Great Horned Owl

This was the highlight of the trip for me. In the barn of the Garr Ranch there was a nesting great horned owl. The male was roosting in a nearby tree. He didn't seem to mind me taking pictures. He briefly opened one eye, and then went back to sleep. We get great horned owls around the house in Austin, but only at night. This is the first one I've seen in daylight. 

Eared Grebe

Along the causeway entering the island, we saw several groups of grebes. 

Chukar

Introduced from Europe, these game birds are now established in the Rocky Mountains. We saw lots of them on the island, always in big groups. 

Western Meadowlark

Very common on the island. Easier to find because of the easily identified song. 

Townsend's Solitaire

A first for me. Never would have been able to identify this bird without the picture. 

Dark-Eyed Junco

There are 7 subspecies of juncos. This is a male "Oregon" junco. Also saw some pink sided juncos. A big flock was hanging around the ranch. 

Northern Harrier

The white tail band gives this bird away. Harriers were hunting along the east coast of the island. 

American Kestrel

A breeding pair of kestrels. There were a lot of kestrels on the island, but this was the only pair I saw. These two were next to the Garr Ranch site. 

Salt Lake City (March 2006)

There were a couple of parks close to the convention center that I was able to check out in my spare time. I tried the City Creek Canyon Park one late afternoon. Not too much action. A few American dippers, a belted kingfisher, some dark eyed junco and a lone stellers jay. Early one morning, I walked through the City Cemetary. More dark eyed juncos, as well as nothern flickers, American robins, black billed magpies, black capped chickadees, red-tailed hawks and a Cassin's finch.

American Dipper (City Creek Canyon)

These stocky birds are only found along mountain streams in the Rocky Mountains. They swim underwater to feed. 

Red-Tailed Hawk (SLC City Cemetary)

There was a red-tail hawk nest in the cemetary. A female was in the nest with the male flying above. 

Black Capped Chickadee

A cousin of our southern Carolina chickadees, these black caps are found in only in the northern US and at higher elevations. 

Black Billed Magpie

A very common bird in the city parks of the northwest US. These magpies are different from the ones we used to see in the UK. 

Cassin's Finch

I thought this was a common house finch and almost didn't bother taking a picture. When I got home and was looking it over, I realized it was a Cassin's finch. A first for me, and a bird that we don't get in Texas. 

Northern Flicker (SLC City Cemetary)

This flicker didn't make it easy to get a picture, hiding on the other side of the tree most of the time. They were pretty common in the cemetary. 

Great Salt Lake Birding (March 2006)

The hotel in Salt Lake City was very close to the lake. One morning before work, I took a drive out to the Great Salt Lake Marina to check out the birdlife. The big lake was pretty empty, but there were 2 small ponds in front the of Marina that held some birds. I saw killdeer, northern shovelers, coots, candadian geese, american avocet.

Mixed Ducks (Great Salt Lake)

The larger pond had a good mix of ducks. Northern Shovelers, common golden eyes, ruddy ducks and coots. 

Canadian Goose (Great Salt Lake)

A lone Canadian goose took advantage of the smaller pond. Saw quite a few in the hotel pond as well. 

Killdeer (Great Salt Lake)

A killdeer wandering in the parking lot of the Great Salt Lake marina. 

Common Golden Eye (Great Salt Lake)

Two male golden eyes in a small pond in front of the Great Salt Lake Marina (south side). The one one the left is doing a mating display...hopefully for a female that's not in the picture. 

South Florida Birding (December 2005)

For Christmas, I took the family to South Florida to visit my parents. I really didn't plan on doing much birding, but I took my camera and binoculars just in case. I saw some interested birds, mostly by accident while I was doing other things. I did make a special trip to FAU for burrowing owls, but since it's only a block from my parents, it's hardly out of the way. I'm hoping to go back over the summer and spend some time in the Everglades.

Loggerhead Shrike

While looking for burrowing owls on the FAU campus, I found this shrike. Also called "butcher birds" because they impale their prey on thorns and barbed wire so they can tear them apart. You can't really see it in the photo, but these birds have hooked beaks, just like birds of prey. 

Burrowing Owl (1)

On the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton there is a burrowing owl sanctuary. The owls are pretty easy to find, just look for the sandy mounds. 

Burrowing Owl (2)

In all, I guess we saw 10 diffent birds. The sandy spot next to this owl is the burrow entrace. With a 300mm lens, this was as close as I could get. Get too close and they zip right down the burrow. 

Eastern Screech Owl (1)

During my parents Christmas party, a pair of owls flew into the back yard. Despite the noise and activity, they didn't seem bothered. 

Eastern Screech Owl (2)

They soon discovered a woodpecker nest box that I had built for my Dad. I was sure that the hole would be too small; but 

Eastern Screech Owl (3)

It didn't take them long to make themselves at home. 

Brown Pelican

I read recently that these birds are endangered. I would never have guessed. They are very common on the gulf coast. This non-breeding adult (no black crest on the head) was looking for a handout when I came back from a day of fishing.