Five species, only four of which are birds.
Due to ongoing problems with my primary birding lens most of these photos were taken with my smaller ‘backup’ lens so image quality isn’t quite up to par in several of them. But for me at least each photo holds some interest.
1/640, f/8, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM + 1.4 tc @ 560mm, not baited, set up or called in
Five days ago on Antelope Island. The first Sage Thrasher I’ve photographed this year. As I drove around a curve in the road this bird was perched very close just outside my drivers side window so I was quite surprised when it didn’t spook. It’s probably a good thing I was using my smaller lens because I’d have been too close for my big gun.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM + 1.4 tc @ 338mm, not baited, set up or called in
Later that same morning. I seldom post photos of birds on sign posts when the sign is this prominent but I get a kick out of bison signs on the island and to my mind they can only be enhanced by the presence of birds. Perhaps this Western Meadowlark singing on territory thought he was a bison and was celebrating his delusion..
Even the campground outhouse in the background doesn’t completely ruin the photo for me.
1/5000, f/6.3/ ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Six days ago at Bear River MBR. This photo of a singing Marsh Wren is one of the few reasonably sharp shots I’ve managed to get with my malfunctioning 500mm f/4 lens.
As a bird photographer and nature lover I have mixed feelings about invasive phragmites but I think their plumes this time of year can make gorgeous perches for birds, which is one of the reasons I like the photo.
1/3200, f/8, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM + 1.4 tc @ 504mm, not baited, set up or called in
Four days ago in a remote area of Box Elder County. I’d seen this Yellow-bellied Marmot on top of this cliff on previous trips to the area but this time there was an adult Red-tailed Hawk perched just a few feet below the large rodent’s favorite lookout.
Because of their size adult marmots are probably borderline prey for red-tails (Cornell doesn’t even mention them as potential red-tail prey) but this one wasn’t taking any chances. The marmot kept its eyes glued to the hawk for at least three minutes before instantly disappearing as soon as the red-tail raised its wings to take off.
I’d estimate that the marmot was about 6-8′ above and behind the hawk so even with my smaller lens I didn’t have enough depth of field to get both of them sharp. But even with the marmot being soft it sure stands out better than that incredibly cryptic hawk against the similarly colored rocks.
The first time I looked at this photo I actually had a bit of a hard time even seeing the red-tail.
Ron
What a fun series. The Meadowlark on the buffalo sign was so fun because of the color-matching. And I didn’t see the hawk in the marmot shot at all until I read your verbiage. Brave rodent!
Your potpourri (unlike many of the commercial varieties which get up my nose) is incredibly sweet.
I love the songster on top of the bison sign who is assuredly king of the castle.
The cryptic colour of the hawk fooled me at first. I wouldn’t last long…
Thanks, EC. It’s looking like most of us had trouble spotting the hawk at first, yours truly included.
“…incredibly cryptic hawk…” is an understatement. I was so focused on the marmot (a favorite mammal!) that I may not have noticed Red-tail if you hadn’t pointed him out!
All these images are fabulous in their own way (and they *do* help relieve the pain of the frozen shoulder I’ve been dealing with for the last 5 days). So thank you for the fun photo potpourri! 😎
Thanks, Chris.
And good luck with that shoulder. Reminds me of my sister who broke her upper arm recently. The doc had to give her a complete nerve block to reset the bone. Sheila told me the block lasted 24 hours where it didn’t just go numb, it felt like that arm didn’t even exist. And she had phantom sensations, similar to those who’ve had amputations,where she thought she had a third arm that was always sticking straight out in front of her. Sheila is a nurse but even she was thoroughly discombobulated by it all.
The light on the sage thrasher is wonderful and such a nice find, a redtail and marmot all in on shot!
Your “isn’t quite up to par” shots is about where I am at my best!
“such a nice find, a redtail and marmot all in on shot”
I thought it was a pretty special find too, April. First time for that combination for me.
Silly you, stop complaining! LOL! I love these photos! The one with the Western Meadowlark is even a color match. Love it!
Good. Thanks, Pat.
You even got eye catches in the Hawk and Marmot. That’s got nothing to do with the lens and everything to do with the photographer.
And maybe due to a little luck with the marmot. Thanks, Lyle.
I think that these shots would be goals for anyone else who was using your mega-lens! The bird-on-a-bison shot made me giggle-snort.😂 I think the meadowlark is in on the joke too, because to me it looks like he’s laughing. The faint whitewash and the outdoor loo also add to the humor. Contrasting this shot with the drama of the last one (even a little soft, the intensity of that marmot’s gaze is very much apparent) and with the delightful charmers sprinkled in makes today’s post a winner!
Thanks, Marty. That marmot was INTENSE while it was watching the hawk. Made me wonder if it had little ones somewhere nearby although it might still be a little early for them to come out of their burrow.
Great post. I am sure there is much more going on in Nature than I ever am aware of or have a chance to see. I missed the Red Tail. So perfectly camouflaged. Hope Murphy is out of the country concerning your lens repairs. Keep your fingers crossed.
Betty, rest assured that every last one of my digits are crossed. My experience with camera gear repair strongly suggests that it’s warranted.
Loved the joyous Meadowlark shot….it’s a wonderful juxtaposition of
sizes and critters , and their respective “personalities”
Good to know, Kris. Out of all four photos that was the one I had the least confidence that others would like.
Fun post this morning Ron. Those people in Costa Mesa have made you their top priority and will be shipping that lens back asap.
The Meadowlark is telling the tourists – pay attention and don’t get too close to the buffaloes. That’s a cute photo of the Marsh Wren. Dull colors, but at the same time very colorful.
“Those people in Costa Mesa have made you their top priority and will be shipping that lens back asap.”
Everett, I sure hope you’re right. My lens was delivered to Canon at 10:20 yesterday morning so I hope to hear from them sometime today.
You and other wildlife photographers have so much patience and many stories to share while waiting for that sweet shot. One day 6 yrs ago when I was road-traveling I passed a lady standing off-road on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi with a two-foot long zoom lens. I parked off-road and walked back to ask her what was so interesting. She was a commercial wildlife photographer and exuberantly explained all the extremely noisy activity in this boggy area of what deceptively appeared to be (from inside a vehicle on the road) a quiet bucolic forest. She showed me the tree-top heron nests as well as the ducks and many different kinds of woodpeckers that were noisily fighting over home territories. I was amazed; so much to see and hear when there’s a knowledgeable guide. Then a pair of Canada Geese flew low into this busy boggy area, and the neighborhood became even more noisy with protests, hoots and hollers! Her and partner have a website in case you’re interested, rushingimages.com . . .
You make a good point, Terry.
There’s often a lot more going on “out there” than most people ever see. One needs to pay attention and look intently for cues, many of which most folks only become aware of with lots of experience in the field.
I’ll take them! The Meadowlark on the Bison sign is great and the Marmot and the Hawk REALLY tells a story…….😀
Exactly, Judy. Despite the hawk not being very prominent in the photo (at least one person didn’t even see the hawk at first) I think the implied storyline is pretty neat.
Six species if you count the bison! Seven if there is somebody in the outhouse.
Porcupine
Yup, someone else just mentioned the bison as a sixth species on Facebook. To be honest I didn’t even think of it.