breeding plumage

Resting Ruddy Turnstone

By |2021-05-17T06:20:46-05:00May 17th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Twelve years ago today I was on the beach at Fort De Soto County Park focused on photographing a male Ruddy Turnstone resting on the warm sand with the Gulf behind him.

My First Of Season Spotted Sandpiper Photos

By |2021-05-08T05:16:27-05:00May 8th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I took my first of season Spotted Sandpiper photos yesterday morning high in the Wasatch Mountains as I sat in my Jeep next to a creek.

Drake Cinnamon Teal In Flight

By |2024-02-27T19:37:06-06:00May 3rd, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Cinnamon Teals, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On the same morning that I photographed the drake Northern Shoveler flying by at the refuge I also photographed a drake Cinnamon Teal in flight. 

Drake Northern Shoveler In Flight

By |2024-02-22T03:53:33-06:00April 29th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Northern Shovelers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It isn't easy to photograph some birds on the wing so I was thrilled yesterday to photograph a drake Northern Shoveler in flight.

An Assortment Of Spring Birds From Bear River MBR

By |2024-03-27T07:14:18-05:00April 23rd, 2021|Categories: American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Clark's Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, Eared Grebes, Forster's Terns, Gadwalls, Great Blue Herons, Long-billed Curlews, Red-winged Blackbirds, Sandhill Cranes, Utah, Western Grebes, White-faced Ibises, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Today I wanted to share an assortment of spring birds all photographed at Bear River MBR yesterday on a bright and beautiful morning.

Winter Common Mergansers

By |2024-03-13T06:09:45-05:00January 16th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Common Mergansers, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday and the day before I was able to observe and photograph winter Common Mergansers at my local pond on both sunny afternoons.

Photographing Winter Birds

By |2024-03-13T06:24:03-05:00January 15th, 2021|Categories: American Coots, Bald Eagles, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Canvasbacks, Common Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great-tailed Grackles, Mallards, Pied-billed Grebes, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I spent a couple of hours yesterday photographing winter birds at Farmington Bay WMA and closer to home in the morning and afternoon.

European Starling – My First Of Year Bird 2021

By |2021-01-02T06:21:44-06:00January 2nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, European Starlings, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first bird I saw in 2021 was a European Starling perched on a power line on the road to my local grocery store about 8:15 am yesterday morning.

Drake Common Goldeneye With Pigment Issues On His Bill

By |2021-12-11T05:38:59-06:00December 13th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I got back home and uploaded the images I took of the drake Common Goldeneye I could see that his bill had pigment issues and that it wasn't a white feather stuck on his bill.

Landing Drake Common Goldeneye

By |2022-02-01T05:30:23-06:00November 29th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm anxious to start photographing the ducks I see close to home during the winter here in the Salt Lake Valley and from what I understand a few Common Goldeneyes have shown up.

Drake Green-winged Teal At Bear River MBR

By |2022-08-17T04:43:20-05:00November 18th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Green-winged Teals, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I was able to take close up photos of a drake Green-winged Teal paddling away from me at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

Black-headed Grosbeak in the Wasatch Mountains

By |2022-05-27T13:42:59-05:00July 5th, 2020|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Centennial Valley, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was happy that I decided to photograph the striking Black-headed Grosbeak instead of the Downy Woodpecker that was at least forty feet in front of me.

Hearing Thousands Of American Goldfinches Flying Overhead

By |2021-07-04T08:02:05-05:00May 28th, 2020|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have never heard so many American Goldfinches flying overhead for such a long period of time and I was in awe. I still am.

One Spring Morning When Yellow-rumped Warblers Dripped From Trees

By |2021-05-09T15:07:03-05:00May 23rd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Almost one year ago I spent my morning photographing so many Yellow-rumped Warblers that they seemed to almost drip from the trees.

What An Odd Mother’s Day But It Is Mother’s Day Nonetheless

By |2022-08-16T04:10:22-05:00May 10th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Black-bellied Plovers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This morning I opted to go back in time to a "normal" Mother's Day by pulling a Black-bellied Plover photo from my archives that was taken on Mother's Day in 2009.

Nesting Mountain Bluebirds And Other Woodland Birds

By |2024-03-29T08:28:24-05:00April 30th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Chipping Sparrows, House Wrens, Mountain Bluebirds, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I had a blast photographing a pair of Mountain Bluebirds at a natural nesting cavity at the edge of a forest along with some other woodland birds. 

Adult Eared Grebe At Bear River MBR Plus A 4.2 Aftershock

By |2021-05-04T05:17:37-05:00April 15th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Eared Grebes, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The light yesterday morning was a little bit funky because of high, thin clouds overhead but I took a few photos of the birds that I was able to get close to including one of the Eared Grebes.

My Rare Mountain Plover Sighting Happened Almost Seven Years Ago

By |2021-03-14T14:39:37-05:00April 7th, 2020|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Bird ID, Birds, Davis County, Mountain Plovers, Rarities, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

My rare Mountain Plover sighting happened almost seven years ago on Antelope Island State Park when I spotted, identified and photographed of the plovers during spring migration.

Adult White-faced Ibis In Breeding Plumage

By |2021-05-13T04:07:25-05:00March 27th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, White-faced Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When White-faced Ibis are in breeding plumage it is easy to see how they got their common name, in nonbreeding plumage, not so much.

Fun Photographing Reddish Egrets In Florida

By |2021-10-09T04:10:38-05:00January 25th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had so much fun photographing Reddish Egrets when I lived in Florida and could see them nearly every time I went to Fort De Soto County Park's north beach.

Tricolored Herons In Florida Habitats

By |2023-10-06T13:12:32-05:00January 19th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Roosevelt Wetlands, Tricolored Herons, Weedon Island Preserve|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I lived in Florida Tricolored Herons were among my favorite wading birds to photograph and I found them in many different types of habitats.

Drake Hooded Merganser Photos

By |2024-01-17T09:00:37-06:00December 10th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Hooded Mergansers, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday started off dreary but later in the afternoon I was able to get out in the field and I had a blast taking photos of a spiffy drake Hooded Merganser for a little while.

American Goldfinch Male In Breeding Plumage

By |2021-05-09T04:01:38-05:00July 23rd, 2019|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last year I was able to take hundreds of photos of this male American Goldfinch in breeding plumage while he fed on the seeds of a Musk Thistle.

Focusing On An Adult Black-crowned Night Heron

By |2021-05-05T04:45:15-05:00July 19th, 2019|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was glad to focus on the Black-crowned Night Herons I saw that morning because of late I have seen fewer of them than I have on past years which has meant fewer opportunities to photograph them. 

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