A Couple Of Coyotes And The Utah Mule Deer Protection Act
Two years ago Utah established the Mule Deer Protection Act which provided $500,000 to pay “hunters” $50 for every coyote they kill.
Category: Ecology and Environment
My “First Of Year” Sage Thrasher
Burrowing Owls And Banding
Burrowing Owls are among my favorite species to experience and photograph but in recent years some of the joy has been taken out of it.
The Value (and rewards) Of Reporting Banded Birds
Two weeks ago I reported a banded Tundra Swan I photographed at Salt Creek WMA. It wasn’t long before I received some interesting information back about that bird from the North American Bird Banding Program.
A Survivor! Last Year’s One-footed Merganser Has Returned
With all the recent bad news about critters suffering and dying at the hand of man it’s so refreshing to come across one who has defied the odds and not only survived, but thrived!
Black-billed Magpie – Paying The Price For An Ethical Stance
By definition there is often a price to be paid for ethical nature photography since the image you get may not be the one you envisioned or hoped for.
Farmington Bay, Bald Eagles And The 2014 Carp Kill
For years managers at Farmington Bay WMA have killed carp as a management tool. The dead fish bring in hundreds of Bald Eagles but this year, because of the West Nile Virus outbreak in the eagle population, managers had to decide whether or not to proceed with the fish kill. That decision has been made.
Two Bald Eagle Surprises – One Good, The Other Not So Much…
A Bald Eagle in my own suburban yard in the middle of a big city – yesterday it happened once again! But my delight was tempered by something ominous.
A Kestrel, A Mouse And The Potential Demise Of Farmington Bay WMA
Yesterday’s post of the Barn Owl with a mouse (instead of a vole) reminded me of this American Kestrel with another mouse, also at Farmington WMA. I’m wondering if mice have now largely replaced microtine voles at Farmington and if that’s not a harbinger of even worse things to come..
A Coot In Pursuit Of A Grebe’s Fish
Although the American Coot is almost exclusively a herbivore it will occasionally make an exception and eat animal matter. They’re also well-known for food thievery (kleptoparasitism) and two days ago this Pied-billed Grebe nearly became one of its victims.
Pied-billed Grebe Feeding Behavior And An Invasive Species
Yesterday morning the Pied-billed Grebes at Farmington were having a bit of a feeding frenzy and I was able to capture several instances of interesting feeding behavior.
My Puritan Ancestor and the Passenger Pigeon
As most everyone knows, the Passenger Pigeon is extinct. So is my great (x 8) grandfather Governor Thomas Dudley of Massachusetts but I recently found a link between those two old birds and as an aficionado of both family history and birds I couldn’t be happier about it.
Kite String – Yet Another Death Trap For Birds
Several years ago the neighbor kids in the home behind and adjoining my back yard would occasionally fly kites from their own yard. Given the small size of their lot and the many mature and very large trees in the neighborhood it was a kite-disaster waiting to happen. I had no inkling at the time that it would also be a disaster for a bird.
My Love-Hate Relationship With Phragmites
I have a complicated relationship with Phragmites. Though some strains are native to North America, much more vigorous invasive varieties from Eurasia haven taken over many of our wetlands and proven to be extremely difficult to control. Dense “reed stands” of Phragmites with their dramatic seed plumes waving in the breeze can be strikingly beautiful but they’re a huge problem in our wetlands.
Lazuli Buntings In The San Rafael Swell
Appropriately named after the blue gemstone lapis lazuli, the Lazuli Bunting is one of our most colorful western birds. The persistent and conspicuous song of the male throughout the breeding season has been likened to an “acoustic barcode” that is unique to that individual bird.
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My “First Of Year” Sage Thrasher
Burrowing Owls And Banding
Burrowing Owls are among my favorite species to experience and photograph but in recent years some of the joy has been taken out of it.
The Value (and rewards) Of Reporting Banded Birds
Two weeks ago I reported a banded Tundra Swan I photographed at Salt Creek WMA. It wasn’t long before I received some interesting information back about that bird from the North American Bird Banding Program.
A Survivor! Last Year’s One-footed Merganser Has Returned
With all the recent bad news about critters suffering and dying at the hand of man it’s so refreshing to come across one who has defied the odds and not only survived, but thrived!
Black-billed Magpie – Paying The Price For An Ethical Stance
By definition there is often a price to be paid for ethical nature photography since the image you get may not be the one you envisioned or hoped for.
Farmington Bay, Bald Eagles And The 2014 Carp Kill
For years managers at Farmington Bay WMA have killed carp as a management tool. The dead fish bring in hundreds of Bald Eagles but this year, because of the West Nile Virus outbreak in the eagle population, managers had to decide whether or not to proceed with the fish kill. That decision has been made.
Two Bald Eagle Surprises – One Good, The Other Not So Much…
A Bald Eagle in my own suburban yard in the middle of a big city – yesterday it happened once again! But my delight was tempered by something ominous.
A Kestrel, A Mouse And The Potential Demise Of Farmington Bay WMA
Yesterday’s post of the Barn Owl with a mouse (instead of a vole) reminded me of this American Kestrel with another mouse, also at Farmington WMA. I’m wondering if mice have now largely replaced microtine voles at Farmington and if that’s not a harbinger of even worse things to come..
A Coot In Pursuit Of A Grebe’s Fish
Although the American Coot is almost exclusively a herbivore it will occasionally make an exception and eat animal matter. They’re also well-known for food thievery (kleptoparasitism) and two days ago this Pied-billed Grebe nearly became one of its victims.
Pied-billed Grebe Feeding Behavior And An Invasive Species
Yesterday morning the Pied-billed Grebes at Farmington were having a bit of a feeding frenzy and I was able to capture several instances of interesting feeding behavior.
My Puritan Ancestor and the Passenger Pigeon
As most everyone knows, the Passenger Pigeon is extinct. So is my great (x 8) grandfather Governor Thomas Dudley of Massachusetts but I recently found a link between those two old birds and as an aficionado of both family history and birds I couldn’t be happier about it.
Kite String – Yet Another Death Trap For Birds
Several years ago the neighbor kids in the home behind and adjoining my back yard would occasionally fly kites from their own yard. Given the small size of their lot and the many mature and very large trees in the neighborhood it was a kite-disaster waiting to happen. I had no inkling at the time that it would also be a disaster for a bird.
My Love-Hate Relationship With Phragmites
I have a complicated relationship with Phragmites. Though some strains are native to North America, much more vigorous invasive varieties from Eurasia haven taken over many of our wetlands and proven to be extremely difficult to control. Dense “reed stands” of Phragmites with their dramatic seed plumes waving in the breeze can be strikingly beautiful but they’re a huge problem in our wetlands.
Lazuli Buntings In The San Rafael Swell
Appropriately named after the blue gemstone lapis lazuli, the Lazuli Bunting is one of our most colorful western birds. The persistent and conspicuous song of the male throughout the breeding season has been likened to an “acoustic barcode” that is unique to that individual bird.