desert

Autumn Townsend’s Solitaire Plus Snow In The 10 Day Forecast

By |2021-10-04T05:20:05-05:00October 4th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Townsend's Solitaires, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I found quite a few birds yesterday in far northern Utah and of all the photos I took this autumn Townsend's Solitaire was my favorite.

Thoughts on Our Drought, Douglas Firs, And Birds

By |2021-09-27T05:44:04-05:00September 27th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Tooele County, Trees, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Drought stressed Douglas Fir trees will produce what is called a "stress crop" of cones which is what I believe is happening to the firs in this location.

Red-tailed Hawk Pre-flight Poop Shot

By |2021-09-25T05:44:58-05:00September 25th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When the Red-tailed Hawk took a pre-flight poop I thought I'd get my chance at those lift off and flight photos.

Immature Light Morph Ferruginous Hawk

By |2021-09-22T05:19:38-05:00September 22nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday on the last full day of summer I found a couple of hawks in the West Desert including this immature light morph Ferruginous Hawk.

Immature Light Morph Red-tailed Hawk Plus A Dark Morph Adult

By |2021-09-19T05:36:07-05:00September 19th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I spotted the light colored breast of this immature light morph Red-tailed Hawk from a distance it seemed to glow in the morning light.

Late Summer Turkey Vulture And Common Sunflowers

By |2021-09-16T05:29:32-05:00September 16th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I found an adult Turkey Vulture perched on a metal pipe with a field of sunflowers below and it behind it. I liked the pop of yellow in my photos of this bird.

More West Desert Red-tailed Hawk Images

By |2022-09-11T04:41:51-05:00September 15th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I went out into the West Desert yesterday and came back with more Red-tailed Hawk images that I was delighted to have taken and that I am happy with.

Cooperative West Desert Red-tailed Hawk

By |2022-09-11T04:43:49-05:00September 13th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week I photographed a very cooperative adult Red-tailed Hawk that was next to a road in the West Desert of Utah on a smoky morning.

Adult Red-tailed Hawk Lifting Off

By |2021-09-15T04:47:54-05:00September 11th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It didn't take long before the Red-tailed Hawk raised its wings to lift off from the juniper with a smoky blue sky in the background.

Our Sage Thrashers Will Migrate Soon

By |2021-09-17T09:13:58-05:00August 30th, 2021|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Box Elder County, Davis County, Sage Thrashers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Sage Thrashers are only in Utah for their breeding season and by now all their chicks have fledged and are feeding on their own.

Remembering Smokeless Days

By |2021-08-09T05:55:21-05:00August 9th, 2021|Categories: Tooele County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The photo I shared today isn't of anything special. It is a West Desert mountain range view. That smokeless blue sky though? I'd give so much to see that again here today.

Poppies, Birds, Trees, Butterflies And A Smoky Haze

By |2023-08-18T12:13:26-05:00August 5th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Flatbud Prickly Poppy, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Trees, Utah, Weidemeyer's Admiral Butterflies, West Desert, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first time I raised my lens yesterday morning it was for blooming Prickly Poppies that were along the shoulder of the bumpy gravel road.

Vesper Sparrow Lifting Off

By |2023-03-07T09:28:30-06:00July 31st, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Vesper Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While looking through my archives yesterday I came across this image of a Vesper Sparrow I photographed last September near a freshwater seep in Box Elder County.

What The Changes In The 2021 AOS Supplement Meant For Me

By |2024-03-27T07:18:37-05:00June 26th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Double-crested Cormorants, Neotropic Cormorants, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The 2021 AOS Supplement did mean that I had a bit of work to do on my site after I read that it had been published on the ABA website last night.

Western Kingbird Attempting To Take Over A Bullock’s Oriole Nest

By |2022-11-14T05:32:15-06:00June 15th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Bullock's Orioles, Utah, Western Kingbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

At times I see some odd things in the field and two days ago that was what appeared to be a Western Kingbird attempting to take over a Bullock's Oriole nest.

The Price I Paid For These Red-tailed Hawk Chick Photos

By |2022-11-14T05:40:29-06:00June 14th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I went up to northern Utah hoping to take photos of some Red-tailed Hawk chicks that I know will soon be leaving their nest and I found them.

Say’s Phoebe In Sage

By |2022-04-01T04:43:28-05:00June 11th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Say's Phoebes, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I think Rufous-bellied Phoebe would be a great name instead of Say's Phoebe, with or without the hyphen. It is certainly more descriptive.

Blooming Lewis’s Flax

By |2022-04-26T09:49:15-05:00June 6th, 2021|Categories: Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I wanted to follow my post about a blue bird with blue wildflowers so here are some photos I took last week of Lewis’s Flax which are also known as Wild Blue Flax.

West Desert Rock Wren Photos

By |2023-03-31T16:06:50-05:00May 30th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Rock Wrens, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have been able to take more Rock Wren photos in the West Desert the last two times I have wandered out there.

Subadult Peregrine Falcon

By |2021-05-24T05:52:59-05:00May 24th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Peregrine Falcons, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week before I found the Rock Wren I wrote about I also found a subadult Peregrine Falcon perched on a wooden post in the West Desert.

Nesting Lark Sparrow Photos

By |2021-05-22T04:54:46-05:00May 22nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Lark Sparrows, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One of the first birds I heard singing three days ago in the West Desert of Tooele County was a Lark Sparrow perched on top of a sagebrush.

Singing Rock Wren In The West Desert

By |2023-03-31T15:45:16-05:00May 20th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Rock Wrens, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday when I spotted a Rock Wren singing from the top of a juniper in Utah's West Desert I hoped to take a few decent photos of it before it flew away.

Western Willet Nestled In Sage

By |2021-04-25T06:24:23-05:00April 25th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While I was up in Box Elder County last week I photographed my first Western Willet of the year nestled in sage with its eye on the sky for possible predators.

Spring Turkey Vulture And A View From The Road

By |2024-03-20T12:46:31-05:00March 28th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I was able to photograph a spring Turkey Vulture warming up in the morning light from a rural road in Box Elder County.

Pronghorn Buck And West Desert Sky Island Mountains

By |2021-03-19T05:50:38-05:00March 19th, 2021|Categories: Juab County, Pronghorn, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wildlife|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I found and photographed this Pronghorn buck in Utah's West Desert after photographing birds at Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge in April of 2019. 

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