Williamson’s Sapsuckers And The Glory Hole Aspen
During our Montana camping trip last week we found a dead aspen that had five nest holes in various stages of excavation and use.
Category: Behaviors
Mating Swainson’s Hawks
Two days ago as I was photographing this dark morph Swainson’s Hawk on a power pole something completely unexpected happened and this time I was ready for it.
Loggerhead Shrikes “Mate Feeding”
Five days ago I posted a series of images of a male Loggerhead Shrike feeding his mate (a ritual that is part of the pair bond between mated birds) and at the time I mentioned that I had photographed the same behavior the day before from the same birds. This is that sequence of images.
A Willet, An Impaled Pellet And A Photographer Caught By Surprise
After eight years of photographing birds it’s not every day that I see something new but yesterday I did.
Mockingbird Flight Display (and a change in shooting technique)
This spring I’ve had several opportunities to photograph the courtship “flight display” of the male Northern Mockingbird. While singing continuously from his perch he jumps almost straight up about six feet as he flaps his wings a couple of times which displays those conspicuous white wing patches and then parachutes down with wings open to the same perch. This performance is repeated every 30-60 seconds or so for an extended period of time.
Male Loggerhead Shrike Feeding His Mate
Male Loggerhead Shrikes feed their mates beginning with the formation of pair bonds in early spring and such behavior continues throughout the incubation and nestling periods.
Birds, Bugs And Frustrations On Antelope Island
Antelope Island is crawling (and flying) with “bugs” right now. Mosquitoes are common, flying midges are thick as are the dreaded biting gnats (I call this the “itching and bitching” season).
Western Grebe Swallowing A Crayfish
Western Grebes are almost exclusively fish-eaters but yesterday morning at Bear River MBR I photographed one consuming a crayfish.
Western Kingbird Feeding Behavior
Yesterday morning was a Western Kingbird bonanza along the Antelope Island causeway.
Bison Calf Getting Breakfast At Its Source
Northern Mockingbird Flight Display
Northern Mockingbirds have three known courtship displays. I was able to photograph one of them, called the “flight display”, three days ago on Antelope Island.
Western Grebe With Fish
Horned Larks Attending To Domestic Duties
It’s not easy to get photos of Horned Larks with insects in their beaks. The diet of adults of the species consists largely of seeds year-round but they do feed insects to their young so if you can catch them at the right time of year it’s possible to get photos of them with insects. Yesterday morning in the foothills of the Stansbury Mountains I photographed both a male and a female with their beaks full of insects.
Blackbird Snagging Midges Out Of The Air
For me it’s highly entertaining to watch Yellow-headed Blackbirds through my lens as they pluck flying midges out of the air.
Pelicans And A Fish Too Big To Swallow – Part 2
This is a continuation of the events from yesterdays post where an American White Pelican had repeatedly tried to swallow a very large, headless carp but due to the size of the fish and persistent pressure from other pelicans the effort (and the fish) had been abandoned.
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Mating Swainson’s Hawks
Two days ago as I was photographing this dark morph Swainson’s Hawk on a power pole something completely unexpected happened and this time I was ready for it.
Loggerhead Shrikes “Mate Feeding”
Five days ago I posted a series of images of a male Loggerhead Shrike feeding his mate (a ritual that is part of the pair bond between mated birds) and at the time I mentioned that I had photographed the same behavior the day before from the same birds. This is that sequence of images.
A Willet, An Impaled Pellet And A Photographer Caught By Surprise
After eight years of photographing birds it’s not every day that I see something new but yesterday I did.
Mockingbird Flight Display (and a change in shooting technique)
This spring I’ve had several opportunities to photograph the courtship “flight display” of the male Northern Mockingbird. While singing continuously from his perch he jumps almost straight up about six feet as he flaps his wings a couple of times which displays those conspicuous white wing patches and then parachutes down with wings open to the same perch. This performance is repeated every 30-60 seconds or so for an extended period of time.
Male Loggerhead Shrike Feeding His Mate
Male Loggerhead Shrikes feed their mates beginning with the formation of pair bonds in early spring and such behavior continues throughout the incubation and nestling periods.
Birds, Bugs And Frustrations On Antelope Island
Antelope Island is crawling (and flying) with “bugs” right now. Mosquitoes are common, flying midges are thick as are the dreaded biting gnats (I call this the “itching and bitching” season).
Western Grebe Swallowing A Crayfish
Western Grebes are almost exclusively fish-eaters but yesterday morning at Bear River MBR I photographed one consuming a crayfish.
Western Kingbird Feeding Behavior
Yesterday morning was a Western Kingbird bonanza along the Antelope Island causeway.
Bison Calf Getting Breakfast At Its Source
Northern Mockingbird Flight Display
Northern Mockingbirds have three known courtship displays. I was able to photograph one of them, called the “flight display”, three days ago on Antelope Island.
Western Grebe With Fish
Horned Larks Attending To Domestic Duties
It’s not easy to get photos of Horned Larks with insects in their beaks. The diet of adults of the species consists largely of seeds year-round but they do feed insects to their young so if you can catch them at the right time of year it’s possible to get photos of them with insects. Yesterday morning in the foothills of the Stansbury Mountains I photographed both a male and a female with their beaks full of insects.
Blackbird Snagging Midges Out Of The Air
For me it’s highly entertaining to watch Yellow-headed Blackbirds through my lens as they pluck flying midges out of the air.
Pelicans And A Fish Too Big To Swallow – Part 2
This is a continuation of the events from yesterdays post where an American White Pelican had repeatedly tried to swallow a very large, headless carp but due to the size of the fish and persistent pressure from other pelicans the effort (and the fish) had been abandoned.