My Four (and a half) “Lifers” In Eight Days
At this point in my photography “career” it’s unusual for me to get a new lifer but lately I’ve been on a roll.
Category: Birds
Two Recent Swainson’s Hawks
So far this year Swainson’s Hawk populations seem to be a little spotty. I’m finding them in normal concentrations in some areas but in others where there’s been good numbers of them in the past they seem to be rare or nonexistent. I’m not really alarmed about it, rather I suspect this is just one more example of localized bird numbers being difficult to predict.
Western Kingbird With A Serious Eye Problem
Whenever I get an up-close look at a bird in the wild through my lens it’s always my subconscious expectation that it will be vigorous and healthy. It disturbs me when that doesn’t turn out to be the case.
A Wren On A Mission
Last week on our Montana camping trip the House Wrens were incredibly persistent when trying to get long or awkwardly-shaped twigs into the nest holes in the aspen.
Williamson’s Sapsuckers And The Glory Hole Aspen
During our Montana camping trip last week we found a dead aspen that had five nest holes in various stages of excavation and use.
Male Western Tanager
Without a doubt the most colorful bird I photographed on my camping trip last week was the male Western Tanager.
Sage Grouse At Eye Level
Last week we found ourselves at eye level with a small group of very wary Greater Sage Grouse.
Mating Swainson’s Hawks
Two days ago as I was photographing this dark morph Swainson’s Hawk on a power pole something completely unexpected happened and this time I was ready for it.
Loggerhead Shrikes “Mate Feeding”
Five days ago I posted a series of images of a male Loggerhead Shrike feeding his mate (a ritual that is part of the pair bond between mated birds) and at the time I mentioned that I had photographed the same behavior the day before from the same birds. This is that sequence of images.
A Willet, An Impaled Pellet And A Photographer Caught By Surprise
After eight years of photographing birds it’s not every day that I see something new but yesterday I did.
Sandhill Crane In Flight
I started thinking about Sandhill Cranes for this post because a few days ago I drove through some of the mountain valleys in the Wasatch Range where I usually see these birds this time of year and they seemed to be totally absent. I hope that was just a happenstance of observation and not an actual fact. Earlier this spring I did see a lot of them migrating through.
Red-tailed Hawk With A View Over The Great Salt Lake
When I first approached this adult Red-tailed Hawk twelve days ago on the north end of Antelope Island I had the distinct impression that it was enjoying the view over the Great Salt Lake from its lofty perch.
Mockingbird Flight Display (and a change in shooting technique)
This spring I’ve had several opportunities to photograph the courtship “flight display” of the male Northern Mockingbird. While singing continuously from his perch he jumps almost straight up about six feet as he flaps his wings a couple of times which displays those conspicuous white wing patches and then parachutes down with wings open to the same perch. This performance is repeated every 30-60 seconds or so for an extended period of time.
Male Loggerhead Shrike Feeding His Mate
Male Loggerhead Shrikes feed their mates beginning with the formation of pair bonds in early spring and such behavior continues throughout the incubation and nestling periods.
Birds, Bugs And Frustrations On Antelope Island
Antelope Island is crawling (and flying) with “bugs” right now. Mosquitoes are common, flying midges are thick as are the dreaded biting gnats (I call this the “itching and bitching” season).
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Two Recent Swainson’s Hawks
So far this year Swainson’s Hawk populations seem to be a little spotty. I’m finding them in normal concentrations in some areas but in others where there’s been good numbers of them in the past they seem to be rare or nonexistent. I’m not really alarmed about it, rather I suspect this is just one more example of localized bird numbers being difficult to predict.
Western Kingbird With A Serious Eye Problem
Whenever I get an up-close look at a bird in the wild through my lens it’s always my subconscious expectation that it will be vigorous and healthy. It disturbs me when that doesn’t turn out to be the case.
A Wren On A Mission
Last week on our Montana camping trip the House Wrens were incredibly persistent when trying to get long or awkwardly-shaped twigs into the nest holes in the aspen.
Williamson’s Sapsuckers And The Glory Hole Aspen
During our Montana camping trip last week we found a dead aspen that had five nest holes in various stages of excavation and use.
Male Western Tanager
Without a doubt the most colorful bird I photographed on my camping trip last week was the male Western Tanager.
Sage Grouse At Eye Level
Last week we found ourselves at eye level with a small group of very wary Greater Sage Grouse.
Mating Swainson’s Hawks
Two days ago as I was photographing this dark morph Swainson’s Hawk on a power pole something completely unexpected happened and this time I was ready for it.
Loggerhead Shrikes “Mate Feeding”
Five days ago I posted a series of images of a male Loggerhead Shrike feeding his mate (a ritual that is part of the pair bond between mated birds) and at the time I mentioned that I had photographed the same behavior the day before from the same birds. This is that sequence of images.
A Willet, An Impaled Pellet And A Photographer Caught By Surprise
After eight years of photographing birds it’s not every day that I see something new but yesterday I did.
Sandhill Crane In Flight
I started thinking about Sandhill Cranes for this post because a few days ago I drove through some of the mountain valleys in the Wasatch Range where I usually see these birds this time of year and they seemed to be totally absent. I hope that was just a happenstance of observation and not an actual fact. Earlier this spring I did see a lot of them migrating through.
Red-tailed Hawk With A View Over The Great Salt Lake
When I first approached this adult Red-tailed Hawk twelve days ago on the north end of Antelope Island I had the distinct impression that it was enjoying the view over the Great Salt Lake from its lofty perch.
Mockingbird Flight Display (and a change in shooting technique)
This spring I’ve had several opportunities to photograph the courtship “flight display” of the male Northern Mockingbird. While singing continuously from his perch he jumps almost straight up about six feet as he flaps his wings a couple of times which displays those conspicuous white wing patches and then parachutes down with wings open to the same perch. This performance is repeated every 30-60 seconds or so for an extended period of time.
Male Loggerhead Shrike Feeding His Mate
Male Loggerhead Shrikes feed their mates beginning with the formation of pair bonds in early spring and such behavior continues throughout the incubation and nestling periods.
Birds, Bugs And Frustrations On Antelope Island
Antelope Island is crawling (and flying) with “bugs” right now. Mosquitoes are common, flying midges are thick as are the dreaded biting gnats (I call this the “itching and bitching” season).