Springtime along the Jordan River (Taylorsville, Ut., 2010) has been especially productive for me. I watched the area from late winter, and below are images of some results up to May 10, 2010. I did not include my discovery of Neotropic Cormorants; that can be found here.
Bullock's Orioles have been plentiful in trees close to the pond...
Bullock's Oriole Male in breeding plumage,staying close to female in nest shown below:
Female Bullock's Oriole shown in hanging nest I watched being constructed
Yellow Warblers are plentiful along the bushes adjacent to the pond...
Yellow Rump Warblers are very common...
Blue-grey Gnatcatchers are well represented here...
The Blue-grey Gnatcatcher is a lively bird!
A Black-chinned hummingbird eyes me cautiously on a cold day
A Black-Crowned Night Heron occasionally visits here...
Here it is in flight...
An American Avocet is always a delight to see...
A Mallard and babies swim by...
A pair of Northern Rough-Winged Swallows fluff up against the cold breeze
This day, Pelicans (over 2 dozen!) were the dominant species!
I'd be remiss if I didn't include at least a couple of Neotropic Cormorants found here!
Birders ask me how to distinguish juvenile neotropic cormorants from the Double Crested cormorants. I've created this montage where two NECOs are adjacent to a single DCCO. I then enlarged the head of each bird to illustrate important features that distinguish the birds from one another.
First, look for the size difference with the DCCO being largest.
Then notice differences in facial features between NECO and DCCO.
Finally, notice the longer tail on the NECO in proportion to its body, as contrasted
to the DCCO.
(For any who are seriously interested in distinguishing NECOs from DCCOs, visit my Interactive
Panel where much more detailed visuals are available. Click Here
A Great Egret finds the fishing to be good...
The Great Egret 'leap frogs' over two Double Crested Cormorants
A Snowy Egret is also seen here...
A stately bird with bright yellow feet, considerably smaller than the Great Egret
Notice its bright yellow feet!
A Spotted Sandpiper takes flight as I approach...
To me, the Spotted Sandpiper is much smaller than it looks in a photo.
A Forster's Tern rests in a safe place...
And, a Caspian Tern finds a meal...
The lawn adjacent to the Pond was teeming with Caspian Terns this day. Although there are only 10 birds shown here, there were approximately 20 birds at the same time, either in the air or on the ground, out of my camera's view.
During the Caspian Tern 'Convention', two White-Faced Ibis joined the party!
A Turkey Vulture soars overhead, usually flying parallel to the river.
This day, a dozen or so Blacknecked Stilts came to visit, providing me with excellent photo opportunities!
These Blacknecked Stilts circled several times...
This time, they provided me with images including reflections
Here is what a Black-Necked Stilt looks like, up close and personal
A Pied-Billed Grebe takes company with a Double Crested Cormorant...
