Delicate Pink Rose

Taken with Canon 5D & 24-105MM L IS

There has been a large die-off of honey bees in the last year, and no one can explain why. This is of great concern, not only for those who harvest (and eat) honey, but also for farmers who depend on them to pollenate their various agricultural plants. None-the-less, I caught this little fellow out doing what bees do, and he seems to be looking at me and perhaps thinking, "What are you lookin at?". [Click on my pictures for larger versions.]

Spring flowers are my assurance that I have survived another winter and that life is good!

Pink Columbine

I have to photograph, and flowers are all that is available!

A majestic bird

A lucky grab shot caught this eagle with it's wings fully extended as it swooped over my location. They will not allow you to get this close when they are on the ground.

Heading home after a photo session. (3 of 3)

This gentlement is the one with the blind on the water's edge. He spent 5 and a half hours in the blind with nothing but a candy bar to eat. He also has a $10,000 camera outifit, plus the blind and accessories. If I get to see him again I'm going to ask him if he's a pro. Maybe I'll see his photos in some camera magazine!

He uses a full frame Canon digital and a Canon 600mm F/4.0 IS and a 1.4X teleconverter. 

Real dedication (2 of 3)

This guy arrived and set up his blind before sunup in order to be in the best position to get closeups of the eagles. Technically, he is trespassing, as you are not supposed to go of from the roads in the Famington Bay Waterfowl Management Area (FBWMA ).
He told me he got some great shots before all the people arrived. (I was one of those!)

I love to photograph the birds, but I'm not that gung-ho.

A few serious bird photographers (1 of 3 photos)

Bald eagles are coming into a small a bay to feed on some dead carp. The word has gotten out and the "birders" have come to take photos. Each of the camera outfits in this photo cost about $10,000, and none of these photographers are, to my knowledge, professionals. I feel like a novice when I take my little Canon !00-400mm lens out of my camera bag in this group. I think they are saying, "What is he doing here?" But they are all very nice. 

Those Hawks will eat anything!

A Swainson Hawk dines on a dead carp (which it is also standing on!) while a Great Blue Heron watches. Herons will not eat carp for some reason, though the hawks and eagles have no such compunction. 

I'm right behind you!

Seagulls hovering over a small bay filled with dying carp that have been poisoned by the Utah Wildlife Management guys. The carp have to be systematically thinned out or they crowd out the other fish. 

Bald Eagle over Farmington Bay

A beautiful Bald Eagle soars over the Farmington Bay WBR searching for lunch. 

Red Tailed Hawk

Another shot of the Red Tailed Hawk. This is a large bird 18-20 inches from beak to tail. His look seems to say, "Back off"! 

Bald Eagle on stump in Farmington Bay

I went out early in the morning and saw three bald eagles, two in trees too far away to photograph. This one was on a stump sticking up out of the frozen marsh, still about 75 yards away so I was zoomed out all the way to 400mm and still had to crop. It stayed on this same stump for 35 or 4o minutes, watching for prey I guess. 

Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron is a large bird that stands 4 1/2 feet tall. I caught this one by surprise and got this great shot before it could fly away. Canon 20D w/Canon 100-400mm at about 250mm. Farmington Bay. Ron, too bad you couldn't have stayed one more day!

Red Tailed Hawk

Taken at Farmington Bay Wild Bird Refuge 01/25/07. I believe this to be a Red Tailed Hawk, but it might be a Swainson's Hawk as they are very similar except for coloring and breast pattern. Canon 20D w/Canon 100-400mm IS L at 400mm. 

Practicing for the Olympics

Have you ever seen a man fly? Taken at the Utah Olympic Park, where Olympic hopefulls practice their aerials and keep their skills sharp. Since there is no snow, they land in the pool, and the water is infused with a large quantity of air (read "bubbles") to make it soft for landing just seconds before they hit. 

Halloween

Nick, aka Yoda, (he refused to wear his ears and have his face painted green) and Brooke trick-or-treating Halloween day accompanied by Aunt Stephanie and Grandma Paulette. It was a very cold and breezy day. 

Honeybee on Flower

The weather is sunny and warm (60 degrees), a nice day for November, and a few honeybees are still out and about gathering pollen. We had our first frost three days ago, but most flowers survived. 

Yellow

It can only be days until our first killing frost, but right now some flowers are looking their best in our cooler fall weather. 

High Uintah Vista 2

Taken between Salt Lake City and Park City via Guardian Pass.

Nikon D200, F10, 1/500, ISO 100