Chukars prefer not to fly and they don’t like to slip and fall so they’re very careful when negotiating slippery, steep surfaces.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
I photographed this Chukar two weeks ago as it was basking in the sun atop one of the large Tintic Quartzite boulders on Antelope Island.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
When it eventually decided to leave its perch, as usual it chose to walk down the increasingly steep slope as far as it could before hopping down into the grasses. These ancient rocks (550 million years old) have weathered to very smooth and slick surfaces that are difficult to negotiate safely (especially when wet) so the bird was very deliberate and seemed to slowly and carefully plan its path as it came down the boulder which I thought made these images somewhat interesting.
1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
It would place one foot and then look and apparently plan where its next foot was going.
1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
The bird turned toward me during its steep descent and eventually exited stage right (our left).
Nothing dramatic occurred – the Chukar didn’t slip or fall and it wasn’t plucked off the rock by a raptor. But I enjoy the little things about behavior and this is one of them.
Ron
Happy Easter everyone!
With your sensitive vision and fine lens , antelope island is a magical place filled with gorgeous and wonderful
Creatures. Thanks .
I love that island, Eloise. I truly do (even though it can be very slow at times).
Wonderful shots Ron,thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
I too would need to plan, and plan, and take care to get down that slope. And would fail and go base over apex. With no wings as a backup.
Loved the evident concentration and focus. And the beagle boy.
I think of you now every time I post a Chukar, EC.
My wife and I look forward to your great blog every day! This edition is especially outstanding.
Happy Easter to you both!
Great – happy to have you and your wife around, David. Thanks.
Beautiful images and a charming narrative to the series. Happy Easter to you and Mia!
Thank you, Sharon.
Having lived in many an icy climate, I empathize with this bird! Careful is always best.
“Careful is always best.”
Agreed, Arwen. I learned that lesson the hard way.
Your slippery boulder/cliff story is really scary. I can remember some heart-pounding situations, myself. At the time, it seems as if thete’s no way out and even when You’re finally safe, just the memory make your heart race and you feel shaky…So very, VERY glad you made it!!!
From your words I can tell that you’ve “been there, done that”, Patty.
At least Chukars have wings to fall back on if they should slip…
Love this series. It reminds me of me trying to walk on the rocks at Hueco Tanks, most of which are not so slippery – though I’m sure the bird does better than I do… 🙂 It is interesting to see how carefully the bird walks. I like posts that show behaviors like this.
Susan, your Hueco Tanks reference reminded me of a time in southern Utah when I walked out too far on a sloping, rounded sandstone rock that led to a drop-off. The slope had been getting steeper and steeper when all of a sudden I started to slip (loose sand on top of the rock was like tiny marbles). To stop I had to lay down on my back and spread my arms and legs out to get as much of my surface area as possible in contact with the rock. Then I called out in true panic to my friend Corey who was below the cliff from me (he couldn’t see me and at first he thought I was kidding until I used some choice words to convince him that my situation was dire). The slightest movement on my part caused me to begin to slide again.
Corey had to climb around and up the bluff behind me and then rescue me by throwing me his belt tied to one sleeve of his sweatshirt and pulling me far enough that the slope leveled out a little so I could scramble to safety. If I had fallen it was far enough down that I’d have had broken bones at a minimum and very likely would have been killed.
I truly have never been so scared in my life as I was for those 5 minutes or so while I was waiting for him to reach me. I could hear and feel my heart pounding for a half hour afterwards and to this day it still quickens whenever I think about it (it’s doing just that as I type this).
Thanks for the memories…..
Wow! What a hair-raising experience! I’ve had a few times when I was unbalanced or couldn’t pull myself up and felt like I was about to slide, but nothing like your experience. The nice thing about our rocks is that they are covered with ‘desert varnish’ or ‘patina’ which makes the surfaces have pretty good traction, except where people have done a lot of sliding. Good hiking boots and taking good care is also important. Your story makes me almost a little nervous for the tour we will be leading in about an hour… (don’t worry, I’ll be fine, it’s the one we do all the time.)
“Desert varnish” – gotta love that manganese dioxide, for more reasons than one!
Be careful today, Susan…
Just thought you might like to know that everything went well today. However, I was by far the least coordinated person in the group (we had 4 visitors to guide).
Glad to know you survived, Susan…
Happy Easter, Ron! I follow your posts daily. Thank you for your dedication in sharing your interest and knowledge with us! I have learned so much from you! : =)
Nice to know you’re “out there”, Dee. Thank you for the very nice comment.
The reason that Chukar was having a tricky time is that he forgot to put his weight on his downhill ski…glad he made ot OK…
Ha!, good point, Patty. I remember that admonition well from my skiing days (which are long past me because of a bad back…)
How fun, Ron!!! Pretty little guy, for sure, but I can’t imagine having wings and NOT using them!!!
“but I can’t imagine having wings and NOT using them!!!”
Interesting thought, Lois. Come to think of it, neither can I.
I agree, amazing photos. I have never seen this type of bird in person. Beautiful bird. Interesting markings.
Thank you, Jean. And yes, their markings are quite unique.
The detail of your pictures is amazing, how far away were you when you took these pictures of the Chukar? Also going back to the F stop, you try different settings to get the best picture?
Steven, Here I changed from f/6.3 to f/7.1 to get slightly more depth of field on the rock and bird as it began to descend. Even if the bird took off (which wasn’t likely) or jumped off the rock I likely had enough shutter speed to capture the action. I’m not sure exactly how far I was away from the bird but I was close enough to have removed my teleconverter and these images haven’t been cropped heavily.