There Really Are Some Short-eared Owls Out There!
I was delighted almost to the point of giddiness to see this many Short-eared Owls concentrated in a small area.
Tag: west desert
Red-tailed Hawk “Dancing” On Juniper Berries
Golden Eagle In Flight (no wires this time)
Some of my readers are aware of my continuing quest for quality images of Golden Eagles in flight. I’m not there yet but I think I’m making progress.
Golden Eagle – Out, Damn’d Wires, Out!
I have a small list of personal nemesis species but if forced to choose the top contender it would have to be the shy and elusive Golden Eagle. I’d estimate that I get a reasonable chance with one of these birds about two times per year and every time something goes wrong that prevents me from getting the photos I covet so much. Two mornings ago it was those ever-pesky power lines.
Red-tailed Hawk At 40 MPH
An Acrobatic Red-tailed Hawk
Raptors sometimes pull some pretty crazy maneuvers during take-off (the last 9 images in this post are sequential with no images in the sequence left out).
Ferruginous Hawk Showing Off Its Long, Pointed Wings
Ferruginous Hawks are noted for their long, tapered and pointed wings and I thought this image demonstrated that field mark well.
Intermediate Morph Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
I spent yesterday morning cruising the back roads of Utah’s west desert with the primary goal of finding and photographing raptors.
Red-tailed Hawk Carrying Prey in Beak Instead Of Talons
In my experience Red-tailed Hawks in flight most often carry prey in their talons but this molting adult surprised me a little.
Shrike Sneak-attack On A Red-tailed Hawk
Believe it or not it was at that moment that a Loggerhead Shrike with a chip on its shoulder swooped in out of nowhere to harass the hawk. Because I was ready for it I was able to get two shots with both birds in the frame. In this first one I don’t believe the hawk yet knows the shrike is there.
Wild Horses – Colts, Mating, Dust Baths And More Fighting
Two days ago I was able to spend enough time with these wild horses in the west desert of Utah to begin to get a feeling for their complex social life.
Fighting Wild Horses
Yesterday we had an incredible morning with a herd of wild horses in the west desert of Utah.
West Desert Red-tail In Flight
Last month we ventured out into the west desert in an attempt to locate and photograph buteos and Golden Eagles. With the exception of one adult Red-tailed Hawk and a (mostly uncooperative) Golden Eagle who let us get close it was largely a frustrating morning.
The red-tail was perched in a tree that was swaying in the wind and it was quite entertaining to watch it rockin’ and rollin’ as it attempted to remain stable on its unstable perch.
Swainson’s Hawk Optical Illusion
Each time I look at this image, at first the wing above the head appears to be the birds right wing on the far side of the body. But then a few seconds later my brain tells me that’s impossible because the lower wing is obviously the right wing and it’s impossible (or at least highly unlikely) for the hawk to have two right wings.
Ferruginous Hawk In Flight
The Ferruginous Hawk has been called “the largest, most powerful, and grandest of our buteos, a truly regal bird” – an assessment I fully agree with.
-
Red-tailed Hawk “Dancing” On Juniper Berries
Golden Eagle In Flight (no wires this time)
Some of my readers are aware of my continuing quest for quality images of Golden Eagles in flight. I’m not there yet but I think I’m making progress.
Golden Eagle – Out, Damn’d Wires, Out!
I have a small list of personal nemesis species but if forced to choose the top contender it would have to be the shy and elusive Golden Eagle. I’d estimate that I get a reasonable chance with one of these birds about two times per year and every time something goes wrong that prevents me from getting the photos I covet so much. Two mornings ago it was those ever-pesky power lines.
Red-tailed Hawk At 40 MPH
An Acrobatic Red-tailed Hawk
Raptors sometimes pull some pretty crazy maneuvers during take-off (the last 9 images in this post are sequential with no images in the sequence left out).
Ferruginous Hawk Showing Off Its Long, Pointed Wings
Ferruginous Hawks are noted for their long, tapered and pointed wings and I thought this image demonstrated that field mark well.
Intermediate Morph Swainson’s Hawk In Flight
I spent yesterday morning cruising the back roads of Utah’s west desert with the primary goal of finding and photographing raptors.
Red-tailed Hawk Carrying Prey in Beak Instead Of Talons
In my experience Red-tailed Hawks in flight most often carry prey in their talons but this molting adult surprised me a little.
Shrike Sneak-attack On A Red-tailed Hawk
Believe it or not it was at that moment that a Loggerhead Shrike with a chip on its shoulder swooped in out of nowhere to harass the hawk. Because I was ready for it I was able to get two shots with both birds in the frame. In this first one I don’t believe the hawk yet knows the shrike is there.
Wild Horses – Colts, Mating, Dust Baths And More Fighting
Two days ago I was able to spend enough time with these wild horses in the west desert of Utah to begin to get a feeling for their complex social life.
Fighting Wild Horses
Yesterday we had an incredible morning with a herd of wild horses in the west desert of Utah.
West Desert Red-tail In Flight
Last month we ventured out into the west desert in an attempt to locate and photograph buteos and Golden Eagles. With the exception of one adult Red-tailed Hawk and a (mostly uncooperative) Golden Eagle who let us get close it was largely a frustrating morning.
The red-tail was perched in a tree that was swaying in the wind and it was quite entertaining to watch it rockin’ and rollin’ as it attempted to remain stable on its unstable perch.
Swainson’s Hawk Optical Illusion
Each time I look at this image, at first the wing above the head appears to be the birds right wing on the far side of the body. But then a few seconds later my brain tells me that’s impossible because the lower wing is obviously the right wing and it’s impossible (or at least highly unlikely) for the hawk to have two right wings.
Ferruginous Hawk In Flight
The Ferruginous Hawk has been called “the largest, most powerful, and grandest of our buteos, a truly regal bird” – an assessment I fully agree with.