shorebird

Adult Western Willet Close Up

By |2022-08-16T04:25:10-06:00March 20th, 2020|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Utah, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When the Willets first arrive I often hear them before I see them, they can be quite the chatterboxes early in the spring. Later in the season they aren't quite as vocal.

Focusing On A Greater Yellowlegs With A Small Fish

By |2022-04-20T20:57:28-06:00October 24th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Greater Yellowlegs, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'd watched the Greater Yellowlegs foraging and most of the time the prey was too tiny to see but this little fish was a nice catch for the shorebird and for me.

Photographing Young Spotted Sandpiper Chicks

By |2021-05-07T15:22:00-06:00July 31st, 2019|Categories: Birds, Nesting Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was able to get back out into the field yesterday and I had a marvelous time photographing young Spotted Sandpiper chicks and learning more about their behaviors near a creek in the Wasatch Mountains.

Spotted Sandpiper On The Gulf Coast – Thinking Back On Warmer Days

By |2021-05-07T15:38:00-06:00January 7th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Spotted Sandpipers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This morning I'm thinking back on warmer days where I took photos of Spotted Sandpipers on the Gulf Coast as they scurried among those oyster beds looking for food and somehow I feel just a little bit warmer looking at this photo and the howling wind doesn't seem quite so loud.

Greater Yellowlegs In Utah During Late Fall and Winter? It’s Not Unusual

By |2021-08-17T05:51:13-06:00November 5th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Greater Yellowlegs, Shorebirds, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've been seeing lots of Greater Yellowlegs recently at Farmington Bay WMA here in northern Utah and that might seem unusual because signs of winter have already shown but it really isn't that unusual at all for this species of shorebirds.

Greater Yellowlegs Landing & Lifting Off At Bear River MBR

By |2021-08-17T07:57:44-06:00August 20th, 2018|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Greater Yellowlegs, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Because of the avocet's determination to chase off this Greater Yellowlegs I was able to photograph it lifting off from the water with water still dripping from its feet and with the shorebird's head framed by its wings.

Snowy Plovers – Photographed in the West and East

By |2023-10-22T03:30:37-06:00July 4th, 2018|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Snowy Plovers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It is always nice to be able to point out a lifer bird to someone else and that is what I did on June 25th after I spotted a tiny Snowy Plover at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge foraging in the mud.

Foraging American Avocets in Breeding Plumage

By |2021-04-29T04:20:51-06:00April 30th, 2018|Categories: American Avocets, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Eight days ago it was sunny and bright and I was out having fun photographing a pair of foraging American Avocets in breeding plumage at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah.

Photographing Shorebirds at Eye Level

By |2021-05-17T07:15:37-06:00April 6th, 2018|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Black-bellied Plovers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Greater Yellowlegs, Long-billed Curlews, Marbled Godwits, Pinellas County, Piping Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Taking photographs of shorebirds at eye level was very fulfilling for me and the images that resulted from my down & dirty technique have always made me feel an intimate connection to the birds.

Long-billed Curlews – Shorebirds of the Great Basin

By |2022-08-16T05:35:02-06:00March 22nd, 2018|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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.

Differences in Photographing Greater Yellowlegs in Florida and Utah

By |2021-08-17T05:42:39-06:00October 29th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Greater Yellowlegs, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There are big differences in the ways I photograph Greater Yellowlegs here in Utah than there were when I photographed them in Florida.

Listening for Long-billed Curlews

By |2020-03-29T10:53:56-06:00March 2nd, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first of March always makes me think of and listen for Long-billed Curlews, our largest shorebird of North America.

Greater Yellowlegs in Florida and Utah

By |2021-08-17T05:39:43-06:00February 25th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Greater Yellowlegs, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I expect to see Greater Yellowlegs soon because they are one of the first shorebirds to migrate through Utah on their way to their breeding grounds.

Greater Yellowlegs at Farmington Bay

By |2021-08-17T05:48:42-06:00September 26th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Greater Yellowlegs, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've been able to photograph several shorebird species the past week and although Greater Yellowlegs are common at Farmington Bay WMA I still think they are quite lovely.

Bathing Ruddy Turnstone

By |2021-05-17T07:18:37-06:00September 7th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

About half the world's shorebird populations are in decline and with climate change and rising sea levels habitat loss is happening at a faster rate than ever before.

Juvenile Wilson’s Phalarope

By |2021-07-06T17:41:03-06:00July 25th, 2015|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Wilson's Phalaropes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Bear River National Wildlife Refuge was lovely yesterday morning and one of the nice surprises I found was this juvenile Wilson's Phalarope on the west side of the auto tour route.

Wilson’s Phalarope And A Midge At Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

By |2022-04-22T11:28:43-06:00June 16th, 2015|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Midges, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Wilson's Phalaropes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On my recent trip to Idaho and Montana I didn't have many opportunities with Wilson's Phalaropes except for one at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge's Lower Lake.

Western Willets on Antelope Island

By |2021-04-25T08:25:30-06:00June 6th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Utah, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There are two subspecies of Willets in North America and during the breeding season in Utah the birds we see are the Western subspecies.

Long-billed Curlew Wing Lift in Motion

By |2020-03-29T11:23:46-06:00May 11th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Long-billed Curlews, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had some fun with this Long-billed Curlew yesterday after the clouds thinned and the sunshine fell consistently on Antelope Island State Park.

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