{"id":51727,"date":"2018-04-20T06:00:25","date_gmt":"2018-04-20T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=51727"},"modified":"2025-11-08T11:08:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T17:08:23","slug":"our-western-kingbirds-have-returned-to-northern-utah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/04\/20\/our-western-kingbirds-have-returned-to-northern-utah\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Western Kingbirds Have Returned To Northern Utah"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WesternWestern Kingbird adult on nest – Nikon D7100, f7.1, 1\/500, ISO 500, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light (2014)
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Two days ago when I stopped to use the restroom before dawn off of I-15 I thought I saw two Western Kingbirds chasing each other in the trees at the rest area. I couldn’t hear them over the idling semi trucks and the noise from the interstate but they were the right shape and flew the way I have come to expect these kingbirds to fly. Even though I felt I couldn’t positively identify those two birds as Western Kingbirds I hoped I would see some that morning because I like these noisy tyrant flycatchers. And they are noisy!<\/p>\n

Listen to a Western Kingbird calling here<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

In addition to being noisy they are very active birds and a challenge to photograph plus they will attack much larger birds that come any where near their nests. They are more colorful than their cousins the Eastern Kingbirds because of their yellow bellies.<\/p>\n

\"JuvenileJuvenile Western Kingbird begging an adult for food – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light (2015)
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I did see a Western Kingbird two days ago but the only photos I have of that bird were taken on a barbed wire fence and I have more of those type of images than I know what to do with and nothing about those images were appealing, unique or all that interesting. I am hoping that I am able to take more images of these kingbirds while they are here this year for their breeding season.<\/p>\n

Still, I was excited to spot the kingbirds two days ago. Even though our weather has been crazy with days in the upper 70’s then snow on the ground the next morning and temps have been bouncing around like a loony ball the spring migrants are arriving daily.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Western Kingbird photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I did see a Western Kingbird two days ago but the only photos I have of that bird were taken on a barbed wire fence and I have more of those type of images than I know what to do with and nothing about those images were appealing, unique or all that interesting. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":163183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,1148,1022,26,534],"tags":[4004,740,4073,3808,4884,4071,3791,3772,4075,4104,4541,4183,298,30,4411],"class_list":["post-51727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-davis-county-utah","category-utah","category-western-kingbirds","tag-adult","tag-begging","tag-breeding-season","tag-flycatcher","tag-flycatchers","tag-juvenile","tag-kingbird","tag-kingbirds","tag-nest","tag-perched","tag-scratching","tag-tyrannus-verticalis","tag-tyrant-flycatchers-2","tag-utah-2","tag-western-kingbird"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/western-kingbird-adult-nest-mia-mcpherson-2271.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-dsj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":113327,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/05\/08\/my-first-of-year-western-kingbird-images\/","url_meta":{"origin":51727,"position":0},"title":"My First Of Year Western Kingbird Images","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"On my last trip to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge I was tickled to take my first of year Western Kingbird photos when I was heading back to the interstate.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"First of year Western Kingbird on a barb wire fence, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, 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Display","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday morning I had Western Kingbirds and Long-billed Curlews in my viewfinder on Antelope Island State Park.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Western Kingbird courtship display, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/western-kingbird-adult-mia-mcpherson-2776.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/western-kingbird-adult-mia-mcpherson-2776.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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