Swainson’s Hawk – Just Because I Like It
For better or worse the background of an image can have a significant impact on an image. This is one that works well for me.
Tag: migration
Eureka! Western Grebes Really Do Have Wings
The fully extended wings of Western Grebes are rarely seen by humans for several reasons:
Marbled Godwit On Antelope Island
Until yesterday I’d never seen a Marbled Godwit on Antelope Island so it was great fun to photograph this bird up close.
Iridescent Magpie In Flight (and an “early bird” of another species)
Before we get to the main event of this post I must report that a pleasant surprise awaited me on Antelope Island yesterday morning.
Wintering Burrowing Owl On Antelope Island
Burrowing Owls are “supposed” to migrate out of Utah during winter but yesterday I photographed one up close on Antelope Island that apparently didn’t read the book.
Posing Yellowlegs On A Rock Stage
On a visit to Glover Pond last week I found this Greater Yellowlegs resting on a rock surrounded by relatively clear, still water which I thought made a nice setting for the bird (even though the rock also provided some compositional challenges).
Turkey Vulture
In some circles the Turkey Vulture isn’t the most popular kid on the block but to me they’re as deserving of our respect and admiration as any other native bird.
Swainson’s Hawks – Antipicating Their Arrival
Swainson’s Hawks have been absent from North America for many months. They winter in the pampas of South America and their breeding ground is the temperate zone of North America which means their annual migratory round trip is a long one – roughly 12,000 miles (among raptors only the Arctic Peregrine Falcon migrates further).
The Value (and rewards) Of Reporting Banded Birds
Two weeks ago I reported a banded Tundra Swan I photographed at Salt Creek WMA. It wasn’t long before I received some interesting information back about that bird from the North American Bird Banding Program.
Hummingbird Respite
Snow, cold, fog, dreary skies, poor light and polluted air – that’s all we’ve had for many days and I’m sick of it! This morning I need a reprieve and hummingbirds will provide it..
Western Meadowlark In The Snow
In northern Utah, anticipating how long our Western Meadowlarks will stick around during winter is always a guessing game.
A (Fool) Hardy Wilson’s Snipe
I suspect that most folks aren’t accustomed to seeing a Wilson’s Snipe in a setting like this.
Mountain Plovers – “Prairie Ghosts”
Early last April we discovered a pair of Mountain Plovers on Antelope Island. This was only the 10th confirmed sighting of the species in Utah so it created quite the stir when we reported it to UBIRD
Red-tailed Hawks – Creatures Of Habit
Last summer (these first two photos were taken July 22, 2012) I photographed this mated pair of Red-tailed Hawks in western Montana. On most mornings and some evenings I could almost count on finding them perched in the same old snag and even on the same branch of the dead tree.
Earlier this month on my first Montana camping trip I found the same mated pair on the same perch (male at bottom, female up top).
Swainson’s Hawk – Contrasting Top And Bottom Views In Flight
This bird was one of the early migrants into Utah in the first week of April this year. Swainson’s Hawks winter in South America, which means they funnel through narrow Central America as they migrate each way. To give you an idea of how many birds that involves, 845,000 of them have been counted as they passed over Veracruz, Mexico in a single autumn. Incredible! 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I found this bird in a remote area of Box Elder County, hunting from power poles. One of the reasons I like this image is because it’s fairly unusual for me to get a raptor in full flight (instead of just after taking off, note the position of the feet) when it’s not soaring or gliding with its wings in a horizontal position. I’m always interested when I can get images that contrast the ventral and dorsal colors and plumage patterns of the same species in flight. Swainson’s Hawks are quite dark dorsally. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in But when you can get good light in the ventral view, the contrast is striking. Even though these two images were taken 34 minutes apart, I’m relatively certain that it’s the same bird in both shots. This hawk was coming to land on a power pole and even though the flight position screams for a perch in front of the bird, I took the liberty of cloning out the ugly pole…
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Eureka! Western Grebes Really Do Have Wings
The fully extended wings of Western Grebes are rarely seen by humans for several reasons:
Marbled Godwit On Antelope Island
Until yesterday I’d never seen a Marbled Godwit on Antelope Island so it was great fun to photograph this bird up close.
Iridescent Magpie In Flight (and an “early bird” of another species)
Before we get to the main event of this post I must report that a pleasant surprise awaited me on Antelope Island yesterday morning.
Wintering Burrowing Owl On Antelope Island
Burrowing Owls are “supposed” to migrate out of Utah during winter but yesterday I photographed one up close on Antelope Island that apparently didn’t read the book.
Posing Yellowlegs On A Rock Stage
On a visit to Glover Pond last week I found this Greater Yellowlegs resting on a rock surrounded by relatively clear, still water which I thought made a nice setting for the bird (even though the rock also provided some compositional challenges).
Turkey Vulture
In some circles the Turkey Vulture isn’t the most popular kid on the block but to me they’re as deserving of our respect and admiration as any other native bird.
Swainson’s Hawks – Antipicating Their Arrival
Swainson’s Hawks have been absent from North America for many months. They winter in the pampas of South America and their breeding ground is the temperate zone of North America which means their annual migratory round trip is a long one – roughly 12,000 miles (among raptors only the Arctic Peregrine Falcon migrates further).
The Value (and rewards) Of Reporting Banded Birds
Two weeks ago I reported a banded Tundra Swan I photographed at Salt Creek WMA. It wasn’t long before I received some interesting information back about that bird from the North American Bird Banding Program.
Hummingbird Respite
Snow, cold, fog, dreary skies, poor light and polluted air – that’s all we’ve had for many days and I’m sick of it! This morning I need a reprieve and hummingbirds will provide it..
Western Meadowlark In The Snow
In northern Utah, anticipating how long our Western Meadowlarks will stick around during winter is always a guessing game.
A (Fool) Hardy Wilson’s Snipe
I suspect that most folks aren’t accustomed to seeing a Wilson’s Snipe in a setting like this.
Mountain Plovers – “Prairie Ghosts”
Early last April we discovered a pair of Mountain Plovers on Antelope Island. This was only the 10th confirmed sighting of the species in Utah so it created quite the stir when we reported it to UBIRD
Red-tailed Hawks – Creatures Of Habit
Last summer (these first two photos were taken July 22, 2012) I photographed this mated pair of Red-tailed Hawks in western Montana. On most mornings and some evenings I could almost count on finding them perched in the same old snag and even on the same branch of the dead tree.
Earlier this month on my first Montana camping trip I found the same mated pair on the same perch (male at bottom, female up top).
Swainson’s Hawk – Contrasting Top And Bottom Views In Flight
This bird was one of the early migrants into Utah in the first week of April this year. Swainson’s Hawks winter in South America, which means they funnel through narrow Central America as they migrate each way. To give you an idea of how many birds that involves, 845,000 of them have been counted as they passed over Veracruz, Mexico in a single autumn. Incredible! 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I found this bird in a remote area of Box Elder County, hunting from power poles. One of the reasons I like this image is because it’s fairly unusual for me to get a raptor in full flight (instead of just after taking off, note the position of the feet) when it’s not soaring or gliding with its wings in a horizontal position. I’m always interested when I can get images that contrast the ventral and dorsal colors and plumage patterns of the same species in flight. Swainson’s Hawks are quite dark dorsally. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in But when you can get good light in the ventral view, the contrast is striking. Even though these two images were taken 34 minutes apart, I’m relatively certain that it’s the same bird in both shots. This hawk was coming to land on a power pole and even though the flight position screams for a perch in front of the bird, I took the liberty of cloning out the ugly pole…