,000 Coyotes are killed a year
For anyone interested in Coyote hunting reading this post you won't find any help as to where, when or how to do that on this blog, when I write about Coyote hunting is it about a Coyote HUNTING for its food. Got it?
Resting Black Skimmer juvenile – My banner image
Several people have remarked on how much they like the resting Black Skimmer juvenile image that was in my rotating banner at the top of this blog so I thought I would post it to show the whole bird.
Three and a half months with a young American Oystercatcher
In 2008 I had the great pleasure of observing and photographing a family of American Oystercatchers from the day after the chicks hatched until three and a half months later.
Farmington Utah’s Voles – Just My Opinion
Recently KSL.com; a Utah news station, had an article about a vole (a small rodent) infestation In Farmington, specifically in the neighborhood of Foxboro Community. While I sympathize with the residents about the damage being done to their yards I am disturbed by the advice many of the people commenting have left on the story.
The Dangers of Fishing Line and Hooks for Birds and other Wildlife
The dangers of fishing line and hooks for birds and other wildlife are real and damaging.
Harlequin Ducks Dead – Just because it is legal that doesn’t make it right!
To those hunters who recognized and respected the rarity of those beautiful and very uncommon birds, you have my respect and I am personally very grateful that you preferred to give these ducks a pass even though you knew that hunting them was legal.
Sequel to: Burrowing Owls – Loved to Death?
Earlier this year in March I wrote an article titled "Burrowing Owls - Loved to Death?" and this post is a sequel to it.
Burrowing Owls – Loved to Death?
What made me sick was that there were three of those people tromping around the owl's burrow. I mean RIGHT up on it. They had no need to be that close but they were.
Bye bye Blackbirds? The USDA is killing birds with DRC-1339
Recently the USDA accepted responsibility for a smaller die off in South Dakota which brought to light a little known program called "Bye bye Blackbird" which uses DRC-1339, a poison that is also called an avicide.