foothills

Yellow-bellied Marmot On A Cliff

By |2024-04-01T04:46:51-05:00April 1st, 2024|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On April Fool's Day of 2022, I was up in far northern Utah where I spotted this adult male Yellow-bellied Marmot warming up in the morning sun on a cliff.

Juniper Titmouse Photos In Utah

By |2023-12-13T04:24:05-06:00December 13th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Juniper Titmouses, Mercur Canyon, Simpson Springs, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Even though I have taken Juniper Titmouse images, this titmouse species is still a bit of a nemesis bird for me. I just don't see them as much as I would like.

Dark Morph Ferruginous Hawk In The West Desert

By |2023-11-24T04:42:58-06:00November 24th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Four years ago today, I found this gorgeous dark morph Ferruginous Hawk perched on a juniper fence post in the West Desert. I spotted it from about a mile away.

Red-tailed Hawk On A West Desert Weather Station

By |2023-10-19T03:13:49-05:00October 9th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A West Desert weather station wasn't the prettiest perch, but that is where I found this handsome Red-tailed Hawk last week when I went looking for birds.

Autumn Flatbud Prickly Poppy

By |2023-10-08T05:04:33-05:00October 8th, 2023|Categories: Flatbud Prickly Poppy, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I drove out to the West Desert for some peace and solitude three days ago, I was thrilled to spot this Flatbud Prickly Poppy still in bloom.

Black-footed Drone Fly On Rabbitbrush

By |2023-10-07T05:00:56-05:00October 7th, 2023|Categories: Black-footed Drone Flies, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While out in the West Desert two days ago, I photographed this adult Black-footed Drone Fly, a member of the hoverfly family, on a rabbitbrush.

Fall Male Horned Lark Plus A Bonus Photo

By |2023-10-07T04:35:02-05:00October 6th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Horned Larks, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning, I spent time photographing a male Horned Lark perched on a barbed wire fence in the West Desert, with Stansbury Island in the background.

International Vulture Awareness Day 2023

By |2023-09-02T05:25:14-05:00September 2nd, 2023|Categories: Birds, Black Vultures, Box Elder County, Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Today is International Vulture Awareness Day 2023. I admit to having a soft spot for vultures because they are often misunderstood, and because I tend to stand up for those who have no voice.

Blooming Prickly Poppies In The West Desert

By |2023-05-26T02:59:24-05:00May 26th, 2023|Categories: Flatbud Prickly Poppy, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Prickly Poppies are one of my favorite summer wildflowers. I find these poppies in desert habitats, most often in the foothills of sky island mountain ranges.

Rock Squirrel Tree Topper

By |2023-04-02T05:03:06-05:00April 2nd, 2023|Categories: Rock Squirrels, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Almost three years ago, I photographed this Rock Squirrel perched in top of a juniper in the foothills of some sky island mountains in the West Desert of Utah.

World Water Day 2023

By |2024-02-02T05:37:24-06:00March 22nd, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Conservation, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, Glacier County, Glacier National Park, Juab County, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Sawgrass Lake Park, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Today is World Water Day. The theme for World Water Day 2023 is: Accelerate Change. Every human being on this planet is roughly 60% water.

West Desert Western Bluebird Memory

By |2023-02-24T05:05:07-06:00February 24th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Western Bluebirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This morning I am sharing a Western Bluebird memory from seven years ago. That day I found small flock of these colorful bluebirds in the West Desert.

Immature Ferruginous Hawk In December

By |2023-11-24T03:56:36-06:00December 23rd, 2022|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was overjoyed to see an immature light morph Ferruginous Hawk in my viewfinder four years ago in December while I was out in Utah's West Desert.

West Desert Dark Morph Ferruginous Hawk

By |2023-11-24T03:29:26-06:00November 21st, 2022|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Nearly three years have passed since I found, pointed out, and photographed this stunning dark morph Ferruginous Hawk in the West Desert of Utah.

Red-tailed Hawk Waiting For The Light

By |2023-10-19T03:36:18-05:00October 4th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

My favorite of the hawks I photographed in the West Desert yesterday was this adult Red-tailed Hawk on a fence post waiting for the morning light.

Immature Red-tailed Hawk In The West Desert

By |2023-10-05T04:56:49-05:00September 11th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last month while I wandered in the West Desert I found an immature Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence post in the foothills of some sky island mountains.

International Vulture Awareness Day 2022

By |2022-09-03T05:35:50-05:00September 3rd, 2022|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Tooele County, Turkey Vultures, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first Saturday of September is International Vulture Awareness Day which is a day to bring awareness to these birds that face a range of threats.

Young Western Kingbird In The West Desert

By |2022-08-20T04:38:29-05:00August 20th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Western Kingbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While I was out exploring in the West Desert three days ago I spotted this young Western Kingbird perched on a barbed wire fence close to the road.

West Desert Great Basin Gopher Snake

By |2022-08-19T19:38:42-05:00August 19th, 2022|Categories: Gopher Snakes, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago while out exploring the West Desert of Utah I was thrilled to come across a large Great Basin Gopher Snake warming itself on a dusty dirt road.

Fading Flatbud Prickly Poppy

By |2022-08-15T05:30:25-05:00August 15th, 2022|Categories: Flatbud Prickly Poppy, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This morning I am keeping this fading Flatbud Prickly Poppy post short and sweet for two simple reasons.

Lark Sparrow Photos Taken In The West Desert

By |2022-06-05T05:14:06-05:00May 22nd, 2022|Categories: Birds, Lark Sparrows, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I haven't shared any of my recent Lark Sparrow photos this spring so I thought I would remedy that by sharing some that I took out in the West Desert nine days ago.

West Desert Mountain Bluebird

By |2022-05-13T05:05:53-05:00May 13th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Mountain Bluebirds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It is always lovely to have a male Mountain Bluebird like this one I found in the West Desert in my viewfinder because they rival the color of the sky overhead.

Male Mountain Bluebird, Shadows And A Big Stick

By |2022-04-19T05:06:57-05:00April 19th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Mountain Bluebirds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I spent some time wandering in the West Desert yesterday morning and the only decent bird photos that I took were of this male Mountain Bluebird.

Ferruginous Hawk In Bright Morning Light

By |2021-12-01T06:20:07-06:00December 1st, 2021|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I took this photo of a Ferruginous Hawk bathed in bright morning light back in October while I was out driving on dirt roads of the West Desert of Utah.

How I Found My First Of Season Rough-legged Hawks

By |2021-11-06T06:02:36-05:00November 6th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Common Ravens, Rough-legged Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It was a very memorable first of year sighting of these Rough-legged Hawks. The kind where you sit there wondering if you really saw what you saw.

October West Desert Views Of Clouds, Mountains, And The Moon

By |2021-10-10T06:19:13-05:00October 10th, 2021|Categories: Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Today I wanted to share these photos of some West Desert views of clouds, mountains, and the moon because I'd like to be out there seeing and photographing them all.

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.

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