courtship display

Dawn Light On A Male Greater Sage-Grouse

By |2024-03-02T11:21:58-07:00March 2nd, 2024|Categories: Birds, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

If I could, I would wish that everyone, at least once in their lifetime, could visit a Greater Sage-Grouse lek while these fascinating birds are displaying.

Mating Greater Sage-Grouse On A Wild Windswept Lek

By |2023-03-16T05:36:47-06:00March 16th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

During the breeding season, male Greater Sage-Grouse gather in communal display areas known as leks to perform an elaborate courtship ritual.

It Is Great-tailed Grackle Breeding Season

By |2022-03-27T03:29:24-06:00March 16th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had a fun time at my local pond yesterday because it is Great-tailed Grackle breeding season and photographing these grackles kept me on my toes.

Was the Killing Of Bob The Sandhill Crane Really Necessary?

By |2024-02-05T05:12:53-07:00September 5th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Beaverhead County, Birds, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Montana, Sandhill Cranes, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One of the other things that made me upset with Bob the Sandhill Crane being killed is that this could have been prevented.

Male Brown-headed Cowbird Displaying

By |2021-07-05T06:13:09-06:00July 5th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Brown-headed Cowbird breeding activity hasn't slowed down yet high in the Wasatch Mountains if this displaying male is any indication of their mating attempts.

Spring Wild Turkey Tom Displays

By |2024-03-21T16:09:24-06:00March 17th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The last time I was up in the Wasatch Mountains I found a Wild Turkey tom displaying next to some old farm equipment for the nearby hens.

West Desert Wild Turkey Tom Strutting And Displaying

By |2021-02-27T15:53:27-07:00April 10th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I took hundreds of photos of the tom Wild Turkey fanning his tail, walking on the dirt road, strutting and displaying for the hens I could not see. And for those moments all seemed right in the world.

Smoke Phase Wild Turkey Hen Plus A Displaying Tom

By |2024-03-21T15:46:05-06:00April 2nd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

If I hadn't have been paying attention yesterday I might have missed out on spotting a flock of turkeys in some junipers and photographing a smoke phase Wild Turkey hen.

Green-tailed Towhee Singing In A Mountain Canyon

By |2021-05-13T14:59:06-06:00May 25th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Summit County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had fun yesterday morning photographing a male Green-tailed Towhee singing in a mountain canyon, this was a bird I heard before I spotted him perched on a flowering branch.

Greater Sage-Grouse on a Lek – Our Public Lands – Our Legacy

By |2021-03-26T09:44:47-06:00February 21st, 2018|Categories: Birds, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One might ask what do Greater Sage-Grouse have to do with our public lands and the answer would be that more than half of all remaining habit for these large upland game birds is on our public lands in the Western U.S..

Drake Redhead Courtship Display

By |2023-12-17T10:47:32-07:00February 6th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm glad that I made the trip down to the pond because I was able to photograph a drake Redhead exhibiting courtship display behavior several times as he tried to impress the hen that was nearby.

Drake Common Goldeneye Courtship Display in Low Light

By |2022-02-01T06:52:29-07:00February 3rd, 2018|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Because I had noticed the Common Goldeneye drake's behavior I was able to photograph him as he assumed the Head-throw posture.

Male Yellow-headed Blackbird Displaying at Bear River MBR

By |2024-03-22T08:25:10-06:00September 15th, 2016|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I photographed this male Yellow-headed Blackbird displaying at Bear River MBR it was a beautiful May morning and all the birds there were singing.

Greater Sage-Grouse Lek and News on Protections for the Grouse

By |2023-03-13T07:47:37-06:00May 29th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Conservation, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two months ago today I was photographing on a Greater Sage-Grouse lek in 21°F weather in Wayne County, Utah.

Sage Thrasher Bilateral Wing Display and Courtship Behavior

By |2022-03-13T13:34:15-06:00April 20th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Sage Thrashers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I had my best opportunities thus far this year to photograph Sage Thrasher courtship behavior and bilateral wing displays on Antelope Island.

Western Grebe Weed Ceremony Behavior

By |2021-08-19T16:37:37-06:00April 18th, 2015|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Western Grebes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Western and Clark's Grebes at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge have returned and I have been hoping to photograph some of their mating behaviors again.

Brewer’s Blackbird – A Common Bird in Steep Decline

By |2022-06-18T07:29:03-06:00April 13th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Brewer's Blackbirds are a target species of the “Bye bye Blackbird” USDA Wildlife Services Program, a program that uses DRC-1339, an avicide.

Two Second Skirmish on a Greater Sage-Grouse Lek

By |2023-03-16T05:22:22-06:00April 10th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The two second Greater Sage-Grouse skirmish was over but only for a few seconds before these two males started back up again.

Portrait of a male Long-billed Curlew and a Western Kingbird display

By |2020-03-25T08:12:01-06:00June 12th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Long-billed Curlews, Utah, Western Kingbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I had Western Kingbirds and Long-billed Curlews in my viewfinder on Antelope Island State Park.

Soon Willets will be arriving in Utah

By |2021-04-25T10:02:26-06:00March 9th, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Utah, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

March is a month when I begin to anticipate the arrival of Willets, I have been listening carefully for them and hoping to catch sight of them along the causeway to Antelope Island any day now.

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