For the past month, I have been patiently waiting for the Hummingbirds to appear in our local park but they were nowhere. Luckily, two days ago I saw a few Hummingbirds feasting on their favorite flowers. These birds are famously attracted to the red flowers for their nectar and visit our park during July and […]
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The squirrel I met a few weeks ago in the Beau Park was not skittish at all and I got the impression that nothing could disturb it. Generally, life is good!
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Grebe chicks can swim within hours of hatching but they depend on their parents for food for almost three months. A female Grebe stay around with her babies for a long time and often take them for a nice ride on her back. Generally, life is good!
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The reflections in the water of the Causey Dam were so surreal that I couldn’t take my eyes off them. All that remained is to wait for someone to swim on kayak into this backwater. Luckily, the red kayak was not long in coming. Rare luck! To get to Causey Dam you have […]
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Sometimes birds fight for their territory so viciously that I can only hope that none of the birds will be injured. The blurry brown bits in the background are brine flies. Generally, life is good!
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This silhouette of flying Great Blue Heron was created by accident. I was waiting for any bird to fly by and the first bird who got in my focus was a Great Blue Heron. It was flying very low over the river and was illuminated by light from behind. When I looked at the screen […]
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On that unforgettable morning Avocets, Willets and Laughing Gulls gathered on the shores of the Great Salt Lake. They were pretty chaotic and I had to wait when one or two birds would be away from others. Three Laughing Gull were the first to do it. Generally, life is good!
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The strangest thing is that I often find myself during dawn on the same shore, which attracts me like a magnet. In winter, I photographed Tundra Swans there. This summer – sunrises, which are every time different and unique. It is on this shore that inspiration is born and lives until the light begins to […]
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Yesterday morning greeted me in the desert with thunderclouds, peals of thunder, lightning piercing the sky, rain which pleased nature for a few minutes with desired moisture and the rainbow that lit up the mountains and the sky. Generally, life is good!
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On that cloudy, windy and cold morning, I was lucky enough to watch and photograph how a Great Egret was fishing, preening and just resting. I even managed to make a portrait of this extraordinary bird. Generally, life is good!
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Yesterday I saw hundreds of Pelicans were swimming in the Bear River. That was an incredible opportunity to photograph them all. But an incredible opportunity soon turned out challenging. It seemed that nothing could disturb the tranquility of these birds, but a whirlwind and light rain changed everything. Pelicans started to leave the group, one […]
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He stepped out of the sage bushes onto the road, skinny and very young, and immediately as soon as he saw me disappeared again in the bushes. But his curiosity was stronger that caution. Generally, life is good!
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I do believe in luck and also believe that even the most not so great circumstances can in matter of seconds turn into a good luck. The muddiest area on Antelope Island usually harbor clouds of gnats especially when it’s getting hot. That Sunday was breezy and gnats were not vicious. It was luck. I greeted […]
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At first glance, it may seem that the life of bisons is not very interesting. They are slow, most of the time they are chewing grass, resting or wallowing in the dirt. But in the spring the life of bisons is different. The mating season begins, the females give birth to calves. On the photo […]
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When I saw a male Horned Lark I thought how nice it would be if he would continue to perch on a shrub and would sing for me from his heart. The Lark didn’t take long to wait. In a few seconds the whole world was listening to his sonorous songs. This is my […]
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One week ago I discovered a small herd of bisons with two calves on Antelope Island. Unfortunately, the adults were taking often their dirt baths and rolling in sand. They were making dense clouds of dust in the air. At the beginning I tried to wait when the dust would settle and the air would be clear […]
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It’s only the begging of summer but the shore birds of North America have already begun their fall migration. You can see hundreds of thousands shore birds at the Great Salt Lake and among them are Red-necked and Wilson’s Phalaropes. They show up at the lake to feed and rest before continuing their journey. Wilson’s and Red-necked […]
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There are moments where everything is in harmony and you just have to click on the shutter of your camera to capture the beauty that you happened to see. Generally, life is good!
