{"id":92295,"date":"2021-07-16T06:09:47","date_gmt":"2021-07-16T12:09:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=92295"},"modified":"2026-02-15T11:24:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T17:24:38","slug":"male-lazuli-bunting-plus-american-mink-family-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/07\/16\/male-lazuli-bunting-plus-american-mink-family-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Male Lazuli Bunting Plus American Mink Family Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AmericanAmerican Mink in early morning light<\/span><\/p>\n

I started my morning off yesterday in the Wasatch Mountains photographing an American Mink family that appeared on the bank of a creek.<\/p>\n

Pointing out the first mink that showed up was a challenge because it blended into the dark soil of the creek bank. After the first one showed up though they were easier to see.<\/p>\n

\"WetWet American Mink on the edge of a creek<\/span><\/p>\n

As the family of minks moved south following the creek bank at times they showed up close to edge of the water which meant they were out in the open for a change.<\/p>\n

\"AmericanAmerican Mink diving into a creek<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of them dove from the grassy bank into the cool water of the alpine creek. These mink move fast.<\/p>\n

\"TwoTwo American Minks at the edge of a creek bank<\/span><\/p>\n

I kept counting the minks as they appeared and was delighted at one point to get two of them in the same frame as they moved along the bank of the creek. That wasn’t easy to do.<\/p>\n

\"RunningRunning American Mink<\/span><\/p>\n

There were also times that the mink left the water and ran through the grasses at the top of the creek bank. Getting photos of the mink family out in the open then was a challenge.<\/p>\n

\"AmericanAmerican Mink moving down the bank of a creek<\/span><\/p>\n

I had counted four minks in the family group then a fifth one appeared following the others as they moved south and away from the creek bank.<\/p>\n

Nearly hidden American Mink<\/span><\/p>\n

When the minks moved up the hill on the west side of the creek they were harder to see and photograph because of the vegetation and wildflowers that are growing there. I did get a few images of this mink where I could actually see its face.<\/p>\n

Later on in the morning and several miles away I spotted another mink which meant my grand total for mink sightings six for the day. That is the highest number of wild mink I’ve ever seen in one day.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Lazuli Bunting taking a short break from foraging<\/span><\/p>\n

After photographing the American Mink family at the first location I had some fun photographing a male Lazuli Bunting foraging and eating grass seeds. This beautiful male bunting was taking a short break from foraging when I photographed him. I liked the over the shoulder look I got from him plus the nice view of his back side.<\/p>\n

\"LazuliLazuli Bunting male perched on a curved branch<\/span><\/p>\n

Then he flew to another branch that was out in the open that showed me his front side with his cinnamon colored breast that contrasts nicely from his whitish belly and sky blue head and upperparts.<\/p>\n

\"LazuliLazuli Bunting male reaching out for grass seeds<\/span><\/p>\n

The male Lazuli Bunting perched on that branch so he could reach out to the seeds of the grass just below his bill in this photo. I liked the great look I got from him just before he grasped the seeds on the stalk of grass.<\/p>\n

Photographing the American Mink family and this male Lazuli Bunting were the highlights of my morning in the Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a> yesterday.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

I started my morning off yesterday in the Wasatch Mountains photographing an American Mink family that appeared on the bank of a creek.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":155031,"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":[7593,27,380,1731,26,773],"tags":[4004,7595,9800,6530,5817,3940,3843,7600,4159,4136,4109,388,1828,4062,7598,7599,4069,4784,7594,4270,4104,9626,4148,2315,3996],"class_list":["post-92295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-mink","category-avian","category-lazuli-buntings","category-summit-county-utah","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-adult","tag-american-mink","tag-break","tag-bunting","tag-buntings","tag-canyon","tag-creek","tag-creek-bank","tag-diving","tag-foraging","tag-grasses","tag-hidden","tag-lazuli-bunting","tag-male","tag-mink","tag-minks","tag-mountains","tag-mustelids","tag-neovison-vison","tag-passerina-amoena","tag-perched","tag-riparian-habitat","tag-running","tag-summer-3","tag-water"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lazuli-bunting-male-foraging-mia-mcpherson-9909.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-o0D","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":59767,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/08\/28\/an-american-mink-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":92295,"position":0},"title":"An American Mink In The Wasatch Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I was excited to have been able to take a decent image of an American Mink when I found this one in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday morning.","rel":"","context":"In "American Mink"","block_context":{"text":"American Mink","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/american-mink\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Mink near a creek bank, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/american-mink-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-5302.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/american-mink-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-5302.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Coronavirus","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm concerned for our wild American Mink and have begun to wonder of the coronavirus could be passed to the other native mustelids here in Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "American Badgers"","block_context":{"text":"American Badgers","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/american-badger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Mink near a creek bank, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/american-mink-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-5302.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/american-mink-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-5302.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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That Spotted Sandpiper is no more.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spotted Sandpiper adult foraging on a dry creek bed, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/spotted-sandpiper-on-dry-creek-bed-mia-mcpherson-0437.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/spotted-sandpiper-on-dry-creek-bed-mia-mcpherson-0437.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/spotted-sandpiper-on-dry-creek-bed-mia-mcpherson-0437.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Perched On A Serviceberry","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Even though the sun was high I couldn't resist photographing a juvenile Lazuli Bunting that flew in and perched on a Utah Serviceberry branch because to my eye the setting was both enchanting and very appealing.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Lazuli Bunting perched on a serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lazuli-bunting-juvenile-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-5990.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lazuli-bunting-juvenile-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-5990.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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