Birds In A Christmas Morning Snowstorm

It’s been my Christmas tradition for years to spend part of the morning photographing birds.  I usually have the place (wherever it might be) mostly to myself and personally I find communing with nature on Christmas morning to be quite appropriate and fulfilling.  And yesterday’s snowstorm was pure delight.

That said, conditions were far from ideal for photography at Farmington Bay.  I was out there early and the light was very low during the storm which meant shooting at high ISO’s, few catch lights in the eyes of my subjects, less detail and muted colors.  But as usual the snow and cold made for some interesting settings and caused many of the birds to be “stickier”.

All of these images except for the last one are presented in the order they were taken so you can see the progression of the storm.

 

great blue heron 7667 ron dudley

 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 2500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon  EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

 At first it was only slightly foggy and relatively dark but it hadn’t yet begun to snow in earnest.  This Great Blue Heron looked a little nonplussed by the snow that had already fallen.

 

 

belted kingfisher 7705 ron dudley

  1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 2500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon  EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

Normally I can never get close to a kingfisher but the snow and cold made this male a little less skittish.

 

 

belted kingfisher 7735 ron dudley

  1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 2500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon  EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

 Eventually he flew to another nearby perch and posed for me again.

 

 

northern harrier 7764 ron dudley

  1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon  EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

The Northern Harriers seemed to revel in the snow and moderate wind.  By now you can see that it was snowing fairly heavily.

 

 

northern harrier 7786 ron dudley

  1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon  EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

 The harriers actually seemed to be having fun in those conditions.  At one time there were five of them playing aerial tag with each other at the same time.

 

 

northern harrier 7861 ron dudley

 1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon  EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

Once there’s snow on the ground the harriers tend to hunt closer to the road and quickly become acclimated to traffic which gives better opportunities for the photographer.  At this point the falling snow was thick enough that even at this close range there were quite a few snowflakes between me and the bird (including one right in front of its eyes).

 

 

american kestrel 7888 ron dudley

 1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 2000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon  EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

This male kestrel often perches on the bat box at the “owl bridge”.

 

 

red-tailed hawk 7918b ron dudley

 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon  EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

This beautiful rufous Red-tailed Hawk has been hanging out at Farmington for months now and though yesterday morning it didn’t allow me a close approach I thought this shot gave a good indication of the intensity of the storm.  Eventually a harrier came by and flushed the hawk from its perch and to my surprise…

 

 

red-tailed hawk 7931 ron dudley

 1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon  EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

it flew right in front of my pickup.

 

 

hunter 7761 ron dudley

 1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon  EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

Even some of the generally well-prepared duck hunters were struggling in the storm.  Some hunters use bicycles to pull wagons or sleds loaded with their gear as a method of accessing more remote areas of the refuge.  When this hunter was returning to his vehicle the snow was now thick enough that the bike he had ridden going in had to be pushed coming back.  I’ll bet he was exhausted after pushing and pulling that load so far through the snow.

Sometimes I think duck hunters are nearly as crazy as bird photographers…

Ron

23 Comments

  1. I love the snow photos. Living in Texas we don’t get to see such sights. All your photographs are wonderful.
    I am a beginner bird watcher. There were many things of interest to me here.

  2. The birds may be a bit miserable in the snow — feather coats notwithstanding. Photographers suffer — for sure. I’ve always wondered why their legs and toes don’t freeze.

  3. Your Kingfisher head-on shot made me laugh! He looks a bit disgruntled with the snow (like a goth teenager with a mohawk). (I know, anthropomorphising) but he just has such a “grrrrr” look on his face! These are all wonderful shots in the storm! That same storm hit us here in Central Oregon. Sure made for some slippery and dangerous conditions. Keep up the good work.

  4. Beautiful series of photos. I find it interesting that there was such a variety of birds out for the storm. I’m glad your Christmas morning was productive.

  5. A great way to spend Christmas morning for sure. Especially love the Kingfisher images. Thank you!

  6. Oooh and ahh. Love the Kingfisher’s ‘do’. And the muted magnificence of all of the birds you gave to us.
    Duck hunters? I feel no pity. None.

  7. I am so happy for you Ron. You had a wonderful white Christmas and so many beautiful birds in the snowstorm. In our part of the country, we didn’t get any snow, it is almost like spring weather here 🙁
    I always look forward for a white Christmas, but didn’t get that this year. But I felt so much joy just looking at your photos… two of my favorite things, snow and birds. Thank you very much Ron!!!!

  8. Thanks for your Christmas gift to all the rest of us. I particularly liked the one with the underside of the harrier.

  9. Humming Bird Lover

    Hi!

    Oh how I wish I could have been there! I so miss the snow and birds! Beautiful photo’s I love your views of all wild life! Glad you had such a great Christmas Day! Was sunshine and no birds of any kinds on Christmas here in Virginia! Have a great day today!

  10. The kingfisher looks like he has the same opinion as I do of the snow. Beautiful series.

  11. Fantastic way to spend Christmas morning! (Or any other morning!) Your shots are great even when it’s snowing.

  12. Great shots Ron! I had to laugh at your Great Blue and the Kingfisher. Our pond here is frozen solid and a Great Blue was busily preening as it stood on the drain pipe to the pond. Go figure!
    Great shots, and I hope you both had a fantastic Christmas and will have a happy, prosperous New Year!!

    • Dick, Most of our GBH’s leave for the winter but a few die-hards stick around all year. After all of our water freezes it always seems just a little bit incongruous to see them hunting voles through the snow.

  13. Amazing shots Ron! I don’t know of anyone else who could get results like this under these conditions. I agree it’s a wonderful way to spend Christmas morning.
    Charlotte

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