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 White-crowned Sparrow foraging
Lately I have been seeing White-crowned Sparrows in the West Desert, at Farmington Bay WMA and Antelope Island State Park in increasing numbers and many of them will over winter here in the Salt Lake Valley.
Calliope Hummingbird and Rocky Mountain Bee Plant
Just a quick post this morning of a tiny Calliope Hummingbird feeding on Rocky Mountain Bee Plant that I photographed at the end of August.
Moon set over the Stansbury Mountains of the West Desert
Yesterday while in the West Desert in Tooele County the cirrus clouds appealed to me that fanned out over the Stansbury Mountains.
Juvenile Brown Pelican In Flight
After posting an image of a American White Pelican lifting off two days ago I thought I should post an photo of a Brown Pelican today for comparison.
Western Grebe With A Chick Riding Piggyback
Cute Alert! Whenever I see Western Grebe chicks riding piggyback on their parents I can't help thinking that there is a definite cute factor going on right in front of me.
American White Pelican Lifting Off
This American White Pelican was taking off from a pond near where I live in Salt Lake County and I happened to click the shutter when its wings were extended upwards and when its feet had just slapped the water
Great Egret In Breeding Plumage
Great Egrets develop fancy plumes when they are in breeding plumage and seem to be quite famous for that but their lores also change color from yellow to a lime green
Young Great Horned Owl is a Tiger of the Sky in the making
I love the descriptive name "Tiger of the Sky" when referring to Great Horned Owls, they are fierce, fearless and ferocious and the young owl in the image above is a 'Tiger in the Sky" in the making.
Dark Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk On The Wing
Quite often I don't have much time at all to get ready to take images because you need to get close to the subject, find a good angle of light and make sure your camera settings will produce the best image for the conditions.
Eagle in de skies
Oh, I meant Eagle in disguise, a European Starling. Couldn't resist.
Tiny But Tough – Female American Kestrel
I would describe American Kestrels as tiny but tough, they are North America's smallest falcon but I don't think that hinders them at all.
White Morph Reddish Egret On The Hunt
Both the white and dark morphs of Reddish Egrets are great fun to watch as they hunt because they dance, twirl, whirl and stumble along like a "drunken sailor".
Snowy Egret with muddy legs
This adult Snowy Egret with muddy legs that were so dirty it covered up its "Golden Slippers".
Juvenile Burrowing Owl In Utah
Burrowing Owls are iconic birds of Antelope Island State Park, I can't tell you how many times people write to me and ask "Where can I see Burrowing Owls on Antelope Island State Park?".
Open our National Parks, Wildlife Refuges and Monuments Now
Yesterday on the local news I saw that Governor Herbert offered to fund the reopening of Utah's five National Parks which are Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Arches and Capitol Reef.
American Barn Owl Butt Shots
I know, I don't have eye contact from my subject which is one of the unspoken rules in bird and wildlife photography but I don't mind bending those rules when it comes to images that I find interesting or appealing.
The Eagle Is Landing
It has been quite some time since I posted a Bald Eagle here so today I present this adult in a landing pose that I photographed in February of 2011 at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.
Limpkin In Lakeland
In the meantime I am Limpkin along.
Snowy Egret in a hurry
Snowy Egret in a hurry that I photographed almost exactly 5 years ago while sitting low in a Florida lagoon.
It Snowed In The Salt Lake Valley Yesterday…
And it won't be long before I am photographing wildlife in drifts of snow and birds on perches covered in white.
Greater Yellowlegs and Copyright Watermarks
Which copyright watermark should I use? The small one that doesn't detract from the Greater Yellowlegs or the larger one that would make it harder for image thieves to use?
Photographers Beware – Another Way Our Images are Being Stolen
These developers are scum and Google needs to step up to the plate and make sure the apps have legitimate licenses for the images in the apps or disallow the thieves from ever putting them on Google Play.
Autumn Horned Lark
Summer has changed to autumn and the behaviors of the Horned Larks that have been seen through the summer but have been difficult to get close to.
What the Duck?
This domestic duck image has always made me laugh so I thought I would share it and ask you all to add your funny captions.
Marbled Godwits – A Grassland Shorebird
I hope that in 100 years Marbled Godwits will still be on this planet and future generations won't know them only from images like mine.
Playing Favorites – Rough-legged Hawk
Rough-legged Hawks are on their way south from their Arctic breeding grounds and will soon be making their appearance here in Utah.
Female Long-billed Curlew in a Florida lagoon
It has been another very long week so I thought I'd post a female Long-billed Curlew because of her very long bill but unlike the way my week went this curlew is graceful, elegant and serene.
Red-tailed Hawk Juveniles On The Wing
One of the Red-tailed Hawk juveniles I photographed on Antelope Island last year has "migrated" to Switzerland where my photo of it will be featured on a 5 x 15 meter billboard for a yacht company.
Stained and Unstained Sandhill Cranes
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.
Meeting The New Generation Of Western Grebes
I'm having a blast meeting and photographing the new generation of Western Grebes at the refuge.