{"id":60673,"date":"2019-10-05T06:49:34","date_gmt":"2019-10-05T12:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=60673"},"modified":"2024-11-02T12:25:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-02T17:25:22","slug":"west-desert-wandering-birds-bees-and-blooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/10\/05\/west-desert-wandering-birds-bees-and-blooms\/","title":{"rendered":"West Desert Wandering – Birds, Bees, And Blooms"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"RabbitbrushRabbitbrush fluff- aka Bird food – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I went wandering yesterday and even though I didn’t have the best of luck with birds because they were either too far away or the wind was keeping them down I still came home with what I think are a few photographic gems.<\/p>\n

Most of the wildflowers have stopped blooming and have set or are setting seed now that autumn is upon us so I stopped to take a few photos of rabbitbrush fluff which several species of birds eat.<\/p>\n

\"BumbleBumble Bee on blooming Rabbitbrush in October – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/3200, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light <\/span><\/p>\n

Some rabbitbrushes were still blooming and although I didn’t see any butterflies near them I was happy to take a few photos of bumble bees on the bright yellow blooms. I was surprised to see the bumble bees because we have had a few nights where the temps have dropped down below freezing in the mountains.<\/p>\n

I’m not as confident with bumble bee identification as I am with birds so I submitted this image to iNaturalist.org<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

What I loved was the sunny yellow colors in this photo and the bumble bee clinging to the flowers was a nice bit of bling.<\/p>\n

\"Dark-eyedDark-eyed Junco – Small in the frame – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light <\/span><\/p>\n

The wind wasn’t helpful for me at all yesterday because most of the birds stayed down or were tucked deep into the shelter of the trees. Dark-eyed Juncos and Townsend’s Solitaires braved the winds at times and showed up at the top of a few trees. I took a few photos of this Dark-eyed Junco because I didn’t want to head home without a single photo of a bird on my memory card and was pretty sure I wouldn’t like it because the junco was small in the frame and the light angle was less than optimal. Once I saw the file at home I discovered that I really like this junco image.<\/p>\n

Even though I came home with very few photos I’m still glad I went wandering. I had great views, sunshine, birds to delight my eyes and ears and I soaked it all up like a thirsty sponge.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even though I came home with very few photos I’m still glad I went wandering. I had great views, sunshine, birds to delight my eyes and ears and I soaked it all up like a thirsty sponge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":136164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[27,2749,358,26,1314],"tags":[2485,7149,7815,5940,2750,6036,2751,7814,6037,2048,4289,7817,2135,4342,4043,4195,7816],"class_list":["post-60673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-dark-eyed-juncos","category-tooele-county","category-utah","category-west-desert-utah","tag-back-lit","tag-bird-food","tag-bombus","tag-bumble-bee","tag-dark-eyed-junco","tag-junco","tag-junco-hyemalis","tag-junco-hyemalis-oreganus","tag-juncos","tag-light-angle","tag-rabbitbrush","tag-rabbitbrush-fluff","tag-seeds","tag-side-lit","tag-small-in-frame","tag-sparrows","tag-species-id"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-oregon-mia-mcpherson-4121.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-fMB","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":74958,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/10\/28\/dark-eyed-junco-and-rabbitbrush\/","url_meta":{"origin":60673,"position":0},"title":"Dark-eyed Junco And Rabbitbrush","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the Dark-eyed Juncos that I had in my viewfinder was perched on top of a rabbitbrush with seeds and fluff in its bill that turned its head towards me.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dark-eyed Junco eating rabbitbrush seeds, Stansbury Mountains, West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-9032.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-9032.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-9032.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-9032.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":48989,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/10\/16\/dark-eyed-junco-mullein-blooming-rabbitbrush\/","url_meta":{"origin":60673,"position":1},"title":"Dark-eyed Junco, Mullein & Blooming Rabbitbrush","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday while looking for birds to photograph a single Dark-eyed Junco popped up into my view and perched on a dried mullein stalk in front of blooming rabbitbrush.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dark-eyed Junco perched on Mullein in front of blooming Rabbitbrush, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-oregon-rabbitbrush-mullein-mia-mcpherson-6368.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-oregon-rabbitbrush-mullein-mia-mcpherson-6368.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-oregon-rabbitbrush-mullein-mia-mcpherson-6368.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-oregon-rabbitbrush-mullein-mia-mcpherson-6368.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-oregon-mia-mcpherson-6530.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-oregon-mia-mcpherson-6530.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-oregon-mia-mcpherson-6530.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-oregon-mia-mcpherson-6530.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61075,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/10\/29\/male-dark-eyed-junco-close-up-at-farmington-bay-wma\/","url_meta":{"origin":60673,"position":3},"title":"Male Dark-eyed Junco Close Up At Farmington Bay WMA","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"As common as Dark-eyed Juncos are I have surprisingly few photos of them in my galleries and that is why I get excited when I can add a new photo of them to my portfolio.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Dark-eyed Junco close up, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/dark-eyed-junco-close-up-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-4990.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/dark-eyed-junco-close-up-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-4990.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/dark-eyed-junco-close-up-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-4990.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/dark-eyed-junco-close-up-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-4990.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":138176,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/12\/24\/snow-birds-winter-slate-colored-dark-eyed-junco-images\/","url_meta":{"origin":60673,"position":4},"title":"Snow Birds – Winter Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco Images","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"There is no snow in the forecast, but that won't prevent me from sharing winter Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco images, which are also known as snow birds.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco in winter, Sebastian County, 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2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco enchanted me with soft calls and a subtle appearance. They bring joy to any outdoor scene anywhere, in any season. I adore them.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco in Arkansas, Sebastian County","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-slate-colored-junco-fall-arkansas-ma-mcpherson-8633.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-slate-colored-junco-fall-arkansas-ma-mcpherson-8633.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-slate-colored-junco-fall-arkansas-ma-mcpherson-8633.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-slate-colored-junco-fall-arkansas-ma-mcpherson-8633.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}