Four Wonderful Years In Utah
Four years ago today I woke up in Grand Island, Nebraska and drove west to arrive in Salt Lake City, Utah with my possessions in a U-Haul trailer.
Calling Adult Loggerhead Shrike
Two days ago I posted a portrait of a juvenile Loggerhead Shrike that I had photographed on Antelope Island State Park, today I am posting an image of an adult Loggerhead Shrike taken a day after I photographed the young shrike.
Sage Thrashers Aplenty
There are Sage Thrashers aplenty on Antelope Island State Park right now and they have been thrashing, dashing and singing their little hearts out the last three trips I have made out to the island.
Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron Stalking Prey
Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron Stalking prey at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah
Male Cassin’s Finch
I've only had one opportunity to photograph Cassin's Finches so far and that was in the small town of Lakeview where the headquarters of Red Rock Lakes national Wildlife Refuge is located.
Royal Tern Over
Royals Terns make amazing dive bombs for their prey which are usually small baitfish running close to the surface and sometimes if you are lucky you get to see them "Tern Over" in mid air.
Burrowing Owl Juvenile On A Sagebrush
I can't resist photographing Burrowing Owls, I just can't. They are so much fun to see and observe.
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk Learning To Hunt
This juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk was perched on a metal fence post so I opted to go for a portrait to remove the "hand of man".
Forster’s Tern And Friend
This Forster's Tern image was taken several years ago on Fort De Soto County Park's north beach while it was resting on the sand as another tern was flying towards us both.
Short-billed Dowitcher On The Wrack Line
I photographed this Short-billed Dowitcher and the out of focus Sanderling the day after a storm had pushed mounds of Sargassum seaweed onto the wrack line and the birds were busy looking for food within it.
Fledgling Burrowing Owl
This fledgling Burrowing Owl was just learning to fly at the time and wasn't always great at landing. When I took this image it had made a soft crash landing into the Rabbitbrush and it was trying to get its balance back.
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk
One of the nice things about cruddy weather is that I get the chance to edit some of the images that are languishing in my files that I have taken but not gotten around to processing. Here are a few of a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk photographed in August on Antelope Island State Park.
Sandhill Crane at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
So, each time we see or hear Sandhill Cranes we are listening to and looking at a real living fossil.
The Ant Slaying Snowy Plover
While photographing this Snowy Plover in June of 2008 I was able to observe the tiny shorebird snatch an ant from the sugar sand of the north beach of Fort De Soto.
Swainson’s Hawk in the Centennial Valley of Montana
This adult Swainson's had two juveniles nearby that were perched on the conifer tree that their natal nest was in and the sun was getting close to setting. Sometimes I wish I could "speak" raptor so I could know what they are saying.
Concentration – Red-tailed Hawk Juvenile
This juvenile Red-tailed Hawk was concentrating on some thing on the ground when I photographed it.
Golden Silk Spider
I scoured my files and the scariest thing I could come up with for Halloween is this Golden-silk Spider (other than images of me). I don't think it is really scary except that it doesn't have feathers or fur.
Male Short-eared Owl in low light
I don't always get what I want though; for example, I wanted this male Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) I photographed at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Montana in good light.
Western Meadowlark About To Fly
This Western Meadowlark was about to take off from the boulder it was on when I photographed it on Wednesday.
Resting Black Skimmer Juvenile – My Banner Image
Several people have remarked on how much they like the resting Black Skimmer juvenile image that was in my rotating banner at the top of this blog so I thought I would post it to show the whole bird.
Bison Bull Drinking From A Puddle
I photographed this American Bison bull a few days ago on Antelope Island State Park as he was drinking from a freshwater puddle formed by rains over the weekend.
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk In Landing Pose
I had fun yesterday photographing this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) as it perched on rocks and hunted for prey. This image shows the Red-tailed coming in for a landing.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron or Orange-eyed Day Heron?
Despite having "Night Heron" in their name Yellow-crowned Night Herons (Nyctanassa violacea) are not strictly denizens of the dark, they can and do stalk their prey during the daylight hours too.
Female Black-chinned Hummingbird
Yesterday I saw a female Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) checking out the feeder near my front window.
Great Horned Owl Fledgling
Fluffy Great Horned Owl fledgling + knotty weathered wood + large yellow eyes = Wonderful!
Coyote Pup in Prairie Grasses
I simply could not resist posting this gorgeous Coyote pup that I photographed today even though I posted another one recently. I loved the look the pup was giving me, the warm, beautiful morning light and wonderful prairie setting.
Coyote Pup
It might have been slow on Antelope Island State Park yesterday as far as birds go but it was a Coyote kind of day with 9 as a total tally for just a few hours spent on the island.
Pronghorn Doe In A Field Of Wand Mullein
I haven't posted a Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) for a while and thought I would share this one taken earlier this week on Antelope Island State Park in northern Utah today.
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk from the north side of the Centennial Valley, Montana
On my mid-July journey to southwestern Montana it seemed like there were juvenile hawks every where I looked, the east and west side of the Centennial Valley and the south and north sides too.
Willets in Beaverhead County, Montana
These images were taken at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Montana. There were two juvenile Willets plus an adult on the shoreline of the lower lake that delighted me.