Red-tailed Hawk Just Prior To Reaching Prey

This first photo isn’t a classic buteo flight shot but I believe it’s fairly unique for a non-baited image. I’ve occasionally been able to capture raptors as they’re about to land on a predictable perch but this is the first and only time I’ve been able to get a shot I like pretty well of a raptor as it’s about to (or attempt to) “land” on prey it’s seen from a far-away perch.

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Horned Lark On Mullein

For the past several weeks Antelope Island has been awash in the glorious yellows of moth mullein. It doesn’t cover the entire island but there are areas where entire hillsides have been festooned in mullein yellow.

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Sage Thrasher On Rabbitbrush

Though there’s a fair number of Sage Thrashers on Antelope Island they’ve been a difficult quarry for me. Originally called the Mountain Mockingbird, this smallest of the thrasher species is known to be particularly elusive, frequently running on the ground rather than taking flight and their wandering habits during migration have caused them to be poorly studied.

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