Monday, August 1, 2011

Monday Morning Report on Saturday's Field Trip

Antelope Island July 2011_2
On Saturday, I went with some of my LBCR group out to the Great Salt Lake.  The GSL is good medicine for when I'm feeling stressed and overloaded.  It is such a peaceful, magical place; all the worries of everyday life just melt away and I am rejuvenated.  We visited Antelope Island this trip.

Antelope Island July 2011_1
We saw lots of great birds.  I don't know why I didn't take my zoom lens!  Well, I do know why.  At 6:30 Saturday morning, there wasn't a whole lot of thinking going on in my foggy head.  The only thought I kept having was how on the trip to the Spiral Jetty I almost dropped the camera in the water!  So, yeah, not a whole lot of logic here.  I still took the brand new lens that replaced the one I did break a few days after that almost baptism.

Those are Ring-billed Gulls and a Black Necked Stilt up there.

Antelope Island July 2011_4
These are a couple of juvenile American Avocets.  They're fluffy and a little gawky.  Such cute little teenagers!

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A Long Billed Curlew.
***edit***  I've been told that this is a whimbrel and apparently quite a find!

Antelope Island July 2011_10
Oh!  And these guys!  Orb spiders were everywhere!  'Tis the season for brine flies, so that means the spiders come out for a major picnic.

Antelope Island July 2011_12
I'm sorry to do this to you; you know how I feel about spiders.  I'm sure I've mentioned it.  I just had to show this; it didn't come out as clear as I'd hoped.  There are webs lined up one after another, file cabinet style, each with it's own spider.

Antelope Island July 2011_13
The island's namesake.

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This guy joined us for lunch.  He's a California Gull, with a hurt leg.

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He was hopping all over the place on one leg.  I felt bad for him and wanted to take him home with me.  I'm not sure how that would have gone over with Rose the six-toed-cat.

Click on this photo above.

I'm sorry!  I know I'm cruel, but I had to share!

Antelope Island July 2011_14

This should wipe that image away and make you feel better.  Isn't it beautiful?  I feel so blessed to have this gorgeous natural resource so close to where I live.

Thank you for joining me on my little photo tour!  I hope your week is off to a good start:)
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5 comments:

  1. MyrnieAugust 1, 2011 at 3:08 PM

    Oh, those spiders are horrifying! The birds are amazing, though :) Happy August!

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  2. Karen L RAugust 1, 2011 at 3:10 PM

    Wow. I had no idea the great salt lake is so beautiful. Thanks for opening my eyes.

    Great photos!

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  3. pamqAugust 2, 2011 at 5:35 PM

    When the first spider photo came up, I was surprised.....but Bobbi doesn't like spiders............

    However, you do seem to be fascinated with them!!!!

    Cool birds!

    Love the last photo!

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  4. Thoughts on Life and Millinery.August 19, 2011 at 8:22 PM

    Fabulous shot of the whimbril! Funny...I just posted about the spider webs over the Mt. Timpanogos area today. I love spider pictures. And I posted about my trip to the GSL a couple of days ago. Fun to find your blog and find a kindred photographer.

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  5. Chain Stitch CrochetDecember 9, 2011 at 9:11 AM

    If you lived in FL you would see large webs in the powerline wires with very large black and yellow spiders called banana spiders. I can't remember what time of year they appear because I've moved a bit north of FL for 12 years now, but they were everywhere. And very scary. I hate spiders too.

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