wading birds

Yellow-crowned Night Heron In Low Light

By |January 4th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Yellow-crowned Night Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first bird I photographed that day was a Yellow-crowned Night Heron wandering in the sea fog near the dunes and shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico.

Great Blue Heron in Flight With The Wasatch Mountains In The Background

By |December 20th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Great Blue Herons, Salt Lake County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

It isn't everyday I get to see and photograph a Great Blue Heron in flight with the Wasatch Mountains in the background but I had that opportunity two afternoons ago at a pond close to home.

December for Utah and Florida Great Blue Herons – What a Difference

By |December 9th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The lives of these Great Blue Herons sure are different when you compare December in Utah to December in Florida.

Great Egret Landing In A Lagoon With Prey

By |November 30th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Egrets, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I don't often see wading birds in flight with large prey in their bills so in April of 2009 I was excited to see a Great Egret landing in a lagoon with a large fish in its bill.

Stretching Green Heron at Sawgrass Lake Park

By |November 8th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Green Herons, Pinellas County, Sawgrass Lake Park|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Green Heron was photographed from and elevated boardwalk at Sawgrass Lake Park, it had been preening when I walked slowly up to it and when it stretched its wing I took this image.

Immature Reddish Egret & Adult in Flight with Nesting Material

By |November 5th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Lassing Park, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Immature or adult, dark or white morph, Reddish Egrets are spectacular and fascinating wading birds to see, observe and photograph.

Wading Birds At Bear River MBR Yesterday

By |September 11th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had fun photographing the juvenile Great Blue Heron, juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron and the adult Snowy Egret yesterday at Bear River MBR. I especially loved the clearer skies.

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron Encounter at Bear River NWR

By |August 25th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It was a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron encounter on the auto tour route at the refuge and the resulting photos that made me smile the most when I viewed the images on my monitor at home

Great Blue Herons and the Great Salt Lake

By |August 14th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It does seem odd though to see Great Blue Herons hanging around the Great Salt Lake after the chicks have fledged like this immature heron I photographed yesterday near the causeway.

White-faced Ibis at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By |August 2nd, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, White-faced Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge was calling me yesterday morning and I answered that call and photographed several White-faced Ibis from the auto tour route.

Gray & Windy Day Great Blue Heron Portrait

By |July 30th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Great Blue Heron wandered past me one December morning at Fort De Soto County Park's north beach on a gray, windy day and because it was close I simply had to take a photo of the large wading bird.

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron Close Up Experience

By |May 24th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I drove up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge to see what birds I could find to photograph and I am glad I did because I had a wonderful juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron close up experience.

White Ibis in a Lagoon – Getting Down & Dirty for the Low Angle Photo

By |April 15th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, White Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was able to take a nice series of low angle images of this White Ibis in the blue lagoon by staying still as it hunted for food with my lens about an inch or two above the water.

Missing the Birds of Bear River MBR & Spring Migration

By |April 9th, 2017|Categories: American Avocets, American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Box Elder County, Clark's Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, Long-billed Dowitchers, Short-eared Owls, Utah, Wilson's Phalaropes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route is still closed and many of the birders, bird photographers and nature lovers are itching to know what birds are there because after all spring migration is an exciting time at the refuge.

Age Related Color Morphs of Little Blue Herons

By |March 22nd, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Little Blue Herons, Pinellas County, Roosevelt Wetlands|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Little Blue Herons start off their lives with white plumage, then look piebald with blue and white fathers and finally look more "blue" as adults.

Flooding at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge – Road Closure

By |February 27th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I am anxious to get out to the Bear River MBR auto tour loop of the refuge to see what migrants have flown in but right now that isn't possible and there isn't any information on when the road will open again

Strolling Yellow-crowned Night Heron – Thinking Back on Brighter, Warmer Days

By |January 10th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Yellow-crowned Night Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

This morning my mind drifted back to June of 2009, to a bright, warm day on the Gulf coast of Florida and a strolling Yellow-crowned Night Heron that I photographed as waves churned up behind it.

Paying Attention to the Birds Beyond My Subject – The Surprise Curlew Behind the Reddish Egret

By |January 6th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I kept this photo of the Reddish Egret with the surprise curlew in the background not because it is a great image but to remind myself to look beyond the subject in front of me.

It is Tricolored Heron Not Tri-colored Heron

By |November 27th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Tricolored Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I must admit I get a little bonkers though when I see images of birds where the name posted for the species in the photo is incorrect, for instance, it is Tricolored Heron not Tri-colored Heron.

Juvenile Roseate Spoonbill on Florida’s West Coast

By |November 25th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Roseate Spoonbills|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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.

American Bittern – Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron Comparison

By |October 21st, 2016|Categories: American Bitterns, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

To the untrained eye American Bitterns and Black-crowned Night Herons can be confused so I thought I'd visually compare the two species with other keys to aid in their identification.

Great Blue Heron Resting In A Canada Goose Nest At Farmington Bay WMA

By |October 15th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago when I found this Great Blue Heron resting in the goose nest I knew I had to photograph it because of the autumn colors in the background.

Birds of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge – Celebrating National Wildlife Refuge Week

By |October 9th, 2016|Categories: American Avocets, American Barn Owls, American White Pelicans, Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Black-necked Stilts, Box Elder County, Redheads, Rough-legged Hawks, Sandhill Cranes, Tree Swallows, Tundra Swans, Utah, Virginia Rails, Western Grebes, White-faced Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This is National Wildlife Refuge Week and in celebration I wanted to do a pictorial essay that includes some of my images of the Birds of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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