And meet Ashley Kijowski, the new Director of the Eccles Wildlife Education Center.
Yesterday morning at Farmington Bay WMA birds were hard to come by so when I spotted a hawk in a tree that was too far away for decent photos I stopped my pickup to scope it through my lens for no other reason than to get a positive ID on it. As I suspected it turned out to be a Red-tailed Hawk.
1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 1000, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Before I even got my lens out the window, an adult Bald Eagle swooped in from out of nowhere with the intention of landing in a different tree fairly close to the red-tail.. I got about a dozen sharp shots of ‘him’ during his approach and while he was landing.
But he was strongly sidelit so I got very little direct light on the parts of him that I could see. Of the photos I managed to get I liked this one best because of his dynamic landing posture. The background is the snow-covered Wasatch Mountains in shade.
I have Bald Eagle photos I like better than this one but after being confined at home for so long I really enjoyed getting “out there” again so I decided to document the occasion by posting the best shot I managed to get. For me it represents a new start.
Birds were so slow yesterday, immediately after taking the eagle photos I threw in the towel and on a whim decided to visit the nearby Eccles Wildlife Education Center. It had been many months since I’d been there (other than to look for birds near their parking lot) and that place means a lot to me so I was eager to learn who the new director/manager of the Wildlife Center is. Two of my good friends, Justina Bernstein and Billy Fenimore, have been director of the center in the past and both did a superb job in that vital role so I was curious and nosy enough to drop in and pop the question.
It turned out that wildlife biologist Ashley Kijowski is the new director and my timing was perfect because yesterday was her first official day on the job, I visited with Ashley and Project Specialist Hayley Pace for over a half hour and both were kind enough to answer all of my questions. Believe me, I had a slew of them.
I left with the strong impression that the Wildlife Center is in very good hands. Ashley is highly knowledgeable, enthusiastic about her new role and in my humble estimation she has the outgoing personality for it since a big part of her new job will be meeting with the public and inspiring interest in, and enthusiasm for, birds and nature.
I wish Ashley the very best of luck in her new and very important role. And who knows, maybe I’ve found a new friend.
Ron
Correction: Ashley’s official job title is Coordinator of the Eccles Wildlife Education Center.
Even more excited about your description of Ashley Kijowski as the new director than your lovely Bald Eagle shot (and you know how much I like dynamic landings — almost as much as “wing fling” takeoffs!).
Very excited that Eccles will have another enthusiastic director! I’m sure you’ve found a new friend, especially if she takes a peek at your blog. 🙂
Whoops! *Coordinator, not director. (Didn’t catch your correction.)
Also glad you got out among ’em! I’ll be out among ’em today at the spca — teaching a double class of volunteers…in the rain. At least it isn’t snowing. 😹
Thanks, Marty. Good luck with all your rain. The leading edge of your latest storm is just about to the western edge of Utah.
“The Eagle has landed” and what a glorious image that is! ♥️
And congrats and best of luck to Ashley on a well-earned appointment. Someone with the kind of in-the-field experience she’s got can be nothing but a great addition to a public-facing organization. And imagine the role modeling for schoolkids visiting the center.
“imagine the role modeling for schoolkids visiting the center”
I love the thought of that, Chris.
Nice shot. Besides, I always think the best shot is the one that gave you the most joy or satisfaction regardless of its “perfection” or lack thereof. That it memorialized your “return to active duty” is the important thing. Hopefully the new director will also become a friend and fellow traveler on the road to educating us all on the importance of wildlife and habitat to the wellbeing of all our species.
“I always think the best shot is the one that gave you the most joy or satisfaction regardless of its “perfection””
That’s a refreshing way to look at it, Granny Pat.
WONDERFUL. I am so very glad that you are finally beginning to make a fresh start. A big welcome to Ashley too.
Thanks very much, EC.
Outstretched talons, outstretched wings (and alulae!), and you out stretching your photographic muscles. A winning combination.
Ashley’s got to have a hard job watching the death of the Great Salt Lake. I hope she can see a turnaround while she is there. I know, don’t hold my breath.
“and alulae”
Lyle, I love that so many of my readers, including you, now point out the alulae when you see them!
I really admire your new Bald Eagle capture– DYNAMIC is the word !
Maybe things are still stuck in the mud in Missouri, “rights”-wise, but in my lifetime, as well as in Pam’s, the changes for women have been head-spinning, even in Utah ! I’m so happy for Ashley , and all of the other young women whose qualifications are finally taken seriously and who are now able to win
positions commensurate with their expertise. I can easily remember a time
when their applications would have swiftly gone to the bottom of the stack
without so much as a quick scan…….
Yup, “even in Utah”, Kris.
Beautiful shot of the Eagle – minimal clutter for it to come through and screw up the shot…… 😉 Glad the Center appears to be in good hands.
Pam speaks for many other women over the years and what they encountered in the job market areas not deemed appropriate for women. It’s still “out there” tho mostly more subtle these days……
“It’s still “out there” tho mostly more subtle these days”
I’m convinced that’s true, Judy.
Little branch..big Bald eagle. Was it trying to land or trying to break off the branch for its nest building⁉️
Diana, he was landing on the branch.
Ron – a follow up comment. Just read Pam’s very interesting comments. I am almost 85 so of course very familiar with that kind of thinking from the past. Hard to imagine today a woman with a masters struggling to be hired just because she is a woman. Of course today it would be against the law for a potential employer to even offer up such potential problem situations for a woman seeking employment.
I can’t even imagine how frustrating and maddening it would be. At least we’ve made progress in that arena.
That’s a neat shot Ron. I have taken a few shots of our eagles landing and have always been thrilled to get that opportunity. And as we have discussed before, it is much more difficult to get landing shots than take offs. Glad you got a chance to visit the Wildlife Education Center again and meet the new folks. Taking from your mentions of it over the years I would definitely stop in for a visit if I am ever up that way.
Everett, if you should have the opportunity, visiting the Wildlife Center would definitely be worth your time.
Beautiful shot Ron. Nice catch. Congrats. No doubt, you are “out there”, and that is a good place to be. 😉
Congrats to Ashley as well.
Thanks, Michael.
What a change in attitude since I got my Master’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife and couldn’t get hired in 5 different states! The reason was either that I didn’t meet the height requirement or “How could we put you out in the field alone as a woman? How could we put you out with a male partner? What would his wife think?” Congratulations to these 2 women and to the change in attitude it took for them to attain these positions.
Pam, sometimes things change for the better. This is one of them.
What would his wife think? Give me a break! That made me laugh, derisively. Yes, change is good, but yesterday, a state legislature in Missouri decreed that women legislators must always have their arms covered. I guess men can’t handle looking at women’s bare arms? So not a whole heck of a lot of change after all.
Sue, I read an article about what the Missouri legislature did. As I recall it’s their shoulders that now have to be covered. Either way, it was a stupid and controlling move.
That move is reminiscent of the Taliban.
Exactly, EC.