Just A Shot That I Like… #16 – Black-billed Magpie In Flight

Black-billed Magpies aren’t appreciated by everyone.  Their raucous behavior and scavenging habits put some folks off but I’m quite fond of them for their relatively high intelligence and incredibly interesting behaviors (examples – they conduct ritualistic “funerals” of up to 40 birds around the dead bodies of other magpies and you haven’t lived until you’ve seen one tormenting a cat by repeatedly pulling its tail).    That said, they’re very difficult photographic subjects.  Their black plumage soaks in the light while the bright white feathers reflect nearly all of it so getting exposure and detail in the overall bird is incredibly challenging.  I probably delete a higher percentage of images I take of magpies than I do of any other species I regularly photograph which makes getting an image I like especially rewarding .  I enjoy meeting the challenge…         1/1250, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4 When the light’s at the right angle you can sometimes get impressive iridescence in the blacks which also helps to bring out some of the detail there.  This bird had just taken off from the sagebrush that its nest is deeply buried in.  And it was even considerate enough to give me a pleasing head turn and eye contact as it did so. I’ve photographed this bird and its mate at their nesting site for three years now (and yes I’m very careful not to disturb them).  Can’t wait for early spring to try it again.  Ron  

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Northern Harrier Hunting a Vole

Over the last five years I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time photographing, watching and studying hunting Northern Harriers.  When they pounce on their prey the action is usually so far away (or buried in the vegetation) that I don’t get a good look at what’s actually happening.   But all that changed with this adult female who was so intent on capturing a vole buried deep in the matted, dried vegetation that she virtually ignored me.  What fun to watch!  Unlike most other hawks, harriers very often use auditory cues (sound) to locate prey.  In fact they have a facial “ruff” or disc much like owls do and its purpose is the same – to funnel sounds to the ears.  The feathers that form the disc can be raised in response to noise, essentially enlarging the disc and improving hearing.      1/1000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Harriers often hunt along predictable “pathways” and this one had made several passes by me earlier.  However this time she attempted to pounced on something right in front of me – almost certainly it was a vole since they are very nearly the exclusive diet of wintering harriers.      1/1000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc She missed the vole but from her demeanor she could obviously hear it under the mat of vegetation and she became quite agitated in her attempts to get at it.       1/1600, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc She repeatedly rose into the air a couple of feet and pounced back down on the same spot with her…

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Just A Shot That I Like… #15 – Rough-legged Hawk Lift Off

Ugly perches have been the bain of my photographic existence lately.  When a bird lets me get unusually close it always seems to be on a metal post, sign, hunk of concrete , telephone pole or even a sailboat mast.  For that reason I’ve been attempting a lot of take-off shots recently.    1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4 Case in point: a few weeks ago this hawk let me get ridiculously close but it was perched on a particularly unattractive metal sign.  The light angle was good so I removed my teleconverter and waited to see if it would take-off, fully expecting it to launch away from me as they usually do.  What a pleasant surprise when it took off parallel to me and gave me good eye contact at the same time.  I particularly like the good detail, the blood on the feet from its last meal and the nice look at those namesake “rough legs”.  Ron

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Eastern Kingbirds

It’s snowing hard as I write this and it’s been overcast and gloomy for days which has turned my thoughts to spring birds.  Eastern Kingbirds are a prime example as they winter in the Amazon so seeing them around here is a sure sign of springtime. They’re a fascinating species.  Kingbirds are notorious for their aggressive nature toward other birds and their scientific name Tyrannus tyrannus  very appropriately means “tyrant, despot or king”.  During the breeding season they’re a “sit and wait predator”, largely of flying insects though they eat mostly fruit while on their winter range.  They have never been observed to drink water – apparently getting enough of it in their insect and fruit diet.  They virtually never walk anywhere!  Most locomotion is by flight and when on the ground they either hop to a new location or take short flights but they don’t walk.  The only time walking has ever been observed is during nest site selection.        1/1000, f/9, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc The kingbird in the first four photos of this post was the most cooperative specimen of the species I’ve ever photographed.   It let me get close while on a natural perch (as opposed to the fence wires they so often prefer) and it gave me a variety of interesting calling, preening and stretching poses for almost five minutes.       1/2000, f/9, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc As the bird moved to my left on the perch it (the perch) developed a different character due to the curving twig coming off the main branch.   Here the kingbird is beginning an elaborate…

