Snow Geese On The Causeway

For the last few days there have been two Snow Geese along the causeway to Antelope Island – an adult and a juvenile.  This species nests on the arctic tundra and is in the midst of migration to more hospitable climes for the winter.  Parents stay with their young through the first winter and families generally don’t break up until they reach their breeding grounds the following spring.    1/500, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light When we relocated these two birds yesterday morning (we’d also seen them two days before) the sun had not yet cleared the elevated causeway road so the birds were still in shade.   I include this image so adult and juvenile can be compared and so that you can see the dramatic changes that occur when the warm, early morning light advances on the birds.       1/640, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light  Here, the light has just reached the head and neck of the adult.      1/640, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light  A few seconds later it has advanced to the feet but not to the ground.  It was interesting to watch the light move down the bird.       1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light  I didn’t get a lot of action out of either bird – this yawn from the juvenile…      1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light  and a wing and foot stretch was about the only “excitement”…

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