My Story Timeline
I write about the true stories behind my images and share them on my site. One day, I might write about birds; the next, about an insect; and the following day, I might focus on a specific location. Each of these stories revolves around nature, my connection to it, or my concerns about preserving our natural world. This journal primarily serves as a collection of factual accounts from my journeys in the field.
While my primary passion is for birds, since everything in nature is interconnected, I photograph everything and write about it all. My life has always been intertwined with nature, and I hope it always will be.
Best wishes,
Mia
Juvenile Eastern and Western Kingbirds – Their Ranges Overlap Here in Utah
The ranges for these two species of kingbirds overlap here in northern Utah but I see more of the Western Kingbirds than I do the Eastern Kingbirds.
Prickly Poppies, Bees and a Grasshopper
Each Prickly Poppy flower is about 3 to 5 inches across with yellow centers of clustered stamens and delicate petals that look like white crepe paper.
Mountain Bluebirds with Juveniles in Summit County
The young Mountain Bluebird turned and snatched the cricket from the male quickly before any of its siblings could reach the branches.
Perched Gray Flycatcher Eating A Damselfly
As I watched the Gray Flycatcher it flew towards me, snatched a damselfly from mid air then landed on a dead branch not too far away and proceeded to eat it while I photographed the bird.
Sleepy Male Burrowing Owl
Both times I photographed this male Burrowing Owl yesterday morning he looked very sleepy, he may be worn out from helping to raise a passel of chicks.
Female Red-tailed Hawk Brings A Duckling To Its Chicks
A few days ago I saw an adult Red-tailed Hawk fly towards its nest with prey for its chicks, the prey was a duckling.
Update On The Three Red-tailed Hawk Chicks Whose Nest Was Destroyed By The Wind
Yesterday I saw all three of the young Red-tailed Hawk chicks together perched on a fallen tree not far from where their natal nest had been before the wind knocked it down.
Snowy Egret Wading in Dark Water
I knew when I photographed this Snowy Egret in a shallow lagoon at Fort De Soto County Park that the dark reflections of the mangroves and mangrove roots on the water would produce a high contrast image.
Buck Pronghorn Close Up On Antelope Island – Worth the Gnat Bites?
My best photos of the day were of a buck Pronghorn that was very close to the dirt road I was on, he was so close I had trouble keeping all of his head in the frame.
Gulf Shore Black Skimmer Skimming
Black Skimmers forage by skimming their bills in the waves just off shore and snap up fish when their sensitive bills locate them.
Approaching Chicks Too Close – When Something Should be Said or Done
I know that what this person did was not right and the 8 moderators of that group should have said something but in 15 days they haven't said a word about them being too close to the owl chick.
One Year Since the Rescue of Galileo the Short-eared Owl
One year ago today I became part of an amazing group of people who rescued, rehabbed and trained Galileo the Short-eared Owl after finding him hung up on a barbed wire fence
Female Red-naped Sapsucker With a Bill Full of Ants
Maybe next year I'll have better opportunities with these Red-naped Sapsuckers and maybe they will chose to place their new nesting cavity in a location that is easier to photograph.
Short-eared Owl – Comparing Early to Mid Morning Light On My Subject
While this final image shows a beautiful Short-eared Owl, nice sharpness and details when I compare it to the first photo it just isn't as visually appealing to me as the first photo which was taken in softer light.
East Canyon Least Chipmunks – Chippies Delight Me
Yesterday while up in the Wasatch Mountains I was delighted to be able to photograph two Least Chipmunks I found in East Canyon of Morgan County, Utah.
Red-tailed Hawk Chicks – The Wind Blew Their Nest Away
I saw the Red-tailed Hawk chicks near where the nest had been though and I spent less than two minutes with them and took a few images before leaving them alone.
Female Red-winged Blackbirds – Frequency in Misidentification
Female Red-winged Blackbirds seem to be the birds that are most often misidentified probably because they look so different from the males. Red-winged Blackbirds are sexually dimorphic .
Cedar Waxwings in a Canyon & Memories of My Grandmother From Long Ago
I was looking through my archives from last year and came across some images I had taken last June in Morgan County, Utah that I hadn't processed yet and I came across these Cedar Waxwing photos.
Stretching Barn Swallow Close Up
When this Barn Swallow started to stretch its wings I was ready for the action and took several photos of it while it stretched on top of the fence post.
Male Cassin’s Finches Foraging in Beaverhead County, Montana
Two years ago today I was in Beaverhead County, Montana photographing Cassin's Finches foraging on the seeds of dandelions on a morning that had sunshine and plenty of fog.
Blooming Lewis’s Flax in the Wasatch Mountains
One of my favorite wildflowers is Lewis's Flax, I love how the blossoms move in a breeze because it seems like they are dancing and their blue color is appealing to my eyes.
Male Belted Kingfisher Near The Jordan River
I photographed this male Belted Kingfisher last month as it perched on a thin branch at a small pond close to the Jordan River in Salt Lake County, Utah.
Male Yellow Warbler Perched on a Flowering Shrub
Someday I will get the images I desire of these dainty Yellow Warblers. Bird photography is challenging and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Photographing Green-tailed Towhees Can Be Frustrating – All Birds Can Be
I was ready when this Green-tailed Towhee perched on a lichen topped fence post yesterday long enough for me to fire off 30 frames before he flew down to the ground.
Uinta Ground Squirrel Near East Canyon Creek In The Wasatch Mountains
There were three Uinta Ground Squirrels in the riparian zone along East Canyon Creek and I felt that I had to take photos of them in the bright, clear light, they were so cute.
Wasatch Mountain Range Yellow Warbler
Last week while I was photographing a handsome Green-tailed Towhee in the Wasatch Mountains a bright Yellow Warbler caught my eyes when it landed on a flowering shrub.
Resting Common Nighthawk in Northern Utah – My Best Find of the Day
I photographed my first of the year Common Nighthawk yesterday in northern Utah after I found and pointed it out resting on a red gate about mid-morning.
Light Morph Ferruginous Hawk in the West Desert
Yesterday I was able to photograph the largest buteo in North America, a gorgeous Ferruginous Hawk that was on top of a hill with the Stansbury Mountains of the West Desert in the background.
Gray Catbird singing in a Stand of Willows in the Wasatch Mountains
Gray Catbirds are related to mockingbirds and thrashers and are in the family Mimidae and all of them are noted for their vocalizations and their ability to mimic a wide variety of bird songs and calls and human made sounds.
Green-tailed Towhee Singing in the Wasatch Mountains
One good bird can make the the day when photographing birds in the field, yesterday that bird was a male Green-tailed Towhee I spotted perched on a shrub in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains.