APRIL

April 21, 2015 - The season is galloping along at such a pace that I cannot keep up.
In the West Desert spring is a subtle thing to witness. Cactus blooming, birds singing and nesting, winter blasts, snow and dust storms, etc. The only constants are the eagles high in the air or on their nest ledges. They seem to abide above and beyond the general melee below. Yet it is the health of the jackrabbit and rodent population that, determines if the eagles prosper, and these in turn are dependent on the amount and timing of rain and snow.
Last week we woke to 5 inches of heavy wet snow and two days later the grass was visibly greener.
Back in the Wasatch, Snowbird ski area received 44 inches of snow in 24 hours, more than they had received for the combined months of January and February!

Avocet at Bear River NWR.

 Tundra swans at Bear River.

 Female Hooded merganser in a city park.

 Chukar at Antelope Island.

Virginia Rail at Clear Lake NWR.

In Salt Lake the trees continue to bloom and leaf out more each day. Many have already dropped their blossoms.
So I will try to post photos from these two different environments separately.