sage

Say’s Phoebe – A Bird I Listen For In March

By |2021-03-09T06:40:34-06:00March 9th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Say's Phoebes, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The calls of a Say's Phoebe are among the sounds I listen for in March and they are the first members of the tyrant flycatcher family I see each year in northern Utah.

Male Short-eared Owl Perched At The Edge Of A Sagebrush Sea

By |2021-04-02T04:23:44-05:00November 5th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Short-eared Owls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I am always looking for Short-eared Owls in northern Utah because they are year round residents here but they are nomadic which means I don't always see them.

Young Mountain Bluebirds In My Viewfinder

By |2024-03-29T08:54:43-05:00July 30th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Mountain Bluebirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was happy to have these juvenile Mountain Bluebirds in my viewfinder yesterday and to be able to listen to their soft calls high on the sagebrush dotted hillside.

Recently Fledged Red-tailed Hawks From Two Nests

By |2022-10-04T04:42:03-05:00July 13th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had a great time photographing three recently fledged Red-tailed Hawks from two different nests in northern Utah yesterday morning.

Photographing Elk In The Wasatch Mountains

By |2024-03-08T19:35:30-06:00June 25th, 2020|Categories: Elk, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildlife|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had a spectacular morning yesterday high up in the Wasatch Mountains and among the highlights of the day was a herd of cow Elk moving down a hillside just before 9 o'clock.

Female Yellow Warbler Foraging In Sage

By |2021-05-08T17:04:23-05:00June 20th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I don't see Yellow Warblers foraging in sage very often so I was thrilled to photograph an adult female as she poked around a clump of sagebrush in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday.

Photographing Three Short-eared Owls In Northern Utah

By |2021-03-13T11:14:03-06:00June 14th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Short-eared Owls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I don't know for sure if I will see another Short-eared Owl to photograph this year but I do know I had fun photographing these three.

Say’s Phoebes And Sagebrush

By |2021-06-11T04:15:41-05:00June 12th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Habitat, Say's Phoebes, Shrubs, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Over time I have come to associate Say's Phoebes with sagebrush because I don't think I have ever seen or photographed one of these phoebes where there wasn't sage nearby here in northern Utah.

Adult Turkey Vultures Thermoregulating

By |2021-03-12T06:02:53-06:00May 26th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In April there was a bright, sunny morning when I had several opportunities to photograph adult Turkey Vultures warming up after a chilly night by thermoregulating.

Wet Swainson’s Hawk In A Storm

By |2021-03-31T04:44:05-05:00May 19th, 2020|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Montana, Swainson's Hawks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This adult male Swainson's Hawk was perched near his nest in a light rain and although he looked soaking wet that didn't appear to bother him much at all.

Green-tailed Towhees Are Migrating Into Utah

By |2021-05-13T14:41:53-05:00May 3rd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One year ago today I "whooped" out loud when I spotted my first of the year Green-tailed Towhee singing as he perched in top of a sagebrush.

Thermoregulating Turkey Vulture Close Up

By |2021-03-12T06:05:54-06:00April 11th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Mornings have still been fairly chilly here in northern Utah and the Turkey Vultures that recently arrived on spring migration have been taking advantage of the rising sun by thermoregulating to help chase off the chill.

Adult And Immature Loggerhead Shrikes

By |2021-02-27T09:45:18-06:00March 10th, 2020|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Loggerhead Shrikes, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

If I can find a protective head net that actually works I might just venture back out onto the island after the no-see-ums come out because I miss photographing nesting Loggerhead Shrikes.

Hatch Year Cooper’s Hawk Resting In Sagebrush

By |2024-03-16T13:00:10-05:00September 23rd, 2019|Categories: Birds, Cooper’s Hawks, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Spotting this immature Cooper's Hawk resting in sagebrush yesterday was the highlight of my morning and even though the setting is messy I like that it shows this young hawk in the habitat this species can be found in.  

Photographing Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk Siblings

By |2023-05-05T10:17:28-05:00August 31st, 2019|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I spent 26 minutes yesterday photographing juvenile Red-tailed Hawk siblings and had a blast watching them preen, lift off, flying, scratching, resting and landing.

Wasatch Mountain Uinta Ground Squirrels In Sagebrush

By |2021-06-05T03:47:45-05:00July 20th, 2019|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As I photographed a pair of Uinta Ground Squirrels in a sagebrush high up in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday I realized that before long these squirrels will be gone from my view.

Adult Uinta Ground Squirrel Close Up In The Wasatch Mountains

By |2021-04-18T05:24:42-05:00April 30th, 2019|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I didn't get any photos of the Uinta Ground Squirrels while I was up in the canyons last week and I will need to fix that soon because I adore these furry, dark-eyed ground squirrels.

Western Meadowlark Photos With Signs Of Spring Growth

By |2022-09-02T13:57:51-05:00April 8th, 2019|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Utah, Western Meadowlarks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

The birds I heard and saw on the island with the most frequency were Western Meadowlarks, most of them were too far away or too skittish to photograph but one of them was cooperative and I was grateful for that.

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.

Immature White-crowned Sparrows Up In Box Elder County

By |2021-10-20T04:57:41-05:00October 24th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've been collecting images of immature White-crowned Sparrows that I have taken over the past month or so up in Box Elder County because of all the different settings I have photographed them in.

Female American Robin in a Mountain Canyon

By |2024-03-10T05:18:51-05:00July 18th, 2018|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday in a Wasatch Mountain canyon I found a cooperative female American Robin resting on a perch on a hillside covered with sagebrush.

Sagebrush Country & Short-eared Owls

By |2024-04-08T12:38:58-05:00June 15th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Short-eared Owls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I see and photograph Short-eared Owls in Sagebrush Country quite often. I spend a lot of time in areas where there is sagebrush dotting the desert, steppes and hillsides here in Utah and I find these amazing owls there.

Photographing Turkey Vultures On A June Morning

By |2021-03-12T06:00:13-06:00June 13th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As a bird photographer I have found that it is easy to make any species of owl look interesting and appealing in my images but it is more of a challenge to do that with Turkey Vultures but that doesn't mean I don't try. I will always try.

Turkey Vultures aka Turkey Buzzards

By |2021-03-12T07:00:20-06:00April 27th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I grew up calling Turkey Vultures by the name "Turkey Buzzards" and every once in a blue moon I still unintentionally slip and call them by their nickname instead of their proper common name.

Go to Top