Cooperative Rooster

Owls

Shadows

I love to be out at the marsh after sunset and even into the wee morning hours. There is an eerie beauty there in the dark. The birds are so active and vocal and in the summer the sounds of the frogs and insets add to the chorus of the night. I love seeing owls and other nocturnal creatures even the lumbering skunks are interesting. Deer, coyotes, foxes and raccoons come out. Night time at the marsh is no time for sleeping.

Fall Colors

The Canyons of the Wasatch Mountains are so beautiful this time of year with their spectacular golds, yellows, orange and reds of the oak, maple aspen and cottonwood trees. But canyons don't have a monopoly on the colors, yesterday I spent most of the day out at Farmington bay and took some pictures of the fall colors in the wetlands. The Salicornia (pickle-weed) is in full bloom and is no less colorful than the mountain trees. The cattails are also blooming and bursting their cotton. Here are a few pictures also including some Marbled Godwits and Greater and Lesser Yellow-legs and Long-billed Dowitchers

OCTOBER BIRD OF THE MONTH LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE

October's bird of the month is my birdn blog mascot, the Loggerhead Shrike. One of my favorite birds. The little "butcher bird" nicknamed for it's habit of impaling it's prey on a thorn to store for later use. Yes this bird keeps a supply of food for when times are lean. This passerine that looks like a song bird is actually a fierce hunter taking prey from insects to small reptiles and birds.