Great Horned Owl Eating Its Own Feather
I’ve spent a lot of time over the years watching owls – Great Horned, Burrowing and Short-eared especially and I’ve never seen one eating its own feathers.
Category: Bird Oddities
Magpie Take-off From Nest Sequence
I was able to get five consecutive shots of this Black-billed Magpie as it took off from the top of its dome-shaped nest last spring on Antelope Island.
The Source Of Male Western Tanager Head Colors
Male Western Tanagers are known for their red heads but there can be considerable variation in those reds and the cause is not fully understood.
Grebes Eating Feathers (including two graphic images)
A Digestive Surprise For A Young Swainson’s Hawk
I believe this juvenile Swainson’s Hawk was taken by surprise by what it found in its mouth.
Have You Seen Birds Nesting This Late In The Season? I Just Did…
I have never seen any species of bird nesting as late as the second week in October in northern Utah. Until yesterday.
Pheasant With Long-Billed Hawk Syndrome
Yesterday morning at Farmington Bay I photographed this male Ring-necked Pheasant with a grotesquely deformed and overgrown mandible. These images show the problem clearly.
The Seldom Seen Red Crown Patch Of The Western Kingbird
Many are surprised to learn that the Western Kingbird has a reddish-orange crown patch that bisects the top center of its head. The patch is usually kept concealed but occasionally they will quickly flash the patch at unpredictable moments, especially when other birds invade their territory. I’ve featured the crown patch on my blog previously but earlier this summer I had my best look at it so I thought I’d revisit the subject this morning.
Black-necked Stilt – An Optical Illusion
I tend to like quirky photographs that make me think for a moment or send mixed signals to my brain. Or both. For me, this image is one of those.
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.
How The Loggerhead Shrike Got Its Name
Loggerhead Shrikes have several distinguishing characteristics including a mean-looking hooked beak and a black facial mask but it’s their very large head that gave them their common name.
A Twice-anomalous Loggerhead Shrike
There are two interesting things about this Loggerhead Shrike that I thought were worth a closer look.
Turkey Vulture
In some circles the Turkey Vulture isn’t the most popular kid on the block but to me they’re as deserving of our respect and admiration as any other native bird.
Meadowlarks, Take-offs And “Armpits”
When I’m photographing Western Meadowlarks at take-off there’s always one flight posture I hope I don’t get.
Some Very Odd-looking Pheasants
Ring-necked Pheasants are relatively common in my area and I normally see very little variation in plumage color in them – males look like males, females look like females and that’s about it. But twice I’ve photographed some very strange-looking birds.
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Magpie Take-off From Nest Sequence
I was able to get five consecutive shots of this Black-billed Magpie as it took off from the top of its dome-shaped nest last spring on Antelope Island.
The Source Of Male Western Tanager Head Colors
Male Western Tanagers are known for their red heads but there can be considerable variation in those reds and the cause is not fully understood.
Grebes Eating Feathers (including two graphic images)
A Digestive Surprise For A Young Swainson’s Hawk
I believe this juvenile Swainson’s Hawk was taken by surprise by what it found in its mouth.
Have You Seen Birds Nesting This Late In The Season? I Just Did…
I have never seen any species of bird nesting as late as the second week in October in northern Utah. Until yesterday.
Pheasant With Long-Billed Hawk Syndrome
Yesterday morning at Farmington Bay I photographed this male Ring-necked Pheasant with a grotesquely deformed and overgrown mandible. These images show the problem clearly.
The Seldom Seen Red Crown Patch Of The Western Kingbird
Many are surprised to learn that the Western Kingbird has a reddish-orange crown patch that bisects the top center of its head. The patch is usually kept concealed but occasionally they will quickly flash the patch at unpredictable moments, especially when other birds invade their territory. I’ve featured the crown patch on my blog previously but earlier this summer I had my best look at it so I thought I’d revisit the subject this morning.
Black-necked Stilt – An Optical Illusion
I tend to like quirky photographs that make me think for a moment or send mixed signals to my brain. Or both. For me, this image is one of those.
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.
How The Loggerhead Shrike Got Its Name
Loggerhead Shrikes have several distinguishing characteristics including a mean-looking hooked beak and a black facial mask but it’s their very large head that gave them their common name.
A Twice-anomalous Loggerhead Shrike
There are two interesting things about this Loggerhead Shrike that I thought were worth a closer look.
Turkey Vulture
In some circles the Turkey Vulture isn’t the most popular kid on the block but to me they’re as deserving of our respect and admiration as any other native bird.
Meadowlarks, Take-offs And “Armpits”
When I’m photographing Western Meadowlarks at take-off there’s always one flight posture I hope I don’t get.
Some Very Odd-looking Pheasants
Ring-necked Pheasants are relatively common in my area and I normally see very little variation in plumage color in them – males look like males, females look like females and that’s about it. But twice I’ve photographed some very strange-looking birds.