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Just A Shot That I Like… #14 – Prairie Falcon Warming In The Early Morning Sun

As I’ve mentioned previously in this blog Prairie Falcons have been one of my nemesis birds for a very long time.  But recently I had several close up opportunities with the species.     1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This juvenile falcon had been hunting smaller duck species along the shore of the Great Salt Lake and would occasionally rest on some shoreline rocks.  This time I caught it enjoying the warming rays of the sun just minutes after sunrise.  Here the warm light has just reached the bird and perch but hadn’t yet hit much of  the water in the background.  I’ve posted several images of this species recently and perhaps I’ve overdone it but I guess my excitement over finally “conquering” a nemesis just got the best of me… Ron Addendum:  A note to any bird photographers who may notice my camera settings for this image and wonder about them.  I certainly didn’t need 1/3200 shutter speed for this static image but I had already taken multiple shots of this falcon with more appropriate settings for a perched bird so now that I had enough light I decided to increase my shutter speed in preparation for take-off.   But of course the bird took off  facing away from me so I deleted those images. 

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A Howl of a Surprise

When you’re out in the field you just never know what you might see.  Or hear.  On an early morning this week I found this Male Northern Harrier on a trail sign.  Since the perch was not a natural one I set up to try to get a take-off shot if he should lift off.     1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc As usual I was shooting from my pickup and in order to get in position for good light I had to park in the middle of the lightly used road.  In such cases I always roll down the window on the passenger side so that I can hear any vehicle that might approach so I can get out of their way (it’s very easy to not see an approaching vehicle while concentrating on a bird through the camera’s viewfinder).  Having that window down made a big difference to how I reacted to what happened next.      1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Suddenly there was a piercing howl that was so loud it sounded like it was coming from inside my truck!  Seriously, I almost jumped out of my skin it startled me so much.  It was this coyote, hidden in the grasses.  It was only about 75′ away from me and with three of the four windows down the clamor was tremendous.  Coyotes often howl as loudly as 105 decibels and believe me that’s a very impressive din at this close range – especially when it’s unexpected.  At first I could only see the…

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Just A Shot That I Like…#13 – Puffed-Up Chukar In Golden Light

During spring and early summer Chukars habitually call from large rock perches but in winter they’re secretive, elusive and very difficult to approach.  On the rare occasions I can get close to the species this time of year they’re buried in the vegetation and I can’t get a clear shot.    1/800, f/8, ISO 800, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But I found this bird on a nice boulder perch last month on one of the first very cold mornings of the winter.  The sun had just come up over the Wasatch Mountains and this Chukar was determined to absorb some heat from the warming rays so it hardly moved a feather for the several minutes I was able to keep it in frame.  At times like this they fluff up their insulating feathers and always remind me of the Pillsbury Dough Boy.  Or perhaps the bird simply swallowed a softball, ya think?  Full disclosure – I cloned out a couple of bird droppings on the rock which is something I seldom do but in this case they were quite conspicuous and distracting. Ron  

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American Kestrel Preening on a Rabbitbrush Perch

