Loggerhead Shrike Attempting (Learning?) To Impale A Grasshopper
I’m not sure if this shrike was learning the impaling process or practicing it. If it was for practice he needed it.
Tag: grasshopper
Loggerhead Shrikes On Antelope Island – Then And Now
Loggerhead Shrikes used to be abundant on the island and man were they ever fun to photograph.
If You Think Birds Don’t Notice The Little Things…
If you think birds don’t notice the little things you’d be wrong. This male American Kestrel is the proof in the pudding.
Male American Kestrel Eating A Grasshopper
Male American Kestrel – A Champion Poser
This male American Kestrel was such an enthusiastic poser that he performed for me for over six minutes.
Back-To-Back American Kestrels – Male And Female With Prey
I got relatively close to two kestrels, a male and a female, both with prey, within four minutes. Miracles do happen…
Sage Thrashers – A Hungry Chick And A Dutiful Parent
For weeks I’ve known there was a Sage Thrasher nest in this sagebrush next to the road on Antelope island because of the activity I’ve observed there from the adults.
Sage Thrashers – Courtship Display And Prey For Their Youngsters
Sage Thrasher spring activities have been ramping up for weeks and I’ve been lucky enough to photograph a variety of them.
Swainson’s Hawk Face-plant Into Rabbitbrush
Sometimes raptors risk serious injury as they go after prey – especially to their eyes.
The Shrike And The Grasshopper (and noticing the “little things”)
I make every effort in the field to “read” the behavior of my avian subjects. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m not but either way it’s a learning experience for me and my percentage of accuracy does seem to be improving. One of the payoffs can be better bird photographs for a variety of reasons.
Meadowlark Take-offs With Food And Without (and a contrast in image quality)
Western Meadowlarks are good subjects for practicing take-off shots. The rule of thumb is the smaller the bird the faster the take-off, so songbirds are difficult subjects for this type of shot because of their small size and quickness.
Horned Larks Attending To Domestic Duties
It’s not easy to get photos of Horned Larks with insects in their beaks. The diet of adults of the species consists largely of seeds year-round but they do feed insects to their young so if you can catch them at the right time of year it’s possible to get photos of them with insects. Yesterday morning in the foothills of the Stansbury Mountains I photographed both a male and a female with their beaks full of insects.
Some Good News On The Kestrel Front
Several weeks ago I reported here about the alarming decline of the American Kestrel in most of North America. That decline has been apparent to me locally (Utah) as I’m seeing and photographing far fewer of them than in the past. Other more scientific and reliable sources report similar declines in many areas of the continent.
But apparently there are pockets of habitat where kestrels are still thriving and one of them is the Centennial Valley of southwest Montana.
Lark Sparrow – The Sparrow With The Harlequin Face
Lark Sparrows are among my favorite songbirds to photograph, largely because of their boldly patterned face and head. Those dramatic chestnut, black and white markings make it one of the easier sparrows to identify and give it that harlequin look. This species has declined precipitously in the East but its populations seem secure in the rest of the continent where they’re naturally found.
The Tamest Prairie Falcon Of Them All
In yesterday’s post about grasshopper-eating Prairie Falcons I promised that today’s post would also be about Prairie Falcons. It is, but only one of them – probably the most approachable larger falcon that I’ve ever encountered in the wild.
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Loggerhead Shrikes On Antelope Island – Then And Now
Loggerhead Shrikes used to be abundant on the island and man were they ever fun to photograph.
If You Think Birds Don’t Notice The Little Things…
If you think birds don’t notice the little things you’d be wrong. This male American Kestrel is the proof in the pudding.
Male American Kestrel Eating A Grasshopper
Male American Kestrel – A Champion Poser
This male American Kestrel was such an enthusiastic poser that he performed for me for over six minutes.
Back-To-Back American Kestrels – Male And Female With Prey
I got relatively close to two kestrels, a male and a female, both with prey, within four minutes. Miracles do happen…
Sage Thrashers – A Hungry Chick And A Dutiful Parent
For weeks I’ve known there was a Sage Thrasher nest in this sagebrush next to the road on Antelope island because of the activity I’ve observed there from the adults.
Sage Thrashers – Courtship Display And Prey For Their Youngsters
Sage Thrasher spring activities have been ramping up for weeks and I’ve been lucky enough to photograph a variety of them.
Swainson’s Hawk Face-plant Into Rabbitbrush
Sometimes raptors risk serious injury as they go after prey – especially to their eyes.
The Shrike And The Grasshopper (and noticing the “little things”)
I make every effort in the field to “read” the behavior of my avian subjects. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m not but either way it’s a learning experience for me and my percentage of accuracy does seem to be improving. One of the payoffs can be better bird photographs for a variety of reasons.
Meadowlark Take-offs With Food And Without (and a contrast in image quality)
Western Meadowlarks are good subjects for practicing take-off shots. The rule of thumb is the smaller the bird the faster the take-off, so songbirds are difficult subjects for this type of shot because of their small size and quickness.
Horned Larks Attending To Domestic Duties
It’s not easy to get photos of Horned Larks with insects in their beaks. The diet of adults of the species consists largely of seeds year-round but they do feed insects to their young so if you can catch them at the right time of year it’s possible to get photos of them with insects. Yesterday morning in the foothills of the Stansbury Mountains I photographed both a male and a female with their beaks full of insects.
Some Good News On The Kestrel Front
Several weeks ago I reported here about the alarming decline of the American Kestrel in most of North America. That decline has been apparent to me locally (Utah) as I’m seeing and photographing far fewer of them than in the past. Other more scientific and reliable sources report similar declines in many areas of the continent.
But apparently there are pockets of habitat where kestrels are still thriving and one of them is the Centennial Valley of southwest Montana.
Lark Sparrow – The Sparrow With The Harlequin Face
Lark Sparrows are among my favorite songbirds to photograph, largely because of their boldly patterned face and head. Those dramatic chestnut, black and white markings make it one of the easier sparrows to identify and give it that harlequin look. This species has declined precipitously in the East but its populations seem secure in the rest of the continent where they’re naturally found.
The Tamest Prairie Falcon Of Them All
In yesterday’s post about grasshopper-eating Prairie Falcons I promised that today’s post would also be about Prairie Falcons. It is, but only one of them – probably the most approachable larger falcon that I’ve ever encountered in the wild.