Labor Day Lizards, Bugs, and Public Lands

This post should have been published back in September. Somehow I started but never finished it. I hope it is better late than never.

Labor Day weekend reminded me of why I love living in northern Utah. I had Saturday and Monday mornings to spend off the beaten path hunting down lizards and 4-wheeling on some hillsides in our local desert. I had just returned from a trip to Kentucky where most of the land is privately owned. Don't get me wrong. I love my home state of Kentucky, but I have grown very fond of and come to treasure the vast expanse of public lands here in the west. I have a wandering spirit that needs to roam, explore, and discover. Venturing into public lands here in Utah is medicine for my soul, a needed charge to my batteries. It's ironic, but exploring the arid deserts of the west quenches my thirst for exploring and discovering.

I spent Saturday morning exploring Soldiers Pass and the sagebrush-juniper habitat around the south end of Lake Mountain in Utah County. Below is an image showing the view from the summit of Solders Pass looking east toward the south end of Utah Lake.

Heading west on Soldiers Pass Road.

A few side-blotched and sagebrush lizards were out soaking up the sun as I hiked along a rocky ridge, but this robber (aka assassin) fly caught my attention for a few minutes. This is one of nature's aerial fighting machines. They often ambush and take out other flying insects midair.

This image of a male common side-blotched lizard was captured with my long lens.



The following video and images were captured using my phone after I managed to snag a few lizards.

My target lizard for the day was Desert Horned. I essentially gave up on finding one after scouring several ideal locations and coming up empty. I called my wife to let her know I was on my way home and began to drive down a gravel road toward a paved highway. Thanks to a little luck in terms of timing and my 20-15 vision I noticed a small creature scurrying across the path ahead of me. I had second thoughts when I initially ignored my impulse to stop, go back, and check it out. My curiosity had to be satisfied so I pulled off to the side of the road and walked back to search for the creature of interest. The tiny creature turned out to be a young Desert Horned Lizard and fortunately for me it was having trouble scaling the loose dirt that formed a steep climb along that side of the road. This phone image provides some perspective on the size of the lizard.

I captured a few images using my long lens as the lizard explored the bed of my truck.

And a couple of images after returning the diminutive dinosaur back to its natural habitat.

Labor Day morning was spent around an area called Chimney Rock Pass.

Chimney Rock Pass proved more productive in terms of the number of lizards I ran across.

The best lizard discovery turned out to be a Western Fence Lizard that was sunning on a lichen-covered boulder. This one was about seven inches long.

Another stop along a dirt road on the west shore of Utah Lake turned up a few Whiptails, bees, and dragonflies. I believe the dragonfly is some type of meadowhawk.

I felt like I had been on a safari without going very far from home as the holiday weekend came to a close.

Western Kingbirds Breed Abundantly in Utah

I couldn't believe what I was seeing the first time I noticed a Western Kingbird about four years ago. I couldn't believe I had lived in Utah for so many years without noticing such a colorful and fascinating bird. However, after seeing them in abundance the first year I noticed them I stopped lifting my binoculars and camera lens for them--they became commonplace. That changed a couple of years ago when I noticed we had a family of Western Kingbirds nesting on a power pole near our home. I've now watched a couple of generations come from the same nest and they are back again this spring.

Western Kingbirds come up from Central America to breed across the western United States during the spring and summer months--about May through the end of August/early September. They leave their breeding grounds relatively early and are generally not seen in the western states from about mid-September through early May. They tend to be seen around farms, meadows, and along fence rows near dry open fields with scattered trees and bushes. They also show up in urban areas with open spaces. They are members of the flycatcher family and are often seen hunting insects from fences and small bushes and trees along roadsides. They are about 9 inches long with a wingspan of about 16 inches. They have gray heads and chests, thick dark bills, yellow bellies, and dark tails with white edges. They can be aggressive and often harass large raptors.

Below is a selection of my favorite images showing these birds in various situations. I'll add a few comments between images. The first one was taken under cloudy skies so the detail isn't as strong as I like, but I love the pose, the nice yellow belly, and a common perch--on a fence near open fields loaded with insects.

Western Kingbird in Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Below are two images of a family of Western Kingbirds at their nest site near my home. I believe it is the same pair using the nest each year. As I was watching and photographing these birds the parents were catching wasps, bees, and grasshoppers and bringing them to their young ones. The parent below (with the longer tail) was passing food to the young ones (shorter tails).

Another Generation of Western Kingbirds From My Neighborhood Nest in Pleasant Grove, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Another Generation of Western Kingbirds From My Neighborhood Nest in Pleasant Grove, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

This bird was focused on some insect activity below its perch. I like the curious and focused look of the bird.

Western Kingbird in Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The next group of images attempts to capture these fascinating birds in flight while carrying food toward a nearby nest. All of their typical field marks from head to tail can be seen in the images.

Western Kingbird in Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Western Kingbird Carrying Food (bee) to Young in Nest--Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Western Kingbird Carrying Food (bee) to Young in Nest--Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Western Kingbird Carrying Food (bee) to Young in Nest--Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Western Kingbird Carrying Food (bee) to Young in Nest--Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Here is one of the young waiting for the parents to bring it a nice juicy bee or insect.

Fledgling Western Kingbird Near Nest in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

I looked down at the grass below me as I observed the hunting and feeding behavior of the birds above. I quickly saw what was a great food source for these birds. Clovers were abundant in the grass and bees were busy among the clover.

Honey Bee Below Western Kingbird Nest. in Highland, UT
 Adult Kingbirds were catching and feeding these bees to their young ones at a nest site.

Honey Bee Below Western Kingbird Nest. in Highland, UT
 Adult Kingbirds were catching and feeding these bees to their young ones at a nest site.

More photos of Western Kingbirds perched around agricultural and open fields around Utah County, Utah.

Western Kingbird in Lakeshore, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Western Kingbird on Hunting Perch Below Utah State Flight Park in Lehi, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Western Kingbird on Hunting Perch Below Utah State Flight Park in Lehi, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Western Kingbird on Hunting Perch Below Utah State Flight Park in Lehi, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Western Kingbird on Hunting Perch Below Utah State Flight Park in Lehi, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)