Great Egret Trying To Survive A Harsh Winter
Great Egrets are unusual in my area but we occasionally get a few individuals in winter. Unfortunately this bird chose to hang around during one of our harshest winters in years and the heron struggled to survive. I don’t know if it succeeded.
Sage Thrasher Posing For Me
This past spring was a pretty good one around here for Sage Thrashers. There were more of them and they seemed more cooperative than usual.
Western And Clark’s Grebes – A Comparison
Western Grebes and Clark’s Grebes are so similar in plumage patterns and behaviors that until 1985 they were considered to be color phases of the same species – the Western Grebe. In fact they’re similar enough that many observers never even recognize Clark’s Grebes when they see them and assume that they’re the more common Western Grebe.
A Tough Winter On Northern Harriers
The winter of 2008 was severe and it put a lot of survival pressure on our resident birds, particularly raptors. The number of Northern Harriers wintering over at Farmington Bay seemed unusually high and toward the end of the winter there was intense competition for dwindling food supplies.
Destination: Montana
Later this morning we leave on another one of our patented camping/photo sojourns to Montana. We’ve put this trip off at the last-minute three times in the last ten days due to changing weather forecasts but right now it’s looking good and we’re a go.
Great Blue Heron In Flight (and working on prejudices…)
I have a confession to make and it involves a long-held prejudice I’ve had in the past against images of Great Blue Herons.
Intermediate-Morph Red-tailed Hawk And Juniper Berries
I’m no authority on the highly variable color variations of the Red-tailed Hawk but I believe this bird to be an intermediate-morph adult. I love these rufous-colored hawks.
Male Northern Harrier – Gray On Gray
I photographed this male Northern Harrier earlier this month as it hunted the causeway to Antelope Island. The grayish-browns of the bird are similar to the grays of the Great Salt Lake mudflats in the background. Monochromatic images like this may be an acquired taste for many and it was through the influence of my friend and photographer Richard Ditch that I learned to appreciate them.
An Update On The Red-tailed Hawk Chicks
Ten days ago I reported on the progress of the three Red-tailed Hawk nestlings I’ve been following out in the west desert. At that time several of my readers requested that I keep folks up to date on these birds as they approach fledging. This post is my attempt to do so.
Hovering Western Kingbird
It’s virtually unheard of for me to catch a kingbird in full flight (as opposed to take-off or landing) with any kind of image quality but two days ago I finally had some success in that arena.