Another foggy day

The high pressure continues to build and the resultant pollution and fog fill the valley.  The sun worked hard to get through today, finally really showing up about noon. 

Lots of harriers and kestrels at the refuge, with two mature bald eagles in their normal spots on the dead trees.  A blue heron floated in but landed far down the stream so no pictures.  A marsh sparrow ( need to look this guy up to be more definitive) was eating seeds on a thistle covered in hoarfrost - very pretty.  And a rough-legged hawk would fly back and forth between power poles so I could get a picture of him/her!

Snowy Day

A snowy day at the refuge today, snow mixed with rain.  Very few duck hunters out, although the ducks were flying low (those that remain).  Kestrels, red-tailed and rough-legged hawks were all hanging around, and there were several harriers hunting.  I watched a harrier turn in mid-flight and drop on his prey - what incredible agility.

I saw two pairs of eagles, both with one adult and one youngster.  A blue heron that spooked when I got out of the truck dive bombed an eagle sitting in the field!  I have heard of eagles bombing herons so perhaps this was payback.

Very few ducks, saw these female goldeneyes by the first bridge - and the ubiquitous coots.  A pair of pied bill grebes played down at the end of the road in the stream, where you can pretty much see them any time.

Winter has arrived.

Fresh snow on the ground today, and with the cold weather the last few days the open areas of water have frozen over.  The ducks have mostly moved on, just a few stragglers around, like this bufflehead.

It was pretty quiet today, except for what looked like a search and rescue operation about to begin at the far end of the dike.







Only one harrier today, several kestrels out hunting, and lots of larger hawks sitting around, including the three in a tree again just outside the entrance to the refuge.  Several bald eagles were sitting out on the ice, and occasionally flying; nothing close enough for a picture.

I believe I have seen more large hawks this year than in the previous 3 years of visiting the refuge.













At a distance this looked like two bald eagles sitting in the field; once viewed through the lens, I could see what they really were - two tires with snow on top!

Anybody seen a vole?

The Harriers were out in force today - everywhere we looked there was at least one soaring and swooping!  They are the most acrobatic of any bird of prey that I have seen - one moment in flight and the next they have reversed themselves and are on the ground on their prey.  That and their beauty make them a joy to just sit and watch.  I got a couple in flight today, here's one.

Plenty of ducks on the water, probably not too many in the air.  Northern shovelers were most recognizable along with buffleheads.

The wind had blown out the smog, and with clear skies, the hawks were hunting and the ducks were sitting pretty still.  A lone bald eagle sat out in the middle of the flat, and three rough-legged hawks greeted us on the way in.  They must have been family as they were all sitting in the same tree!

Another beautiful day at the refuge.

Before the storm

Snow has been predicted for the valley but it held off long enough for a great visit to the refuge today.  Diana joined us so we took the Subaru, which meant that Mom sat in the backseat with Murphy, which she loved!  Murph most often lays with his head on her lap and gives her lots of kisses.  We did our bagel and coffee stop first, then meandered up the road.

An eagle was sitting in the normal tree, with a harrier sitting in the limbs down below.  No pheasants showed, and we had to go to the edge of the refuge to find a couple of rough-legged hawks.  Several kestrels and lots of harriers, along with quite a few ducks.

It seems that the number of ducks has decreased since last week - a very subjective measurement.  Mostly I'm estimating the area that they cover, and that seemed less.








On the way out we caught this beautiful mare in the sunshine.  Her colt is big now and looks to be pretty independent.

As Mom would say, every day at the refuge is a good day!

Brrrrrr

Clear and sunny but cold today!  M, M and G (Mom, Murphy and Gerry) visited the refuge, hot coffee cup in hand!

Two bald eagles were waiting for us, one on each set of dead tree limbs on the stretch before Goose Egg Hill.  Beautiful to just sit and watch. 



Down the road at the end of the dike a pied-billed grebe swam around.  There are quite a few larger grebes (Western and/or Clark's) that either mix in with the large number of ducks or swim solitarily around the boat launching site along the road.  The pied-billed are smaller and less flashy, but still very cute.

Back on Glover's lane on the way out, we saw this young Redtail - I'm still working on the picture.

We took the road by the east entrance back and saw a Great Blue Heron in the meadow - looking for voles and stuff, I'm guessing. 

Overcast day

Murph and I went out this afternoon around 2:30, just riding to see what was there.  Right off the bat, this rough-legged was hanging out on a power pole on the way into the refuge.  Another case of driving and taking pictures!  Wish Murph had opposable thumbs.  But what a beauty this one was!

Murph did his own hunting on top of Goose Egg, not sure what he was watching-waiting on here, but he's pretty intent on something.

Along our walk was another reminder of the great outdoors restaurant we are in!

The ducks were spread all over the large water today - but just enough away from the far dike to keep the hunters in check.  I think it is because no hunters set up out in the far end of the bay.

The herons are returning - we saw three Great Blue Herons in the marsh grasses today, and I've not seen them for quite some time.  They are hard to see sometimes, like this one.

Finally, while heading out, this Harrier flew by on his hunt.  I had to look him up when I got home, and learned that he was an adult male with the white.  All along, I had been thinking that the brown Harriers were adults and they weren't.  At first he looked like a barn owl, but then the classical white rump and wing behavior became obvious.

Another great day!

Sunset at the refuge

Murph and I went back out to the refuge Sunday afternoon.  I'm not normally there at sunset and wanted to see the wildlife activities at that time of day.  What I didn't know was what a treat I was in for! Here's some of the pictures from our time there.
Not much to say.

Ruddy Ducks?

