birding, photography and living with pet birds
Posted in egret on Jun 29th, 2012
Back when I was renting the 400mm lens, I got some great shows of the Snowy Egret at Farmington Bay. I usually see them at the same spot on the left side of the road close to the entrance. I guess there are good pickings there. Like many of these summer pictures, you [...]
Posted in shorebirds on Jun 24th, 2012
We went to Antelope Island last Sunday and I still have nasty itchy welts from these horribly flies that stung every time they bit me. I truly suffered because I wanted to get some good shots of the Wilson’s Pharalope. There were thousands of pharalopes on the causeway. By the way, the lens [...]
Posted in woodpecker on Jun 23rd, 2012
I’ve seen a lot of Hairy Woodpeckers this season. I saw this one in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery. I thought something was wrong with her because her wings were spread out and her eyes were closed most of the time. But now I think she was taking in the sun. But [...]
Posted in cockatiel on Jun 21st, 2012
I haven’t talked about the cockatiels in awhile, but they’re wonderful. They’re snuggly, they’re getting along pretty well. But Conner isn’t joyous. He’s happy, but he doesn’t sing the way he did with Audrey. He doesn’t make this expression anymore. So we’re thinking about getting another bird. Trevor is too rough, too wild [...]
Posted in swallow on Jun 17th, 2012
I took a trip out to Antelope Island to test out the new lens. And you’re going to love these images. I arrived in time to see tiny fuzzy baby heads poking up from a Barn Swallow nest. These goofy little babies spent most of the time with their beaks open. These [...]
Posted in waxwing on Jun 16th, 2012
I’m back, I’m finally back from California. I’ve spent the last two nights working until midnight. I really should be at work this weekend but my brain is done. So I’m resting and focusing on birds. I took some fantastic shots of Cedar Waxwings in Heber a few weeks ago. You should zoom in [...]
Posted in random on Jun 10th, 2012
As a reward for working all weekend, I stopped by Mt. Olivet Cemetery on the way home. The trip did not disappoint. everyone is itchy lately If you zoom in on his antlers, you can see their wonderful velvety quality. The velvet is used to supply oxygen and nutrients to the bone. [...]
Posted in phoebe on Jun 9th, 2012
One of the images that helped convince me to buy the Nikon lens was of the Black Phoebe in Golden Gate Park. I took this with the borrowed lens. Phoebes usually land on a branch for a few seconds and then take off flying again to catch insects. This phoebe must have had [...]
Posted in Crane on Jun 3rd, 2012
I finally got the chance to test the lens out in Heber. The Osprey setup a new nest on Old Highway 40 and while I was waiting for them to return to the nest I was poking around and I saw Sandhill Cranes. Amazingly, they were in the same location as the cranes we saw [...]
Posted in Costa Rica, macaw on Jun 1st, 2012
Macaws are native to Costa Rica. Their numbers have been severely depleted over the years, however, because of people capturing them to export for being pets. The people at the Tiskita Jungle Lodge participate in a macaw release program. I love this picture because the macaw on the left has a nut. For [...]