American Kestrels are pugnacious and skittish little falcons that are usually difficult to approach.  But last week I found a cooperative male warming himself in the early morning sun while perched on rabbitbrush.   Though feisty by nature this kestrel looked almost cuddly while all puffed up against the cold and nestled into the bush.     1/2000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I first approached him head-on which gave me some images where bird and perch combined to produce a pyramid shape that I liked.        1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But then I maneuvered to get a different angle so that at least part of the tail would be visible.  In these early shots my camera settings were meant to give me enough shutter speed for the take-off that I fully expected.        1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 250, 500 f/4  But when he began to groom contentedly I started fiddling with my settings to get shutter speeds and depth of field more appropriate for the situation.  Here he is passing one of his tail feathers through his bill in typical preening behavior.       1/1600, f/8, ISO 250, 500 f/4   He gave me a variety of preening poses that I liked.      1/1250, f/8, ISO 250, 500 f/4   Some of the neck feathers are difficult to reach so they go through some strange contortions in an effort to get to them.      1/1600, f/8, ISO 320, 500 f/4   Here the eye was half closed but I was still able to get a catch light. …

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Just A Shot That I Like… #12, American Avocet Ballet

Occasionally an image still appeals to me despite significant imperfections.  In this shot the cluttered background is not ideal nor are the specular highlights on the leg of the male’s reflection but I quite like the positions of both birds, their reflections and the good separation between the avocets and the reflections.       1/1250, f/10, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Fighting avocets are very difficult to photograph because typically several male combatants are separated from each other by some distance and you never know which bird is going to go after another one next and when the action begins it is blindingly fast.  There’s also the problem of getting enough shutter speed and depth of field for multiple birds in action.  Shooting these birds fighting is nearly always a “poke and hope” situation. Setting the scene:  I had been photographing four males fighting over a single female (sexes easily identifiable because the female has a shorter and more strongly recurved bill than does the male) when this male lifted off and attacked two other males just out of frame to the right.   I just happened to catch the male in a good position over the female with reflections I liked.  One of the things that made this shot work is that I had enough light to use f/10 for sufficient depth of field and still get a fast enough (just barely) shutter speed to get both birds relatively sharp.  Ron 

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Peregrine Falcon Feeding Behavior (graphic)

The Peregrine Falcon has always been a nemesis bird for me.  I’ve occasionally seen them far off, either in flight or perched, but have never been able to get close to one.  All that changed last week when I spent an incredible half hour very close to a young bird while it was feeding on a female Northern Shoveler.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that there was no LIGHT!  DAMMITALL!  It was heavily overcast with only a bright spot in the clouds to mark the position of the sun.   As usual, this kind of situation requires lots of compromises between shutter speed, ISO, depth of field, motion blur, catch lights, ad infinitum…  So compromise I did but I still got many feeding behavior images I find interesting.  And since one of the primary focuses of this blog is bird behaviors, you guessed it – a blog post…  First – a warning.  Some of these photos are graphic.  Proceed with caution if your sensitivities are fragile.     1/250, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc As I first approached this falcon it was depluming the duck.  At times feathers were flying everywhere but at these shutter speeds and apertures many of those shots ended up in the delete bin.  At this point I was still using the 1.4 teleconverter but the bird soon let me approach close enough that I was able to ditch the tc and get slightly more shutter speed. Take visual note of the size of the crop in this image when the falcon has just begun…

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Award Winning Image

Maybe it’s a little tacky of me to toot my own horn but I figured that some of my readers might be interested in this and wouldn’t find out any other way. Yesterday Nature Photographers Network announced the 2011 winners of their annual Editor’s Pick Awards and one of my images won first place in the Avian category.   I’ll provide several links below for those who may be interested in seeing my winning photograph and those of the other winners.  For those who are unfamiliar with Nature Photographers Network (NPN) it is primarily a nature photography critique site which will explain the critiques below the photos.  My image.  Be sure to click the “view larger photo” option to see the photo in much better detail.  The front page of the NPN Online Magazine, which includes a slide show presentation of the First Place winning images in each of the 9 different categories.  Be sure to check them out (hold your cursor over the image to temporarily stop the slide show) as there are some wonderful nature photographs in the presentation. The first, second and third place winning images in each of the nine categories, including the critiques given on each photograph. Ron

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