I have learned that you have to be prepared to be a bird photographer and additionally that you need to be fast because birds are free moving creatures. There are times that you simply don't or won't have time to change your camera's settings.
I've only photographed Bighorn Sheep (Mountain Sheep some people call them) a few times and here they were, calmly foraging close to where I was! I was thrilled and excited.
This very cooperative juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk was used to the people who frequented Sawgrass County Park and it would land very close to humans.
This is probably one of the moments where the juvenile Burrowing Owl looked more serious than at other times.
I watched this American Oystercatcher juvenile and its sibling from the time they were just tiny chicks beginning the day after they had hatched.
Yesterday I observed an adult Willet defending its young from a group of Black-billed Magpies that were near the Willet's chicks.
Photographs of the Chukars on Antelope Island State Park, Utah throughout the year.
Sometimes I just feel so lucky being a bird photographer. Not only do I get to be outside in nature when I am photographing, but I get nice surprises too like when this Long-billed Curlew juvenile approached near enough to get head shots of it.
This young Yellow-crowned Night Heron moved very slowly and it seemed to do that deliberately.
Cliff Swallows catch and eat flying insects of many species the wing so I adore them because they eat mosquitoes, an insect that I personally despise!
Seeing this newborn Pronghorn is one of those experiences that I will never forget. I already think that Pronghorn young are the cutest furry baby mammals on the planet.
The coyote pup followed after the parent but stopped in the road long enough for a few close up photos.
American Oystercatchers are fascinating birds to photograph, They can strike unusual poses and their plumage is spectacular in flight. I enjoyed watching them pry open bivalves with their long bill
Adults have black eyes, the Black-billed Magpie juveniles have blue, gray or even violet eyes.
American Robin juvenile photographed in my backyard in Utah as it perched above the grass. Robins are the largest and most abundant North American thrushes.
I'm looking forward to seeing red-tailed hawks in the high country of Utah and Montana this summer and hopefully getting some more images of both the juveniles and adult.
I've found Bald Eagles difficult to approach most of the time which is why a long lens is often needed. But not this one year old bald eagle.
Today was a good day, I finally took some images of a Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) that weren't taken from too far away.
White-crowned Sparrows are one of the many birds that I see often during the cold winters of northern Utah.
Near the camp site one afternoon I could hear tiny peeping sounds in the pines and I went to investigate, the sweet calls were coming from these juvenile Flycatchers.
The photographs I have attached to this post are of the same Great Horned Owl fledgling, taken in the same location on the same morning.
Sage Thrashers are from the Mimid family. They forage mainly on the ground for insects, though they do eat berries at times.