Great Basin Wildlife

There seemed to be less Pronghorn in the valley this year, but that could be as much to do with it being a drier year than last as the activity. Occasionally, one or two would walk by quite close.

I hardly saw any shrikes in the area in March, but they were quite common in April. The contrasting black and white wing patches and fluttering flight are eye-catching.

Sage Thrashers are the other common large perching bird. Rarely do I get a nice clear and close look. This look didn't last until the next frame snapped on a continuous photo burst.

I turned in this photo on bugguide.net to find out what it was. These beetles were gigantic and fairly common in the valley. It turns out that they are a kind of Darkling Beetle called a Desert Stink Beetle in the genus Eleodes. Maybe even E. obscurus.

I stopped by the Great Horned Owl nest the morning before I left to see how the owlets were doing. Both fuzzy nestlings, plus both adults, peaked out from their nest.

Great Basin Birds part 2

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.

Northern Shrike

A new bird for me while visiting the UP was this Northern Shrike. The Northern Shrike is pretty similar to the more southern Loggerhead Shrike, but the mask is much thinner. These guys apparently make it to northern Indiana in the winter, but I have not seen one.

Loggerhead Shrike

Shrikes are relatively common in Florida, but I still get excited when I see one. I used to try to turn every mockingbird into a shrike, with no luck. The color scheme is the same, but they are have very different posture, mannerisms, and color patterns.