molting

Raggedy Song Sparrow Adult

By |2022-07-25T04:35:31-05:00July 25th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Song Sparrows, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Friday morning while enjoying the cooler temps in the Wasatch Mountains I had this raggedy Song Sparrow adult pop out of a wild rose bush next to my Jeep.

Worn Adult Green-tailed Towhee – Breeding Season Can Be Rough On Their Feathers

By |2022-07-10T07:32:08-05:00August 12th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

After a week at home because of smoky skies I ventured into the mountains and one of the first birds I photographed was this worn looking Green-tailed Towhee.

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.

Male Spotted Towhees – One Immature And One Adult

By |2024-04-05T03:45:44-05:00September 14th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Spotted Towhees, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Spotted Towhees are among the most colorful members of the sparrow family and I always enjoy photographing them on those occasions when they are out in the open.

Molting Immature Green-tailed Towhee

By |2022-07-10T08:35:29-05:00September 5th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Green-tailed Towhees that hatched this year undergo a molt on or near their natal breeding grounds prior to fall migration.

Molting House Wren

By |2024-02-26T10:09:36-06:00August 24th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Clark County, House Wrens, Idaho, Morgan County, Targhee National Forest, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

About two weeks ago I photographed a molting House Wren high in the Wasatch Mountains as it perched near a willow thicket.

Messy, Molting Song Sparrow

By |2021-05-17T05:22:15-05:00August 13th, 2020|Categories: Birds, East Canyon, Morgan County, Song Sparrows, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Song Sparrow will replace its damaged feathers quickly and will look like it normally does once again. Until then, I still think it is a beautiful, albeit somewhat ruffled, bird.

Molting Immature Clark’s Grebe Shaking Its Feathers

By |2024-03-23T04:59:11-05:00October 10th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Clark's Grebes, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Our Clark's and Western Grebes will be leaving here soon and except for a few downy feathers on this one's forehead it looks like it is ready to take on its first migration.

Remarkably Symmetrical Molt In A Ring-Billed Gull

By |2021-09-20T04:33:26-05:00September 22nd, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Ring-billed Gulls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Not only was this Ring-billed Gull in molt it was molting in a remarkably symmetrical pattern which I found interesting. Because the gull was in flight the symmetry was very visible.

Molting American Goldfinch Feasting On Musk Thistle Seeds

By |2021-05-09T03:59:13-05:00August 14th, 2019|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One year ago today I went up into the Wasatch Mountains and for about three minutes I photographed a molting American Goldfinch feasting on Musk Thistle seeds.

Molting Yellow Warbler Male With A Stubby Little Tail

By |2024-04-04T07:07:18-05:00August 5th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Some birds that are molting can look a little odd and this molting male Yellow Warbler with a stubby little tails fits that description perfectly.

Molting Black-capped Chickadee

By |2024-03-23T14:14:47-05:00July 18th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Black-capped Chickadees, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Black-capped Chickadee's plumage isn't in prime condition but I feel like my work as a bird photographer includes taking images of them looking great and not so great because it is all part of the cycle of their lives.

Early Franklin’s Gull at Bear River MBR on March 6, 2018

By |2021-06-19T04:31:46-05:00March 6th, 2019|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Beaverhead County, Birds, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Davis County, Franklin's Gulls, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

While I had the Sandhill Crane and the Ring-billed Gulls in my view finder I heard a call and it only took a second for my brain to figure out that I was hearing a Franklin's Gull which surprised me because it was at the refuge much earlier than I have ever seen one there before.

Landing Immature Double-crested Cormorant Seeking Safety

By |2024-03-27T06:56:58-05:00February 12th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Double-crested Cormorants, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

This immature Double-crested Cormorant appears to be molting and probably needs all the rest it can get because of the molt and because winter is hard on these overwintering cormorants.

Immature Cedar Waxwing in the Wasatch Mountains

By |2024-03-30T14:14:10-05:00September 27th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Cedar Waxwings, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've been trying for over a month to get decent images of fledgling and juvenile Cedar Waxwings and hadn't succeeded but yesterday I was able to take a photograph of an immature waxwing that I actually like.

Molting Juvenile Spotted Towhee

By |2024-04-05T05:05:20-05:00September 14th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Little Dutch Hollow, Morgan County, Spotted Towhees, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

This time of the year male and female Spotted Towhees have finished raising their broods and their young are learning how to be on their own but they do look a touch ragged as they molt into their adult plumage.

Lazuli Buntings In Serviceberry Trees – Fattening Up Before Migration

By |2021-06-01T04:25:01-05:00August 26th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Lazuli Buntings, Morgan County, Shrubs, Trees, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Over the past couple of weeks I have been able to photograph male, female and immature Lazuli Buntings as they have been gorging on the fruits of Serviceberry trees to fatten up before their migration.

Adult and Juvenile European Starlings in Fall Plumage

By |2024-03-17T05:21:36-05:00October 25th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Davis County, European Starlings, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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.

Adult and Immature Song Sparrows

By |2021-05-17T05:21:19-05:00September 21st, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Song Sparrows, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I was able to photograph and adult Song Sparrow eating while perched at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge early in the morning.

Molting One-Year-Old Red-tailed Hawk

By |2023-11-07T02:19:40-06:00May 9th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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.

Partially Leucistic Adult Red-tailed Hawk in Flight – A Rare and Wonderful Sight!

By |2023-01-03T03:08:03-06:00November 15th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Leucistic, Rarities, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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

By |2022-10-04T07:10:38-05:00June 26th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This time of the year I see plenty of molting Red-tailed Hawks and they can look pretty tattered, worn and shabby.

Mountain Bluebird Plumage Development Stages

By |2024-03-29T05:54:43-05:00March 24th, 2016|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Clark County, Idaho, Montana, Mountain Bluebirds, Targhee National Forest, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

These images from different times of the year show Mountain Bluebird plumage development stages from not long after fledging to adulthood.

Immature White-crowned Sparrow molting to adult plumage

By |2021-08-14T05:03:59-05:00November 16th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Lee Kay Ponds, Salt Lake County, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

My post today is an image of an immature White-crowned Sparrow molting into adult plumage and two images showing a juvenile and an adult for comparison.

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