The Bonneville Salt Flats are a prominent landmark on my drive to Ely from SLC. Crossing on I80, they are 40 miles wide. They say they are so flat you can see the curvature of the earth. I stopped at a rest area along the way and walked out onto the salt. It was blindingly white. I imagine you would go blind pretty quickly out there. 
Enlarge the photo to read the history.
We flew into Salt Lake City on Thursday and headed up towards Pocatello, ID. We stopped at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (UT) to stretch our legs. The facility was very nice, but it wasn't a good time for birds. Some ibis and cormorants flew over, and some young coots were in the marsh. Seeing a flock of Bank Swallows perched on a power line was a highlight for me. (I find it very challenging to see detail on a swallow in flight.)
Yellow Warbler
For being a fairly common warbler, I have had bad luck photographing these attractive guys. They were the first warbler I remember identifying as a kid. This guy paused for an instant to check me out from the willows along Pruess Lake, south of Garrison, UT.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Here is another common Indiana bird in an different setting. Their little buzzy calls mean spring to me.
Dark-eyed Junco
This Gray-headed Dark-eyed Junco was along the scenic drive up Mount Wheeler.
Loggerhead Shrike
It is a pleasure to get to regularly see shrikes around the valley. There are at least several pairs. This one is sitting with the Fortification Range in the background.
Sage Grouse
We visited the lek again, this time finding sixteen birds. There were at least 12 males displaying, and we counted 16 birds total when several of the groups flushed. The lek seemed to have spread a bit to the east, or maybe leks become more diffuse as the season goes along.
One of the groups flushing from the lek. They do not allow a close approach.
Here is an assorted collection of bird photos from my travels in Nevada (and just across the border in Utah).
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
I hold kinglet pictures to a different standard than other bird pictures. Kinglets are shy, but they never sit still on an exposed perch. I was very happy to get one that actually captured its ruby crown.
Horned Lark
Horned Larks might be the most common bird in the valley right now. They certainly had that distinction in March and April. Now Brewer's Sparrows might have edged them out. This lark posed for me with the mountains for a backdrop.
Western Kingbird
This guy was sitting on the fence that marked the border between Nevada and Utah. I still haven't seen a kingbird entirely in Nevada. There were several in Garrison, UT, on the way back.
Western Grebe
I managed to get pretty close to a flotilla of grebes on Pruess Lake, south of Garrison, UT.
Long-billed Curlew
This was one bird species I really wanted to see while out in Nevada. One flew overhead on my first trip out, but I did not get good looks until this trip. Many were feeding in a cattle pasture near Ruby Lake. This lone bird was feeding in an upland field just outside of the national park.
