On February11th, Bruce Hollingsworth and I ventured out to photography bald eagles in Utah.  I had learned that Utah was a primary destination for bald eagles during the winter.  The wildlife refuges around the eastern corridor of the Great Salt Lake provide the safety and food they seek.  Reportedly, it is common to see, and photograph, bald eagles on the shalow, frozen waters of the refuges as they compete for the plentiful carp in the deeper, unfrozen water.  Bruce and I had high hopes. Unfortunately our expectations were not be realized.  Due to the unusual warm winter, the eagles had not migrated as far south as the Great Salt Lake.  We did see a few eagles but they were far away and out of range of our large lenses.  The Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area (www.wildlife.utah.gov/habitat/farmington_bay.php) was our primary destination.  It has the best reputation for being able to photograph the eagles.  Several photographers lead workshops to Farmington Bay in the winter for an eagle shoot.  I suspect that there were some disappointed clients.  The irony was that February 11 was Bald Eagle Day in Utah.

In additiona to Farmington Bay, we also checked out Antelope Island State Park (www.stateparks.utah.gov/parks/antelope-island) and the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (www.fws.gov/bearriver/) for photographic opportunities.  We spent most of the day Sunday scouting these areas for possible wildlife.  The weather was not cooperative with a very low and dense cloud cover and drizzle.  Out of desparation we photographed some shy, Pied-billed Grebes.  Even shooting out of the car window with the 500mm lenses, they were mere specs in the view finder.  But when you have driven 900 miles, you want to photograph something, anything! 

We also happened upon an American Kestrel that had snagged a rodent of some kind and had perched on a roadway sign to consume its catch.  We made a U-turn after passing the bird and slowly worked our way back along the shoulder of the road to get closer to the preoccupied Kestrel.  The setting was not wonderful, but we got some decent images.  However, since the wildlife action was not enough to keep our interest we decided to head south to Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks.  The forecast for Monday was snow and we were hoping for snow covered red rock as we headed south.

We arrived at Ruby's Inn at Bryce Canyon National Park (www.nps.gov/brca/) by mid-afternoon on Monday the 13th.  It was overcast, cold and snowing lightly.  After checking in, we drove into the park using 4-wheel drive on the snow packed road.  We walked out to several of the view points to determine where we wanted to set up, if weather permitted.  Althought it had snowed overnight, Tuesday was one of those dramatic mostly cloudy days with scattered sunshine.  There was no typical sunrise color but plenty of light and shadow on the snow covered, fairy like hoodoos of Bryce Canyon.  We photographed mostly from Sunset Point and Bryce Point.  I'm personally a bit intimidated by Bryce Canyon.  There is so much landscape to see that I have trouble isolating a dramatic composition in the viewfinder.

We had to cut our photography short that afternoon because it started to snow again.  The next day was the same, snow.  So we checked out of Ruby's and headed to Zion National Park (www.nps.gov/zion/).  It snowed on and off along the way, but as we got into the lower elevations it stopped.  We spotted several bald eagles in the bare cottonwood trees along the Sevier River as we headed for Zion.  It was a short couple of hours from Ruby's to the Zion Canyon Lodge and the snow covered landscape along the way was beautiful.  As we did at Bryce Canyon, Bruce and I spent Wednesday afternoon exploring Zion Canyon for potential photo spots.  The weather forecast for Thursday was for sunny skies and we were excited about the prospect of finally having some good light.  That night, however, it snowed again, big, wet, fluffy flakes.  That dampened our spirits a bit.

At six the following morning, with the temperature well below freezing, I stepped out onto the patio of our room to check the weather.  After my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could clearly see the big dipper overhead.  The sky was clear!  This meant we had to layer up, gather our photo gear, and head out into the cold.  During our reconnaissance we had determined that we needed to be at the Towers of the Virgin for runrise.  That is where we headed and we were not alone.  We were the first, but within about 15 minutes several other photographers appeared.  Some were local, from St. George, Utah, while others were from as far afield as Minnesota.  This location, directly behind the Zion Human History Museum, is a must for great sunrise images.

