Christmas Snow - Vernal - 12.21.2010

California Quail - Home - Vernal, UT - 12.18.2010

These quail run around our yard every day. I get a kick out of seeing them run/wade their way through the snow.

House Sparrow - Vernal Avenue - 12.9.2010

As I was driving home today I decided to snap a few photos of the strange frost that is created by Vernal's daily inversion. While I was doing so, I came across a few bushes filled with House Sparrows. They were so puffy to keep warm; I think these little birds are most adorable in the winter because they fluff their feathers so much.

They were of course a bit wary of me when I first stopped the car in front of their winter resort. In fact, they all flew away into a nearby evergreen tree.

I ran one more errand and then decided to stop by to see if they had come back. They were back in their bushes, so I coasted in and spent about 45 minutes just enjoying their company.

They quickly became so comfortable with my presence that more than half of the 100 or so birds went to sleep. Some would twitch ever so slightly at the sound of my shutter.

This little girl even stuck her tongue out at me when I inadvertently woke her with my shutter.

It was fun to be so close to them that they filled the whole frame of the photos.

Christmas Trees