Courting Black Skimmers on North Beach, Fort De Soto
On a hazy, windy day in May of 2008 I was able to sand crawl on my belly close enough to some Black Skimmers to watch and photograph them courting.
On a hazy, windy day in May of 2008 I was able to sand crawl on my belly close enough to some Black Skimmers to watch and photograph them courting.
I photographed this juvenile Roseate Spoonbill in May of 2008 from inside a lagoon at Fort De Soto's north while the immature spoonbill and a few adults preened and rested on the shoreline.
I was especially pleased when I found this Bananaquit perched on a colorful Bougainvillea in decent light for a few frames.
When I photographed this Red-tailed Hawk lifting off from the nest it was in mid-April and I don't believe they had laid their eggs yet.
I haven't been seeing the Short-eared Owls lately and that is most likely because their young are now on their own and they don't need to hunt as much because now they only need to feed themselves.
In this photograph the trio of Red Fox kits were close together outside of the den and I liked how they appeared to be waiting for something.
Right after seeing the adult I also saw a fledgling Short-eared Eared Owl about 8 to 10 feet from the adult hung up on barbed wire.
The Targhee National Forest is a wonderful place to find and photograph birds and wildlife including this Red-tailed Hawk juvenile in flight.
I spent the morning at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge yesterday and one of the birds I photographed the most was this resting Double-crested Cormorant.
This Short-eared Owl fledgling spent a lot of time looking at the vehicle on the far side of the road parallaxing with its head tilted or bobbing up and down.
I was photographing this adult hoping to get it on lift off and in flight but looked away from my viewfinder to check my exposure exactly at the time it did lift off so I missed the shots.
I was able to create several images of this Ferruginous Hawk in flight with nesting materials over a field of sage and lupines despite the low light.
I'm pretty sure the American Badger at her den has cubs, they can have anywhere from one to five!
The male Short-eared Owl in Clark County, Idaho was a beauty even in the poor light.
I liked this image of a Tree Swallow near Modoc Creek because of the eye contact, head turn, colors and the pattern of the conifer needles in the background.
I photographed this little Chipping Sparrow yesterday evening at the Upper Lake campground at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.
I really liked this frame of the female Short-eared Owl stretching on a leaning fence post because of the eye contact, the view of her talons, fanned out tail and extended wing.
How could I resist taking images of a fledgling Short-eared Owl in tumbleweeds? I just couldn't.
I know that blurs aren't everyone's cup of tea but I have grown quite fond of this beautiful, shaking, Short-eared Owl blur.
One thing I know for certain is that when the weather clears I know I am going to head back up there. And I will probably think about the title of this post... Warning - Swainson's Hawks Ahead.
It felt amazing to be alone with these northern Utah Short-eared Owl chicks for a few brief moments yesterday.
I photographed this rainy day Red-tailed Hawk in Clark County, Idaho last year as it perched on an old pole with glass insulators on it
This portrait of a Great Horned Owl chick in a hay barn might not have been taken in the most aesthetically pleasing location but I don't think the owlet gives a hoot about the rusty iron beams and corrugated metal walls.
I liked this image of the side lit Short-eared Owl more than I thought I could.
The harlequin faced Lark Sparrows are unique, easily identified and quite striking for sparrows which are known for being "little brown jobs".
The first bird I photographed yesterday morning was a wet Chukar on top of a lichen covered boulder about the time the sun rose above the clouds and mountains to the east.
I adore the Black-tailed Jackrabbits I see on Antelope Island State Park for their huge caramel colored eyes, long ears and their soft looking fur.
I am not sure why the Red-tailed Hawk lifted off with nesting material in its bill from the nest, maybe the hawk felt that piece of nesting material wasn't suitable.
I thought I would share a few Lark Sparrow facts, a sound recording and of course an image of a Lark Sparrow on the ground.
Yesterday I was able to photograph a Western Meadowlark bathing in a puddle in a gravel road on Antelope Island State Park under mostly sunny skies.