There are many things in nature that fascinate me, I mean truly and earnestly grab and hold my attention and admiration to no end. For example, I am enchanted by the monarch caterpillar and its amazing metamorphosis that somehow turns itself into a beautiful butterfly or how a dragonfly can find and pluck even the […]
Unlocking The Mystery Of Goose Migration Through Utah’s Bird Banding Program. Read More »
You might be wondering about the title of this blog post but up until yesterday it was actually legal to harvest a trumpeter swan in Utah during the annual swan hunt. Being a birdwatcher myself, I can honestly say I don’t know why it was ever legal to hunt trumpeter swans in the first place,
Good New For Birdwatchers As Hunting Trumpeter Swans Is Now Illegal In Utah. Read More »
I’m not sure of its origin but there’s an age-old adage out there that simply states “Birds of a feather flock together”. But for some reason that proverb doesn’t always hold true to form, at least in the case when it comes to nesting great blue herons, that is. There’s an interesting situation behind this
Have you ever been to a wetland preserve during spring migration and, well, for no other reason just sat and watched the swans? Being an avid birdwatcher, I most certainly have, numerous times, in fact. It’s quite enjoyable to take a little time from the busy, fast-paced modern world we live in and enjoy these
How Do Swans Take Flight? Read More »
During the hot summer months in wetland areas like the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route the double-crested cormorant can commonly be seen standing with their wings held outspread. It is also pretty common to see these dark-feathered migratory birds not only holding their wings spread out like this but have their backs
Why Do Cormorants Spread Their Wings? Read More »
When I woke up and left the house a lot earlier than normal this past Saturday morning I certainly had no idea what I had gotten myself into exactly. All I knew for sure was somehow, someway I was going to be riding in an airboat out in the frozen wetlands of Farmington Bay. Other
Follow this blog for any length of time and you will definitely see how much of a fan I am of the famed Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route. I simply love it out there and it’s not uncommon for me to visit the refuge 5-6 times per week during spring and summer
Watch Out For Killdeer Nests This Summer On The Bear River Bird Refuge Auto Tour Route Read More »
Watch birds long enough and you will start to realize birds sometimes nest in the oddest of places. One such bird and location we found most unusual was a killdeer nesting in the gravel in my brother’s front yard a few years ago. And what is even more astounding is all four of the eggs
The Time A Killdeer Nested In Our Front Yard Read More »
Last summer, my mother and I were taking a drive around Antelope Island to look for birds when we crossed paths with a very interesting sight, one I had never seen before on the island but a sight that immediately caught my attention as both a birder and a photographer. We came across a few
Why Do Birds Follow And Sit On Bison? Read More »
Have you ever been really close, I mean extremely close to an American white pelican? I have and it was an eye-opening experience when you get to appreciate just how big the American white pelican truly is up close and personal like I did. During the summer of 2021, I was quite fortunate to randomly
We Often Forget Just How Big The American White Pelican Really Is Read More »
It’s not as uncommon as we might think, at least from my own birdwatching experience I would say. What I am referring to is finding a wild bird with some kind of numbered band attached to one of its legs. I was reminded of this a couple days ago when I was doing a little
What Should We Do When We Find A Leg-Banded Wild Bird? Read More »
I’ll admit I am not very well versed in gulls with regards to identification, simple biology, or even just good old-fashioned basic birdwatching knowledge. In fact, I will go as far as to confess I’m downright horrible at just identifying gulls if truth be known. But in my defense aren’t they all just “seagulls” anyways
A Bird Photographer’s Obsession With A Gull On A Pole Read More »
Yesterday, I was asked by a newspaper reporter what is it about bird watching that is just so darn interesting to me and, truthfully, I had to think about that for a moment or two. I mean seriously, why am I constantly compelled to brave not only the sweltering summer heat but also the blistering
The Ring-necked Pheasant Read More »
I have some great news regarding an earlier blog post where I proposed American kestrel nesting boxes should be installed on parts of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, namely along Forest Street where little to no such nesting opportunities currently exist for kestrels. Recently, Karleen Vollherbst, visitor services manager for the refuge, reached out
It’s been a while since I’ve photographed or even mentioned the red-winged blackbird so today’s blog post is dedicated to them, one of my favorite subjects ever to sit and pose in front of my camera. Oh, how I love the sweet song of the male red-winged blackbird during spring, it is truly one of
What Do Red-winged Blackbirds Eat During Winter? Read More »
