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
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.
Coyote On The Shore Of The Great Salt Lake
This Coyote still has its winter coat but before long it will shed it for the sleeker summer coat.
Antelope Island Loggerhead Shrikes
Last week I wrote that I was looking forward to the birds that arrive here in the spring and yesterday I was able to photograph some of the Loggerhead Shrikes that I mentioned.
Black-billed Magpie Building A Nest After A Snow
I felt that I had a real treat being able to photograph this Black-billed Magpie building a nest after a snow.
Chukar Calling In The Snow
I was tickled to photograph this Chukar calling in the snow near the parking area of Frary Peak trailhead with the snow-covered mountain in the background.
Nanday Parakeets
Any bird that eats those nasty sand spurs is a hero in my book and Nanday Parakeets are one of them.
American Robin juvenile
American Robin juvenile photographed in my backyard in Utah as it perched above the grass. Robins are the largest and most abundant North American thrushes.
Coming Soon To A View Near U(tah)
These are just a small selection of the cast and characters of the upcoming Spring Season
Red-tailed Hawks
I'm looking forward to seeing red-tailed hawks in the high country of Utah and Montana this summer and hopefully getting some more images of both the juveniles and adult.
White Balance Mistakes On A White Ibis
After my experience with screwing my white balance up that day I had to make a note to myself to remember to check my white balance setting on the camera.
Snow, Bison Plus Chukars on Antelope Island State Park
When I first visited Antelope Island State Park I fell in love with its wild beauty, the windswept grasslands, pungent sagebrush, awesome views of the Great Salt Lake and the wildlife that abounds there.
Brown Pelicans – Feeding Behaviors and Identification
Brown Pelicans feed by diving head first into the water to trap fish in the pouches of their bills.
Fish Crows
Fish Crows are fairly commonplace along the coast of Pinellas County and they are often ignored by photographers because they are a "plain" common bird.
An Amazing Encounter…Or Two With A Young Bald Eagle
I've found Bald Eagles difficult to approach most of the time which is why a long lens is often needed. But not this one year old bald eagle.
Bald Eagles – Age Progression From One To Five Years Old
A simple guide to aging Bald Eagles by their plumage development, legs and their bills with images showing the age progression.
Horned Larks In Utah
Yesterday was awesome for Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris) in Tooele County, Utah.
Side Lit Coyotes
Yesterday I was tickled to spot not just one but a pair of coyotes on the causeway going to Antelope Island State Park
Northern Shovelers blasting off
This morning when we had almost reached Antelope Island I spotted a huge flock of Northern Shovelers blasting off from the water
So Ya Think Ya Want To Be A Bird Photographer?
Be prepared to become addicted to birds. You will have withdrawals if you don't shoot often enough, your shutter button finger will develop a nervous twitch
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.
The Importance of Honest Self Critique in Bird Photography
I've enjoyed photography for a long time but for quite awhile I didn't understand the value or importance of honest self critique.
Reddish Egret, Laughing and Ring-billed Gulls
There were quite a few Laughing Gulls on and near the shoreline, a few Ring-billed Gulls and two Reddish Egrets hunting on the beach that day.
Gray Days
Gray days sometimes force me to slow down, to take a deep breath and they allow me the luxury of liesurely looking through my older image files
Bald Eagle – Second Year
This is a second year Bald Eagle, and while the adult birds are probably the most photographed, I enjoy photographing all ages & phases of plumage of bald eagles.
If Only…
Taking the time to review my "bad images" strengthens me as a photographer.
Northern & Loggerhead Shrikes
Today was a good day, I finally took some images of a Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) that weren't taken from too far away.
Ring-necked Pheasant
Male Ring-necked Pheasants are very colorful and sport red face wattles, iridescent ear tufts, the white neck ring and bronze colored chest and back with barring. I remember my grandfather using the pheasant feathers for the flies that he tied.
Bald Eagle and Depth of Field
I believe these two eagle pictures illustrate what changes the depth of field settings can have on the appearance of an image.
Northern Harrier Expelling A Pellet
This Northern Harrier took about a minute to expel the pellet and I filled my buffer several times trying to catch all the action. The harrier appeared to be concentrating so hard on regurgitating the pellet that it nearly fell off of the fence.
Northern Harrier Wingtip Repair
There are times when I think an image might be worth a little extra work in post processing and this young male Northern Harrier image seemed worth the effort to repair a clipped wingtip.