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I don’t have many photos of females Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Females are more shy than males and prefer to hide in marshes. The photo above was taken in May. The female Yellow-headed Blackbird decided to show herself to the world as a wonderful gymnast. I was very impressed! Generally, life is good!
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This a very unpleasant encounter between American Pipits happened in January at the Great Salt Lake. The Pipit with wide spread wings and an open bill decided to claim the territory and, of course, he chased away another Pipit. The aggressor behaved like a bully just showing his displeasure and power. Generally, life is good! […]
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After three days of heavy rain, lighting and a roaring thunderous sky the Antelope Island came to life. I took these photos with my reliable Leica D-Lux. Sometimes a bit of variety… Generally, life is good!
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After three rainy days nature finally has delighted us with fresh air and a clear sky and of course, the Antelope island also came to life and pleased me with its wonderful spring colors. When I saw a herd of young deer (according to my calculations there were eight of them), I was excited but […]
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So roughly how many goslings in this family will make into adulthood? It’s hard to say. A female will guard her goslings and feed them. A male will accompany his family and help a lot to raise the young ones. It takes 50-70 days for goslings to attain flight status and during these days they […]
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Recently I discovered a few Cliff Swallow nests. I didn’t see the little ones but one curious adult at some point peeked out of the nest. Two years ago I was able to photograph a few juvenile Cliff Swallows. On the photo above one of them is asking for food. Generally, life is […]
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My yesterday evening trip to the Bear River MBR was coming to an end when I noticed a Snowy Egret on the stones. The Egret chose a very quiet place and enjoyed being there. Sometimes gusts of wind lifted the Egret’s feathers and made him look so cute. The heron did not […]
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It happens. Sometimes a male Sandhill Crane is willing to perform a courtship dance but a female isn’t in a mood. On the photo above the male Crane started his invitation to dance with spreading his wings wide open and standing on one leg but the female wasn’t very impressed. The male […]
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I wasn’t on the North Arm Wildlife Trail for a long while and this morning was a time to see how the Osprey family was doing. The first thing that caught my attention was the nest where the female Osprey was going to raise her young ones. The nest was not completed yet, building it was still […]
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A few days ago I left home when it was foggy but the fog usually doesn’t stay for a long time in Northern Utah. Luckily, in less than one hour the sun started to pick out from the behind the clouds but it was freezing cold morning. May is always so unpredictable. The first bird […]
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Seeing the first Snowy Egret is always thrilling but when it is hiding in the dense marsh it’s not fun at all. At the very beginning of their arrival at Bear River MBR the Egrets prefer to stay in the marshes where they can find plenty of fish and also be safe. I had to […]
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All Tundra Swans already left Bear River MBR but this Swan for some unknown reason is still in the refuge. I don’t know what happened. At first I thought that the Swan couldn’t fly but watched in amazement how it took off and made a short flight. The bird can be sick or injured and […]
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I wasn’t on Antelope island for a long time and was delighted to see how beautiful it can be in the morning especially with the mountains covered with snow. Generally, life is good!
