Antelope Island Gold

I took a trip out to Antelope Island Saturday the Island was gold everywhere, the grasses have all turned gold, the Sunflowers are in full bloom and the Rabbit Brush is just beginning to bloom.

Black-necked Stilt gorging on Brine Flies

The causeway was alive with American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, California, Ring-billed and Franklin's Gulls and 10's of Thousands Red-necked Phalaropes all feasting on brine flies.

Franklin's Gull enjoying the banquet

Some more gold

Rabbitbrush is beautiful this time of year but I don't recommend cutting some for a bouquet it smells like dirty gym socks

Stilts napping between meals

A Canada Goose flyby

Avocets and Phalaropes sharing a meal

Black-necked stilts

Even Barn Swallows enjoy the gold

Our Birding Bug

Avocets taking a rest 

Long-billed Curlews with Great Salt Lake foam on the shore

Long-billed Curlew

Red-necked Phalaropes with Wilson's Phalaropes will stage here feasting on Brine Shrimp and Brine Flies for several weeks before making their long migration to South America for the winter

California Gull

Franklin's Gull

What a difference a year makes. Run-off from our abundant snow pack from last winter brought the lake water level up more than it has been for 10 years. This same area last year was mud flats.

Franklin's Gull and Eared Grebe

Pronghorn buck with his harem, 

Pronghorns mate each fall in the dry, open lands of western North America. Bucks gather harems of females and protect them jealously. One of the females took off and he promptly chased her down and brought her back to the others where he could keep a close eye on them.

My best sighting of the day was 2 American Redstarts at the spring at the Ranch. They were not very cooperative about having their picture taken but I did get this fair shot of one of them.

I could use some help with this Flycatcher, I am terrible at ID'ing the tiny Empids

There were a lot of Hermit Thrush yesterday, more than I have ever seen at one time.

 Birding was fair, here is my list
American Avocet
Black-necked Stilt
California Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Franklin's Gull
Red-necked Phalarope
Wilson's Phalarope
Long-billed curlew
White-faced Ibis
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Loggerhead Shrike
European Starling
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewers Blackbird
Canada Goose
Killdeer
Wilson's Warbler
American Redstart
Nashville Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Hermit Thrush
Empid Flycatchers
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Virginia Rail heard only
Common Raven
American Crow
Black-billed Magpie

My last picture of the day was of this lucky guy. There are signs everywhere warning people not to approach the Bison. Some people are never satisfied with the shot. This guy was lucky and was able to walk away, the scary thing is as I was driving off three more photographers were headed down for a closer shot.