Concentrating On Great Blue Herons In Winter
There were plenty of Great Blue Herons to photograph yesterday morning at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and I was more than happy to take photos of them.
Focusing On Herring Gulls – Winter Visitors To Northern Utah
I know some people don't get excited about gulls but I do and I was thrilled two days ago at Bear River MBR when I spotted and photographed my first Herring Gulls of this winter season.
My First Birds of 2020 – American Crows In A Grocery Store Parking Lot
I always get excited about what the first bird will be that I see at the beginning of the new year and for two years in a row now my first birds of the year have been American Crows.
Searching For Rough-legged Hawks
It is currently the time of the year when I start looking for Rough-legged Hawks in northern Utah, the temps have dipped below freezing, there has been frost on the ground and now we've had our first snow.
An American Mink In The Wasatch Mountains
I was excited to have been able to take a decent image of an American Mink when I found this one in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday morning.
Puffed Up Song Sparrow On Natural And Man Made Perches
These two Song Sparrow photos are a reminder to me that sometimes having man made objects in my photos isn't such a bad thing, it is just a matter of personal tastes.
Foraging White-faced Ibis With Frost On Its Tail
It isn't too late to see and photograph White-faced Ibis at Farmington Bay WMA in northern Utah because there are still a few of them hanging around despite the frigid temps during the nights and mornings.
Cooper’s Hawk With Prey Plus An Unintentional Blur Photo
It was a bitter cold January morning in 2016 when I photographed this Cooper's Hawk on prey that I found not far from where I live.
Surprise Peregrine Falcon With Prey On A Brisk Winter Morning
Finding and photographing the surprise Peregrine Falcon with prey was one of the brightest spots of my day.
Portraits of Bison Bulls Drinking From An Iced Over Puddle
These portraits of bison bulls drinking from an iced over puddle were taken with my Nikon D500, my 500mm VR lens with a teleconverter attached from inside a vehicle.
Rough-legged Hawk on a Designated Parking Sign
Many of the birds here in the Salt Lake Valley find a place to roost in the evening and overnight frost begins to accumulate on their feathers like it did on this Rough-legged Hawk on a parking sign.
Short Tale of a Song Sparrow Without a Tail
On the last day of 2015 I photographed this Song Sparrow without a tail on Antelope Island State Park during the early morning while frost still clung to branch the sparrow was perched on.
Mule Deer Buck At Bear River MBR – Celebrating National Wildlife Refuge Week
Last fall I photographed this beautiful Mule Deer buck at Bear River MBR in rut as he followed a doe around the frost-covered marsh.
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and Beyond
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is a winter wonderland right now and although it is very quiet it is still teeming with life.
Frost Covered Juvenile Northern Harrier at Farmington Bay
It isn't unusual to see birds like this frost covered juvenile Northern Harrier at Farmington Bay WMA, Utah early in the morning before the sun rises and warms them up.
Frosty Mule Deer Buck in Snow
I photographed this frosty Mule Deer buck in snow on Antelope Island State Park in December of 2013 while he was following a few does through a field of snow-covered mullein.
Frosty Trees at Farmington Bay
I remembered this image I took a few years ago of frosty trees at Farmington Bay and how it quietly says "winter".
Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron on ice
On a January morning in 2013 I photographed this juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron on ice for about a half an hour at Farmington Bay.
Male Rough-legged Hawk in the marsh next to the Bear River
One good bird can "make" a trip and yesterday a male Rough-legged Hawk made my trip to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge worthwhile.
So where is the snow?
So, is this the year that the Grinch stole winter?
Great Blue Heron hunkered down against winter’s brutal cold
Last December I photographed this Great Blue Heron as it hunkered down against the brutal cold at the edge of the water in a marsh.
Female American Kestrel On A Frosty Winter Morn
American Kestrels are year round residents in Utah and when the cold sets in they are less skittish and will allow closer approaches.
American Kestrel Male On Frosty Rabbitbrush
I know a lot of people are suffering because of the heat of summer so I though I would post an image of a male American Kestrel perched on a frosty Rabbitbrush.
White-crowned Sparrow perched on a frosty shrub
I like the setting contained in this image with a frost covered branches of a shrub with reddish bark that the White-crowned Sparrow perched on close to the entrance to Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.
Snow Birds – Rough-legged Hawks
But for me the "Snow Birds" I have grown to love here in Utah are Rough-legged Hawks who only visit in the winter and spend the rest of their lives breeding in high subarctic and Arctic regions.
Two hours with fog, frost and a four year old Bald Eagle
Patience is absolutely a must for bird photographers and it doesn't hurt to throw a little crazy in the mix too. Spending two hours in freezing temps to photograph a bird might be a little crazy.
Frosted Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area
I have mentioned in recent posts that winter can be harsh in the Salt Lake Valley in posts with images I had taken at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area so I wanted to share these two images taken there yesterday.
White-crowned Sparrows with Frost and Fluff
One of the food items that White-crowned Sparrows depend on during the harsh winters in Utah are the fluffy seeds of the Rabbitbrush that can be covered in hoar frost.
American Coots on a cold winter day
Looking at the huge lobed feet of American Coots is enough to make me laugh. Yesterday I just could not resist these birds.
Song Sparrows in Winter
Song Sparrows are found throughout the U.S. and into Canada, some populations move south during the winter to southern states and northern Mexico. So far 30 subspecies of Song Sparrows have been described.