During our Montana camping trip last week several of our excursions took us over some dirt roads in Idaho. On one of them, because of a high bank in the road, we found ourselves at eye level with a small group of very wary Greater Sage Grouse.
1/1600, f/9, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I thought being at eye level with these grouse was slightly unusual and it gave me a background I like even though it made it difficult to get completely unobstructed views of the birds.
1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This one seemed slightly more curious than it was afraid of my truck and it maintained its relatively open position in the thick cover for some time. It wasn’t until it squatted down slightly…
1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
that I realized that there was a much more timid companion right behind it.
1/1000, f/13, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I wanted to get both birds in the same image and sharp but obviously at this point I had a depth of field problem.
1/640, f/16, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Slowly both grouse changed their relative position and eventually I was able to get both of them relatively sharp at f/16 but…
1/320, f/22, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
f/22 seemed to work even better. It’s not often that I even attempt to photograph birds at shutter speeds as slow as this – it’s a very good thing that they both held still for me and that I had my lens braced properly on my “Noodle” window mount.
1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Then both birds slowly disappeared into the thick grass and sagebrush.
Sage Grouse have been in the news a lot lately because of the looming decision about providing federal protection to these seriously declining birds. It’s a hot topic because doing so would remove their management from the states and hand it over to the federal government. In fact Utah has recently awarded a two million dollar contract to anti-predator lobbyist Ryan Benson to fight the Sage Grouse listing in congress.
Sometimes my home state of Utah frustrates and embarrasses me. This is one of them. In my opinion this move by Utah politicizes what should be a scientific decision.
Ron
I like the twinning shots even with the one behind that is blurry.They have very intricate marks which I have never been close enough to see.
ron, I actually like #4 – the mirror yet out of focus has some intriguing qualities – a good side to side with the one that both are in focus – yes sometimes with a 500 you need to bump up to f22
Oregon has similar odf problems with sage grouse – like they are almost endangered yet they still have hunting tags for 3% of the population – but they don’t really know for sure the population – and fires continue to decimate leks… the hunting lobbyists certainly have the upper hand – not scientist
Hi Ron,
Charlie Russell has some birds in some of his pictures that look a great deal like this. Is that possible?
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful birds! If it weren’t for the eyes, I’d almost think they were made of granite, metal or some kind of ceramic. The feather detail is amazing! (Please add politicians to my hate list)
These shots are incredible. I’ve never seen one and I really like that your images allow one to see the intricate feather details and colour patterns. I was privileged to spend some intimate time with a family of Spruce Grouse on Friday. It was amazing to watch the male strut his stuff. There was one young one that was so close to the hens size that in the scrub brush it was hard to tell them apart at times. This was just one of so many learning experiences while we also spent time observing six different 2nd year moose, fox parents who await the time that their kits can leave the den (about 10 days from now), and a black bear and her two cubs, these were only the highlights. It was three days in the best therapy facility that exists, a Provincial Park in northern Ontario. Thanks for sharing your images.
Wow! Fantastic shots Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Love them – and the different perspective you were able to get.
Sadly I hear you on the shame and anger front. Our current Federal Government has abolished the Science portfolio which says far too much (and none of it good) about their priorities.
You know, one of the things I love about traveling is the discovery that we are all the same. This is not a positive example of that… I’m sorry you have to deal with it, too.
I’m sorry to hear that your politicians are as foolish as ours, Elephant’s Child. I’m afraid the price we will all pay is a dear one.
I am amazed at the result of your experiments. A general rule of thumb is to keep the shutter speed faster than the focal lenght of the lens. You did differently and yet both birds are sharp… I have to learn more.
Talking about politicians I can’t but agree with you. We also have some of those specimen here too.
Believe me, Jorge – I don’t shoot with those settings often. But when you really need to and if you’re careful about long-lens technique it can pay off.
What is most distressing to me right now, in terms of the sage grouse, is the plan to kill hundreds of ravens – as if it’s their fault and not ours through habitat loss that the bird is in serious decline. grrr.
You certainly hit that nail on the head, Louise – just like you usually do!
How neat you were able to get these “eye-level” shots! Beautiful birds and I really love the pattern of their plumage. Good job on combining patience and skill to obtain both birds in focus.
I was going to be cute and mention something about politicians being bird-brained but did not want to insult our feathered friends.
Thanks, Wally.
Yes, there are some bird-related phrases that just don’t make sense. Bird-brained is one of them. Also, “eat like a bird” implying dainty eating.
Amen to that! Dinosaur brains might work, since they are long extinct, but I guess that’s an insult, too… 🙂
I couldn’t agree with you more about needing decisions about endangered wildlife to be based on science. It’s too bad that politics has apparently become so more important than facts or science. My home state of Texas has found multiple ways to embarrass me – all stupid politics. I hope the US congress can finally wise up and not give in to the lobbyist. The sage grouse is a gorgeous bird, and I really like this series of photos. I especially like the 4th one, even though the companion is ‘soft’. It looks to me like a reflection of the ‘sharp’ bird. The markings on these birds are so compelling that the obstructive backgrounds are hardly noticeable.
We can only hope about the “politics”, Susan – things have certainly slid in an unfortunate direction on that front.
A wonderful series – I particularly like the second and the sixth one! I just checked out their song on the Cornell site you use. Remarkable! I wish them all the best for a prolonged recovery.
Thank you, Alison. I’m glad to hear you’re using the Cornell site – it’s great.