Two Great Birds
These two "Great" images were taken two minutes apart of two different "Great" wading birds in Florida.
Chukar Images – 4 Hits – 1 Miss
Yesterday I spotted a covey of Chukars on Antelope Island foraging in the snow, this Chukar was pulling guard duty and standing on top of a snow covered rock and for a bit it was calling.
Common Raven in the snow – An exposure problem
Photographing dark birds such as this Common Raven is a challenge and knowing how to expose properly as well as getting the right angle of light is critical in producing a quality image.
Chukar In Fresh Fallen Snow
Fresh snow fell on Antelope Island last night and it made for wonderful settings for the subjects I photographed this morning like this Chukar. I haven't been seeing the Chukars regularly lately so I was very pleased to see them again.
Tricolored Heron Shaking It Up On Tip Toes
The Great Blue Heron I photographed on Christmas Day seems to have focused my attention on wading birds, yesterday it was Reddish Egrets and this morning I present a Tricolored Heron shaking its feather while on tip toes
Reddish Egret Morphs
These two Reddish Egrets; a dark and a white morph, were photographed on the same day at Fort De Soto's north beach in May of 2009 and both of them were showing signs of being in breeding plumage.
Roseate Spoonbill In Evening Light
Evening can have marvelous light too though as shown in the Roseate Spoonbill image above that I photographed in Florida as it hunted for prey in a tidal lagoon.
Great Egret close up
This Great Egret image was taken in Florida in 2009, the beautiful blue in the background is the water of the Gulf of Mexico.
Short-billed Dowitcher On The Wrack Line
I photographed this Short-billed Dowitcher and the out of focus Sanderling the day after a storm had pushed mounds of Sargassum seaweed onto the wrack line and the birds were busy looking for food within it.
Western Meadowlark Lift Off
This Western Meadowlark image was taken last month on Antelope Island State Park. I meant to post it earlier but forgot because I got so busy trying to set up my new computer. Life outside of bird photography does get in the way at times.
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.
Male American Kestrel Lifting Off
There is something about American Kestrels that speaks to me. They might be our smallest falcon in North America but they have big attitudes, fierce characters and are terrific hunters.
Ring-billed Gull In A Dive
Just a simple image today that I have always liked because of the action even though I don't have great eye contact with my subject, a Ring-billed Gull.
Male Ring-necked Pheasant in marsh habitat
Ring-necked Pheasants are colorful upland game birds that are native to Asia and were introduced into North America for recreational hunting purposes and now occur widespread across southern Canada and in many areas of the U.S. except for some of the southern states.
Female Northern Harrier in flight
Typically I see far more Northern Harriers in the winter here in Utah than I do during the breeding season which might be partly due to the harriers preferring to nest within marshy wetland areas which are in abundance around the Great Salt Lake.
Black-billed Magpie Stretching
There was a bit of sun yesterday between snow falls and we headed out to Antelope Island hoping there would be light and birds. There was light and a few birds, this Black-billed Magpie was one of them.
Sanderlings In Breeding And Nonbreeding Plumage
Sanderlings look very different in appearance during breeding season and winter and novice birders might even think they are two different species.
Adult Prairie Falcon With A Full Crop
I wish I had been in a better position with a better angle of light but due to vegetation growing along the road there were just a few clear areas between the Rabbitbrush to get an unobstructed view of the Prairie Falcon but I do like how the photo shows off the full crop.
Song Sparrows In Winter Conditions
Song Sparrows are found throughout the U.S. and into Canada, some populations move south during the winter to southern states and northern Mexico. So far 30 subspecies of Song Sparrows have been described.
Coyote On A Great Salt Lake Beach
I hope that no one is getting sick of my Coyotes images. I took this Coyote photo two days ago as it walked on a Great Salt Lake beach.
Fluffed Up Western Meadowlark
This Western Meadowlark was a cooperative subject yesterday morning and allowed a close enough approach to get some frame filling images.
Bison bull in front of the Wasatch Mountain Range
I'm pleased with this bison image because it contains so many icons of the western U.S., the bison grazing on prairie grasses, the Great Salt Lake and a mountain range in the background.
Sandhill Crane at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
So, each time we see or hear Sandhill Cranes we are listening to and looking at a real living fossil.
Coyotes – The Song Dog
Not long after arriving at Antelope Island yesterday I heard the sound of Coyotes singing, it is a sound that always brings a smile to my lips and delights me.
Ring-necked Duck Drake
I photographed this drake Ring-necked Duck in breeding plumage a few years ago on a pond not far from where I live.
Resting Mule Deer Buck At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
So, my best shots of the day were of this resting Mule Deer buck that I almost missed spotting because he blended in so well with the habitat.
Black Skimmer flying on over…
I took this photo in Florida in 2008 as the adult Black Skimmer flew by whilst giving me "the eye". Isn't the color of the Gulf of Mexico behind the bird simply delicious?
Swainson’s Hawk in the Centennial Valley of Montana
This adult Swainson's had two juveniles nearby that were perched on the conifer tree that their natal nest was in and the sun was getting close to setting. Sometimes I wish I could "speak" raptor so I could know what they are saying.
Snow Geese
I was tickled to get these images and the others I created of these two Snow Geese yesterday, especially since they were close.
Great Egret and a Mullet – The Great Egret Wins
I remember the morning I took this photo well, it was a warm morning in February at Fort De Soto's north beach, the Great Egret was in the tidal lagoon near the Concession Stand and it had been actively hunting when it came up with this Mullet.