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That dark grayish day at Farmington Bay the amorous pair of Avocets put on quiet a show in front of me. A time for mating has come! A courtship started with the female keeping her body parrallel to the water showing her willingness to mate. The male mounted the female. And copulation […]
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A gloomy morning at Farmington Bay. A dark stormy sky is so heavy that it looks that it’s about to rain. I came to the bay hoping to see Sandhill Cranes. They’re already in Northern Utah. But to my surprise, instead of cranes, I met Great Egrets and spent with them almost two hours. […]
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A few days ago I had an opportunity to photograph the aggressive behavior of Canada geese on our local pond. They were chasing each other and even fighting. Canada geese have well defined and defended territories and extremely defensive of them, their mates and nests during nesting season. Thus, on the photo above a Canada Goose is […]
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The baby bisons are orange – red in color and they got a funny nickname “red dogs”. But after a few months, the color of their fur starts to change to dark brown and their shoulder hump and horns begin to grow. Meanwhile, the little “red dogs” stay close to their mothers. A short […]
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These large geese are very impressive, especially during their mating rituals. They are monogamous and form extremely stable pair bonds for the rest of their lives, divorces are very rare. The amorous pair on the photo above put on quiet a show after a mating took place. The male was very enthusiastic celebrating that the […]
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If I have ever planned to cross my country I would probably tried to figure out where and when to stop for fuel, food, and sleep. It’s the same with Tundra Swans who spend most of the year traveling to their summer home and then return back to their winter home. Yes, they have two homes. […]
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The Osprey family is back to North Arm Wildlife trail and to the same nests. One of the nests will become the birthplace of the little ones, and the other a school where the young Ospreys will start learning how to be on their own. Female Osprey has not yet started nesting and spends almost […]
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It seems that Mallard ducks are everywhere. You visit your local pond and the first bird you see is a Mallard duck. The male Mallard Duck on the photo above lives in the Beau Park where is a little pond. He was close to the shore and preening to look healthy and attract any female Mallard […]
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At the end of February male Red-winged Blackbirds start to sing displaying their territory and waiting for female Blackbirds who will arrive later this month. After a long winter it’s so refreshing to see the birds of spring and hear their songs. Generally, life is good!
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A few weeks ago I got a comment from my friend who is a photographer and knows a lot about modern aircrafts. In his comment he wrote, “Birds are a great example of how humans learned to fly. Look at how similar the swan’s body is compared to modern aircraft.” Before this comment I never paid close […]
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When I spotted a Heron on the river bank I was surprised how relaxed it was, not skittish at all. The Heron was so cooperative that I had an opportunity to take photos horizontally and vertically. A horizontal frame didn’t work but a vertical frame suddenly emphasized the Heron’s long neck and its wonderful eyes. Generally, […]
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I took these photos two weeks ago when Tundra Swans were still at Bear River MBR. Today I saw only one Tundra Swan in the refuge. I don’t know what happened to this Swan but I suspect there were a few more Swans that didn’t migrate yet. Swans left Bear River MBR. They […]
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Actually there is no such a thing like elegant landing but watching for a while ducks and geese doing it I came to conclusion that female Mallard ducks are often very precise, cautious and elegant in their landing. Canada Goose landed on the water rather awkwardly and aggressively, but that’s understandable. Before landing, he […]
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It was hard to tell if it was a fight or if it was possible that one of Canada geese was trying to mate. I am more inclined to think that this was a fight over the territory as the nesting season is approaching and geese become very aggressive about their territory. Generally, life is good! […]
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The end of July. Several Laughing Gulls decided to visit Bear River MBR. I have never seen these birds before and never heard their laugh-like calls. While photographing Laughing Gulls I was listening to a laugh that was echoing across the river. It was a continuous, raucous “ha-ha-haah-haah-ha-ha” call that resembled of human laughter. The […]
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Driving in the rain to Bear River MBR was pretty insane but I told myself that if rain would become heavy I any time could turn back. To my surprise, arriving to Bear River MBR rain stopped and the sun picked out from behind the heavy thunderclouds. Not knowing how much time I had before […]
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A Snow Goose on the evening swim. Alone. The light breeze has formed interesting abstract patterns in the water surrounding the Goose and its reflection. Bear River is a true artist and often creates stunning abstract patterns. Generally, life is good!
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In a few weeks Tundra Swans will leave Bear River MBR and head north to mate, breed and raise their young ones. Meanwhile, I enjoy watching them and try not to think about their departure. Generally, life is good!
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Tundra Swans are big birds and before they take off they need a long, open “runway”. Thus, a Swan on the photo above unexpectedly decided to leave this place and ready to start its run on the water. To start a run on the open water is more difficult than on the ground but the […]
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My Big Little World 