For those of you new to this website, subscribe to and follow this blog for any length of time and two things will become quite apparent; one, I love watching and photographing birds more than just about anything else on earth and, two, I spend an inordinate amount of time behind a camera on the […]
Does Photographing Birds During The “Golden Hour” Really Make That Much Of A Difference? Read More »
It’s only the second week in April and, as strange as it may seem, I’m already writing about butterflies flying on the bird refuge, something I wasn’t expecting to do until the beginning of May. Last week’s birdwatching trip around the auto tour route was a little slow for birds but, surprisingly, the 70-degree spring
It might sound odd to hear that I use birds to denote the seasonal changes but I actually do, bird migration is fascinating to me so I watch and make note of their migratory fluctuations all year long. For example, I pay close attention to what the white-faced ibis are doing each spring and fall
Many years ago when I started photographing birds I soon learned firsthand just how hard capturing even a decently composed image of a flying bird really was. The editing process after a pleasant morning behind a camera in the field was nothing short of infuriating, and that’s putting it mildly by the way, when all
A Beginner’s Guide For Photographing Birds In Flight. Read More »
It’s an annual spectacle of nature that birdwatchers such as myself look forward to all winter, one that brings thousands of migrating snow geese to the small farming town of Corinne, Utah during March. In past years as many as 20,000 snow geese have been known to migrate through this rural community while these anxious
Yesterday, as I drove the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route, I began to hear a most familiar and very welcomed sound, the song of the male red-winged blackbird (video posted below). I don’t know about you but, oh, how I love to hear that soothing melody each and every spring when temperatures
It’s Only February But The Red-winged Blackbirds Are Singing Anyways. Read More »
It might seem like an obsession, maybe it is to some degree I suppose, but just like the title suggests I’m going to try and photograph every American kestrel I can get in front of my camera for the foreseeable future, regardless of its location or if it lacks any artistic potential for the image.
I’m Determined To Photograph Every American Kestrel I See And Here’s Why. Read More »
For birdwatchers like you and I, the inevitable swapping of the seasons always induces some kind of change in what species of birds we get to watch and photograph. An example of this relates to the trumpeter swan, a bird never seen here in Utah during the summer months but one that is becoming increasingly
How Fast Can Trumpeter Swans Fly? Read More »
If you follow my Bear River Blogger Facebook Page, and I most certainly hope you do, it will become quite clear I love to photograph sunsets and sunrises on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge almost as much as the variety of birds it supports throughout the year. This is particularly the case when there
What’s The Secret To Photographing Sunsets? Read More »
With regards to birdwatching this time of year there are several species of raptors that migrate to and live on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge during winter that are worth looking out for and one of them, of course, is the merlin. Slightly larger than and sometimes mistaken for an American kestrel but quite
The Merlin Is Arguably The Most Tenacious Of The All The Falcons. Read More »
On a recent early morning photography trip to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route I had a brief encounter with a red-tailed hawk where, surprisingly, it allowed me to take a few photos before the raptor flew off. Red-tailed hawks usually fly away anytime I get within photography distance so it was
Do Hawks Regurgitate Pellets Like Owls? Read More »
There’s an old saying around these parts that simply states if you don’t like the weather in Utah just sit tight, it will soon change. I guess, well, for me, at least, it should be reworded to say if you do like the weather in Utah enjoy it while it lasts because it’s going to
If you’ve ever attempted it you will know the task of photographing butterflies on flowers, in general, can be quite a challenge in its own right but to capture a great image of a butterfly perched on a wildflower on a windy day is, well, what I often refer to from years of experience as
3 Tips For Photographing Butterflies On A Windy Day. Read More »
If there’s a more misunderstood and underappreciated bird than the turkey vulture I certainly don’t know what it would be. Let’s face it, turkey vultures are a little unsightly with their featherless red scalps and dark, drab plumage, and as such they do take on a morbid-like appearance as they stand hunched over a dead
Why Do Turkey Vultures Sit With Their Wings Held Open? Read More »
Birdwatching can be filled with a lot of interesting discoveries if we slow down a bit and look for them, thus giving nature enough time to pull back the curtain and reveal some of its hidden splendor to us. In fact, discovering something new about a particular species of bird is one of the biggest
Do Great Blue Herons Purposely Feed Around Pelicans? Read More »
