foothills

Lark Sparrow In Golden Morning Light

By |2021-06-04T05:29:30-05:00June 4th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Lark Sparrows, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago I photographed this adult Lark Sparrow that I found perched on an old fence post in golden light in the West Desert of Tooele County.

Chipping Sparrow With Food For Its Chicks

By |2021-06-03T05:28:36-05:00June 3rd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Chipping Sparrows, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was photographing a Lark Sparrow when I spotted this Chipping Sparrow with food in its bill fly in and land on a juniper bough.

Recent Birds I’ve Found In The West Desert

By |2024-02-26T10:14:55-06:00May 31st, 2021|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Lazuli Buntings, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, Warbling Vireos, West Desert, Western Kingbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week I made two trips out to the West Desert and today I am sharing a medley of recent birds that I found while I was out there.

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.

Male Western Tanager Close Up Image

By |2021-05-29T06:35:00-05:00May 29th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Western Tanagers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago I had the opportunity to photograph a male Western Tanager up close in the foothills of some of the sky island mountains in the West Desert of Utah.

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.

Photographing An Immature Ferruginous Hawk Hunting For Breakfast

By |2024-02-22T06:17:58-06:00November 28th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning not long after sunrise I spent some time photographing a light morph, immature Ferruginous Hawk hunting for its breakfast.

An Immature Light Morph Ferruginous Hawk In The West Desert

By |2021-09-22T13:31:07-05:00November 4th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The highlight of my morning yesterday was when I spotted an immature light morph Ferruginous Hawk perched on a cedar post in the West Desert.

Barbed Wire Death Trap – Western Meadowlark

By |2024-02-18T06:31:58-06:00October 15th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Western Meadowlarks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Over the past month I thought about whether I wanted to share images and tell the story of this Western Meadowlark that lost its life because of a barbed wire death trap and finally decided that the story needed to be told.

West Desert Ferruginous Hawks – Light And Dark Morphs

By |2021-09-22T15:48:56-05:00October 12th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The past couple of weeks on some of my journeys to the West Desert of Utah I have been able to have a few long distance views of Ferruginous Hawks and that has me excited.

Male Mountain Bluebird Glowing In Early Morning Light

By |2024-03-29T09:01:36-05:00October 8th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Mountain Bluebirds, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This male Mountain Bluebird seemed to glow in the early morning light which was in sharp contrast with the shadows on the mountains in the background.

Mule Deer Does Crossing A Gravel Road In The West Desert

By |2024-03-16T03:54:39-05:00October 5th, 2020|Categories: Mule Deer, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week I found a small herd of does and fawns on a gravel road that leads to the foothills and mountain canyons of the Stansbury Mountains that hung around long enough to be photographed.

Surprise Immature Osprey In The West Desert Of Utah

By |2023-03-27T07:13:44-05:00October 1st, 2020|Categories: Birds, Ospreys, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I don't know how many times I have said "expect the unexpected" since I began photographing birds while talking to fellow photographers.

My First Desert Tarantula Sighting In Utah

By |2023-10-05T05:03:01-05:00September 11th, 2020|Categories: Desert Tarantulas, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was so excited that I was shaking because the creature I had found was a Desert Tarantula which was my first sighting of one in Utah.

Ferruginous Hawks in Utah

By |2021-09-23T13:20:27-05:00December 26th, 2019|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Ferruginous Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Knowing what kind of habitat Ferruginous Hawks prefer during all four seasons here in northern Utah can increase the chances of finding them year round.

Light Morph Rough-legged Hawk In The West Desert

By |2021-02-26T07:10:14-06:00November 25th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Rough-legged Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There was a stiff breeze blowing and when the light morph Rough-legged Hawk lifted off from the juniper it seemed to me as if he did it in slow motion.

Dark Morph Ferruginous Hawk Photographed In Early Morning Light

By |2023-11-24T03:22:04-06:00November 24th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I photograph birds all the time and there are a few that simply take my breath away and totally mesmerize me, this dark morph Ferruginous Hawk is one of those birds.

Dark Morph Ferruginous Hawk On The Hunt In The West Desert

By |2023-11-24T03:53:53-06:00November 18th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It has been a long time since I had a dark morph Ferruginous Hawk in my view finder so when I spotted it hovering over a field I knew I had to stop and get photos of it.

Sharp-shinned Hawk Perched And Preening

By |2023-10-13T14:24:32-05:00October 19th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When it comes to accipiters I see Sharp-shinned Hawks less frequently than I do Cooper's Hawks or Northern Goshawks so when I have a Sharp-shinned Hawk in my viewfinder I become very excited.

Nature’s Calendar – Spring Sprang A While Ago

By |2021-06-03T03:59:34-05:00March 20th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Chipping Sparrows, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

The birds we observe, learn from and photograph care naught for the constrictions of our human calendars instead they listen to ancient, instinctual rhythms inside themselves.

Juvenile Loggerhead Shrike with a Robber Fly

By |2023-01-17T03:25:19-06:00July 6th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Loggerhead Shrikes, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I took this image the juvenile Loggerhead Shrike was perched on a dead twig when the robber fly flew into the frame, the shrike took off after the fly and caught it in mid air.

Adult Box Elder County Yellow-bellied Marmot

By |2022-04-04T09:29:06-05:00March 28th, 2016|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was able to take images of a Box Elder County Yellow-bellied Marmot further south next to the road near the foothills of the Promontory Mountains.

Western Bluebirds in Tooele County

By |2023-02-24T07:00:09-06:00February 25th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Western Bluebirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Seeing these uncommon Western Bluebirds in Tooele County in the Stansbury Mountain Range yesterday is part of why I love bird photography so much.

Wigeon Pond, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Montana

By |2023-03-20T06:37:25-05:00July 8th, 2014|Categories: Beaverhead County, Centennial Valley, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The amazing birds and animals keep me going back to Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge but the scenery and wildness of the area does too.

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