Another wonderful day in the valley and the refuge welcomed us this morning.  Pheasant season opened yesterday and we saw a classic site of two hunters and their dogs out in the tall grasses.  The only pheasant we saw this time was before we got into the refuge - always wonder if they know!

The first bald eagle of the season, for us, was sitting in it's 'throne' tree!  It was good to see them back, altho it seems a bit early.  Northern harriers were patrolling the landscape, with the kestrels hunting in the areas closer to their boxes.

Meadowlarks are in evidence just before Goose Egg Island - I had not seen any for at least a month, so wonder if they are migrating back through!





While stopping to sneak up on the first stream bridge in case there were herons or whatever there, I spotted what looked like a bufflehead duck on the shoreline.  Further investigation on the computer and research in bird books, and I believe it is a ruddy duck in it's non-breeding plumage!

Murphy and I are headed back out for the sunset time to see what we can see!  Visiting the refuge is always a surprise - whether it's a bird we see or just the interplay of the wind and sun on the grasses or the incredible vista - just great to be out and to not have to drive so far to get there.

Wonder how they are doing?

These little ones hung around until they got quite big, then suddenly disappeared (suddenly being relative to about a week!).  They were very fascinating to watch and Mom was VERY protective of them, as you would expect.

I wonder how many survived and where they are now.

Breaking news!

New trail to help nature lovers enjoy Farmington Bay - By Tom Wharton
The Salt Lake Tribune

A bird day at the refuge!!

Today was quite a bird day at the refuge, just in the short time that I was out there!  Rough-legged hawks, red-tailed hawks, cock pheasants, kestrels, Northern Harriers and kingfishers were the stars of the day for me, along with the multiplicity of ducks that are so easily seen.

Prior to the bird pics, here's a sign that I wanted to share since these three associations are big supporters of the wildlife refuge.  While I don't know all that they do, they are among the sportsmen groups that use and give back, always giving back more than they take.

Pheasants seem to be more populous this year, at least as far as I have seen them.  These two males were attended by one other male and a couple of females eating in the disked area and showing minimal fear of bystanders.  A rough-legged was in the dead trees just a hundred yards away from them and they strutted about as if they were the only ones in the world!  Their beauty is incredible and is always worth the time spent watching them.

Next to arrive was a kingfisher.  I've seen him before, but only at great distances, fishing the waterway that runs by Goose Egg Island.  I came down the hill on the road, stopped to take a picture of a small songbird that I didn't recognize, and this guy shows up in the tree!  Before I could refocus on him sitting there he decided he didn't want to be there and left quickly.  We caught him later on another dead tree farther down the waterway.

On the way out, the northern harriers accompanied us.  This one sat on the fence much longer than I thought he would, and posed quite nicely.  Elegant (like all hawks) and his colorings and lines are a site to feast on.

Last but certainly not least, one of the rough-legged hawks that have been hanging around the fields at the entrance gave us a neat display.  They are teases, it seems, waiting long enough for you to get ready for the shot and then leaving just as you lean out to take it!!  I've tried shooting while the truck is still moving, but don't like the results!

All this activity in just over an hour at the refuge!  This place is an incredible resource for Utahns and any one else that is willing to visit.

Caretakers

During the hunting season, the DWR rangers are onsite checking vehicles as they exit the refuge.  One of the rangers has this pair of beautiful yellow labs!  I have seen them many times before and this time got a chance to capture them from a different angle. They kept a very close eye on myself and Murphy!

Rough-legged Hawks

I've been mentioning these hawks and thought a close-up picture of one would be useful to those that haven't seen one (and those that just love seeing them).  So here you go.





The initial attraction for me in the refuge was the wildlife, and that is still a compelling draw.  Watching over the year and seeing the changes in types of birds, changes in the birds themselves (look at the difference between the breeding and non-breeding American Avocets, for example), and watching the interactions between the birds themselves is fascinating.  I've not yet seen a coyote, altho there is plenty of scat.  Persistence!!
Lately, I've been drawn more and more to the grasses and natural compositions of landscapes.  Especially in the fall, with the seeds ready to fly away, the grasses present another world.  Here's one of those worlds.

Herons and Hawks

Over the last couple of weeks, I've seen 4 to 6 hawks just outside the refuge - either in a field or on the power poles.  I think they are rough-legged hawks, but are hard to identify (for me) since the redtails have so many different permutations.

Mom and I caught this heron as we were leaving Sunday.  He started out letting us get kind of close, then kept moving 20 to 30 feet as we watched him.







Here's a classic picture that everyone sees when they come into the refuge from the North entrance - the dead limbs with a bird on them - in this case, it looks like a rough-legged.  In late January through February, the bald eagles sit here. 

Thousands of ducks

Up in the northern half of a large, shallow wet area are thousands of ducks at this time of year.  They gather there - I believe - because the hunters are elsewhere in the wetlands and this is a safe place for them.  Plus there is plenty of food.

So you'll see a lot of different kinds of ducks plus herons and other water birds on occasion.  And, for a photographer, the question is how do you show this multitude?  Unlike shooting cranes at Bosque, the ducks don't fly up in squadrons.  So I started small, with this shot.


Then expanded our view to this one.

Sunrise in the refuge

Murph and I got out to the refuge early today - although there were a lot of duck hunters there much earlier than us.  We walked for about 2.5 hours, flushed pheasants and a barn owl, got inspected by kestrels and a couple of Northern Harrier hawks, and mostly just enjoyed being out in the open spaces with the ever-changing sky and earth colors and shadows.  Here's a few of my favorites from the morning.