Adult and Juvenile European Starlings in Fall Plumage
I have an alternate title for this post which is "Invasive European Starlings perched on invasive Russian Olives" because both the birds in this post and the trees are not native but introduced.
Immature Song Sparrow Sporting a Messy Look
Birds aren't always neat looking, feathers wear, birds molt and young birds transitioning from their juvenal plumage into adult plumage can look quite disheveled or messy.
Five Different Centennial Valley Red-tailed Hawks
Red-tailed Hawks were my most photographed species yesterday morning in the Centennial Valley of southwestern Montana and I had fun with them.
Two Months of Photographing a Cooperative Northern Harrier
There was a very cooperative first spring male Northern Harrier in a location where I photographed Short-eared Owls last year in northern Utah and for two months I could reliably see and photograph it frequently.
Molting One-Year-Old Red-tailed Hawk
I also keep images of birds that look a bit messy because they are molting even if they aren't up to my standards, like this one-year-old Red-tailed Hawk that was rapidly molting the end of July in 2015.
Ring-billed Gull In Earlier Than Normal Definitive Alternate Plumage
I start seeing some Ring-billed Gulls in breeding/Definitive Alternate Plumage in February but I sure didn't expect to see this one on the third day of January, I was quite surprised by it.
Partially Leucistic Adult Red-tailed Hawk in Flight – A Rare and Wonderful Sight!
When the partially leucistic Red-tailed Hawk lifted off from the power pole I was able to capture photos of it in flight and I was stunned by the beauty of the hawk, pictures do not do this bird justice.
Tattered Looking Molting Red-tailed Hawk
This time of the year I see plenty of molting Red-tailed Hawks and they can look pretty tattered, worn and shabby.
An Intriguing and Very Tame Northern Harrier
While I have been photographing Short-eared Owls in northern Utah I have come across this intriguing and very tame Northern Harrier over and over in the same location.
Molting Immature White-crowned Sparrows
April in northern Utah is a good time to see and photograph molting immature White-crowned Sparrows.
Antelope Island Chukars – From Chicks to Adults
Antelope Island Chukars don't just attract out of town visitors to the island, they still call in locals like myself to see, hear and photograph them.
Trumpeter Swan Cygnets and Preening, Pin Feathers and Molt
In my last post on the Trumpeter Swan Cygnets On Elk Lake I mentioned that the cygnets spent a lot of time preening and part of the reason they do is they are molting.
Swainson’s Hawk in Box Elder County
I am always happy to photograph Swainson's Hawks no matter where I find them so I was pleased to find this one perched on a lichen covered rock yesterday in Box Elder County, Utah.
Double-crested Cormorant Coming In For A Landing
I'm glad the Double-crested Cormorant didn't decide to relive itself as it came in to land or I might have been wearing white-wash!
Immature Black-billed Magpie
Right now on Antelope Island State Park teenaged birds are molting into their adult plumage including young Black-billed Magpies.
Scruffy sub-adult Swainson’s Hawk
Seriously, I wish I understood more about molting with many of the raptors including Swainson's Hawk and perhaps if I ever find some free time I will attempt to study molt patterns more closely.
Ragged Red-tailed Hawk In Molt
Many of the adult Red-tailed Hawks that I saw and photographed in southwestern Montana on my last trip had worn feathers and were molting.
Simple Red-tailed Hawk photo from Montana
This adult Red-tailed flew by at close range which gave me a very nice view of the underside of its wing that shows it was also molting though it didn't look as raggedy as some of the other adult Red-tailed Hawks looked.
Adult Red-tailed Hawk In A Montana Sky
There are issues with this image which I will cover shortly but I really liked the pose of this Red-tailed Hawk, the spread of the wings, the flared tail and the great eye contact I was able to capture as the Red-tail looked down towards me as it flew in a bright blue Montana sky.