Stunning Male Yellow-rumped Warbler In Breeding Plumage
My best bird photos yesterday were of a stunning Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) male in breeding plumage that I photographed as he foraged in tree next to the road.
Horned Lark With Redstem Filaree – Birds & Wildflowers
Yesterday I had the opportunity to photograph a male Horned Lark on Antelope Island State Park that included Redstem Filaree in the photos and I was delighted, that pop of bright color sure says "spring" to me.
Long-billed Curlew Foraging on Antelope Island
Four days ago I was able to take my first photographs of Long-billed Curlews this year on Antelope Island State Park and although I was disappointed in the quality of most of the images I took I enjoyed seeing these large sandpipers again.
Antelope Island Pronghorn Buck Sniffing The Wind
I always enjoy taking photos of the pronghorns on Antelope Island State Park and appreciate the fact that they are approachable and far less skittish than the pronghorn I have encountered in quite a few other locations.
Horned Lark Stretching His Left Wing
I like this photo for the eye contact, the fine details in the plumage of the bird, the stretched wing, light and how his one foot is raised, plus I think Horned Larks are beautiful songbirds.
Springtime Yellow-headed Blackbird Male
Yellow-head Blackbirds made their presence known at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge two days ago by displaying and because of their odd mechanical calls that sound like a rusty metal gate opening and closing.
Photographing a Male Northern Flicker Excavating a Nesting Cavity
I dug into my archives and picked these Northern Flicker photos from May of 2015 to share today because I saw a Northern Flicker yesterday and thought of how they will soon start excavating their nesting cavities to rear their young in.
Long-billed Curlews – Shorebirds of the Great Basin
It was one year ago today that I saw and heard my first Long-billed Curlews of the year and this morning as I sit here knowing there are cloudy skies outside I am wondering if the curlews have returned to northern Utah today as well.
Drake Lesser Scaup in Salt Lake County
The drake Lesser Scaup did come in close enough to be able to take a few images of it where it almost filled the frame before a man and his dog walked by and caused the scaup to make a hasty retreat to the middle of the pond.
Portrait of a Dark-eyed Junco in a Snow Storm
As the snow from the storm fell I noticed some of the Dark-eyed Juncos feeding on the ground and I was able to photograph this junco's portrait as it hid behind a mound of snow.
Spread-eagle Red-winged Blackbird at Fort De Soto County Park
In Florida I most often photographed Red-winged Blackbirds at north beach of Fort De Soto County Park where I could reliably find them in the sand dunes, sea oats, spartina and mangroves all year long.
Drake Redhead Flapping His Wings On a February Afternoon
I've been seeing Redheads at my local pond over the winter but most of the time they have stayed on the other side of the pond so having this one up a bit closer and flapping his wings was a delight.
Greater Sage-Grouse on a Lek – Our Public Lands – Our Legacy
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..
Growing Tired of the Winter That Wasn’t & Looking Forward To Spring
When I look up at the tops of the Wasatch, Oquirrh, Stansbury and Promontory mountain ranges and they look more like late April or May than they do on a normal winter because there is just so little snow up there.
Rough-legged Hawk Lift Off At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
The Rough-legged Hawk's wings were fully extended above its body while its feet were still firmly planted on the ground and with one downward swoop of its long wings it was airborne right after this was photo was created.
Drake Redhead Courtship Display
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
Because I had noticed the Common Goldeneye drake's behavior I was able to photograph him as he assumed the Head-throw posture.
Scarlet Skimmer Dragonflies – Other Things With Wings
Scarlet Skimmer dragonflies were one of the dragonfly species I spent time stalking in Florida because I loved the bright red coloration of the males and the golden colors of the females.
Snowy High Key Mallard Drake Portrait
My favorite image of the day was this high key Mallard drake portrait that was taken in the late afternoon which was the only time I could see the sun behind the clouds the whole day.
Photographing American Wigeon Drakes in Afternoon and Low Light
I like how both these two American Wigeon photos turned out even though they were taken in different lighting conditions, they are both pleasing to my eye.
Mallard Drake in Flight in Salt Lake County
I locked on to one of the mallard drakes and when he flew past I was able to take some nice photos of him before he landed on the water
American Wigeon Pair In Northern Utah
I wonder how long this pair of American Wigeons will hang around, I hope it is long enough for me to see more green iridescence on the drake's head and long enough for me to take more images of them.
Drake Common Merganser In Flight In Northern Utah
One of the drake Common Mergansers I saw yesterday flew over the pond and past me close enough for me to take two photos of it up close in the late evening light.
Mallards In Flight In Golden Afternoon Light
Photographing the Mallards in flight in golden afternoon light was a terrific way to end my bird photography session for the evening.
Urban Birds – California Quail at a Local Park
It isn't uncommon to see California Quail crossing sidewalks, roads and trails in the city and this photo reminded me of how well this species has adapted to living in urban areas.
Focusing On Male Common Goldeneyes
I spent fifty-five minutes primarily focusing on male Common Goldeneyes yesterday afternoon and I am very happy with the images I took of these beautiful diving ducks.
Common Goldeneyes in Northern Utah
The number of birds in a specific location can increase and decrease substantially from one day to the next and that happened with Common Goldeneyes at my local pond in northern Utah when their numbers increased considerably.
Female and Male American Kestrel Comparison
I've seen people struggle with seeing the differences between male and female American Kestrels and I hope this simple comparison will help.
Winter Views of California Quail in Northern Utah
I was able to photograph several California Quail in snow yesterday in Davis County, Utah and I was also able to listen to at least one male calling.
Perched male Red-naped Sapsucker in Idaho’s Targhee National Forest
This Red-naped Sapsucker was perched on a dead aspen branch near the nesting cavity where I photographed a chick being fed by the adults in mid July.