After a full, hearty breakfast, that was included with the room, we hiked the Emerald Pools Trail.  The trail, although not long, had some icy spots that made the hike somewhat challenging, as did the weight of my camera backpack.  The pools were small, but each had a waterfall feature.  Composition wise, I found these falls and pools difficult to photograph.  That did not prevent me from taking lots of shots.  I particularly liked the vistas that opened occasionally along the trail. White snow on red rock is what we had hoped for and it is what we got.  The next day, we hiked the Canyon Overlook Trail.  This one was about half the length of Emerald Pools Trail but twice as steep.  The trail is mostly fenced with long drof-offs and ends at a spectacular overlook of Pine Creek Canyon and lower Zion Canyon.  A challenging trail with a big payoff.

After two days of photography in Zion National Park, we started the arduous drive home.  Furtunately it was Saturday and traffic from Las Vegas to the Los Angeles basin was tolerable.  Still, it is a long, boring drive.  A book on CD helps alot.

You can see additional images from this trip in the Bryce & Zion National Parks in Winter gallery on my web site.

Got some good news in the mail yesterday.  The March/April issue of Birdwatcher's Digest arrived and it had my article about the northern gannet colony on Bonaventure Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Percé, Québec, Canada.  Jane and I visited there to photograph the gannets several years ago.  Yes, it takes some time to get articles pubished.  The editors and I agreed that the article should appear in the early spring, in time for anyone to make plans to be on Bonaventure Island during the early summer mating period.  It is always a nice surprise, however, to pick up a magazine and see your own article and photographs.

It was rather an arduous journey when we visited the gannet colony.  The trip started with a flight to Boston where we celebrated the 4th of July.  We enjoyed the Boston Commons, Freedom Trail, Beacon Hill, Faneuil Hall, and visiting "Old Ironsides" (USS Constitution).  To top off our visit, we got reservations at the Community Boathouse for the Boston Pops performance.  Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture with cannon and fireworks was a very special treat.

In Boston we rented a car and toured along the Atlantic coast to Jonesport, Maine, to photograph puffins on Machias Seal Island.  We stayed at Narda Dadis' vacation rental.  A spick and span small small home with all the conveniences a traveler needs.  We picked Narda's place because she was related to the skipper that took us to the island.  Jonesport is one of the launching points for tour boats to Machias Seal Island, catering to naturalists, birdwatchers and, of course, photographers.  Puffins colonize the small island in early summer for mating and raising their young.  Weather is always of concern going the Machias Seal Island.  If the winds are too strong, you cannot disembark safely with high swells.  That's why Jane and I stayed in Jonesport for four nights.  The number of people allowed and the time on the island are limited.  So to maximize our photography opportunity, Jane and I had made reservations to go out twice, which we did but not on consecutive days.  We got weathered out one day.  The puffins were a frantic and noisy bunch.  Whipping in from the sea and jumping among the boulders where their burrows were located.  Their hectic activity was definitely a photographic challenge.

From Jonesport, we ventured further north to the most northeasterly point of the U.S. and then on to Percé through New Brunswick and Québec.  Along the way we visited the old Roosevelt summer estate on Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada.  In the early 1880's Sara Delano and her husband James Roosevelt Sr. built their summer home on Campobello Island and Franklin D.Roosevelt spent most of his childhood summers there.  It took us two days to drive from Jonesport to Percé.  Once there, it was the same drill with multiple trips to Bonaventure Island to beat the weather.  The gannet colony on Bonaventure is more accessable then the puffins on Machias Seal Island.  Large tour boats bring visitors from Percé to the island.  The gannet colony is on the side opposite the landing dock so a healthy hike across the island is required to see the gannets up close.  And I do mean up close.  Once at the colony you are no further then a few feet away from the rambunctuous birds.  The photography was phenomenal!

Then, from Percé we traveled to Québec City and stayed an enjoyable few nights at the Hotel Chateau Laurier within walking distance of old Québec.  If you have not been to Québec I strongly suggest you go there.  What a quaint, old, historic place to spend a few days.  We walked our tails off and still signed up for a walking tour.  The tour was particularly interesting because of the history lessons that came with it. Québec is one of the oldest settlement in North America having been originally founded as a fort back in 1535.  That's old!  From Québec we flew back home after a two week photo and travel vacaction.

You can see more puffin and gannet images in my Puffins & Gannets gallery and you can read my article at www.birdwatchersdigest.com.  (You may have to subscribe to the magazine, but it will be well worth it.)