After being “grounded” by the recent huge snowstorm for a couple of days I was finally able to go out shooting yesterday morning. The light and the opportunities with birds were mediocre at best so these photos (and a video clip) are meant more to show readers what it was like out there rather than serve as examples of great photography.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Thick mounds of puffy white snow covered virtually everything on Antelope Island and at Farmington so there wasn’t much variety in setting in any of yesterday’s images but I’m just fine with that since significant snow has been such a long time coming around here. Most of the songbirds, like this adult White-crowned Sparrow, spent much of their time gathering seeds on the ground under the bushes where it was protected from snow but they would occasionally perch up high where they had to flick snow from the seed heads to get anything to eat. This one paused for a moment to pose for me.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Some birds, like this Great Egret, were virtually impossible to spot in the snow. How’s this for effective camo? More than once when I looked away from this bird to photograph something else I literally couldn’t find it again, even though I knew exactly where it was.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This Western Meadowlark was nestled down into the snow atop one of the bushes so I was really hoping to get an explosion of flying snow if/when it took off but…
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
my shutter clicked just a moment too soon for that to happen. Even though the bird is taking off slightly away from me I enjoy the good look at the intricate feather patterns that meadowlarks are known for.
While my daughter Shannon in Florida continues to recover from a serious brain injury I’ve been sending her short video clips to help jog her memory of people and things back here in Utah. Shannon has an extremely soft heart for critters and that includes birds so yesterday I sent her this clip of an old coot playing in the virgin snow and I thought my readers might enjoy seeing it too.
Copyright Mia McPherson. Used by permission.
Regular readers know that I’m fond of donuts while I’m out shooting in the mornings and this is proof that not all of them are chocolate…
Ron
You certainly made lemonaide of the conditions. Fantastic shots Ron!
Charlotte
Beautiful shots of the birds. Love your truck too. Did you have Coffee with your Donut?
I always have coffee with me when I’m out shooting in the morning, Jean. Always!
Did you get a video of the old coots lobed toes?
Didn’t figure I needed to, Dave. All I have to do is look down and I can see them any time I get the urge… 🙂
Both the sparrow and the meadowlark look as if they are perched on snowballs.
And the egret is glorious.
Loved your donut too.
Thank you so much from my snow-starved self.
And I am sure that Shannon smiled broadly too.
I’m glad you enjoyed the snow, EC. I’m liking it too right now but some winters I do get tired of it.
Love your non-chocolate donut! That’s the second best one I’ve ever seen. The first one was in Safaga, Egypt, where an Egyptian Authority for Maritime Safety boat was doing donuts for us for quite a while (we were on a cruise ship that arrived early to the port and had to wait in another area until the dock was available) to entertain/welcome us. I also love the photo of the Egret. Some of the lines on it match the color and angles of the plants, especially the leading edge of the right wing. I hope Shannon’s recovery is going well and that she enjoys your video.
Thanks, Susan. I suspect this clip made Shannon smile and hope it brought back some memories for her.
Donuts – that’s how most of us in Chicago, IL used to learn to drive our American made, V8 cars in the snow. My first car was a 1968 Oldsmobile 442, which means it was a very front heavy, all metal car with tremendous acceleration. If you were going fast enough in the snow and braked hard enough, it would turn at least complete circle around the front tire on the inside of the turn – sometimes as much as a circle and 3/4th. That spinning was very fast. If you applied too much gas in the snow, the rear end would swing side to side, like a fish’s tail.
It spun and fishtailed less on dry dirt and pavement. You had to know how to handle it and what it was capable of doing.
I don’t have the reflexes for such a car, now, but it sure was fun at 18!
I didn’t even have binoculars at that time to see bird close-up but my family did introduce me to experiencing the natural world with our human senses.
That was a pretty tame donut….
I agree, George, but with all the traction control and other “safety features” on new vehicles (most of which I don’t like) it’s very difficult to “let it all hang out” like I used to in the hold days…
Yeah, George, I gotta agree with you. Traction control and ABS system aside, it was pretty tame 😉 It IS available to overcome those…don’t ask how I know that 😉
All I have to do is push a button to “overcome” it, Laura. Didn’t think of it…
Ron, race drivers have a plethora of ways, but I haven’t hung out with those folks since finding falconry 20 years ago and my old Jeep doesn’t have any electronic goo-gahs. LOL!
My first reaction to the video was, “Boys will be boys forever”… I’m glad you still like to play…and get the chance to, but while that may be a slick manuver, it aint no donut…all real donuts are chocolate!!! The rest are fakes. I”ve never seen an egret, great or snowy, in the snow before. Beautiful! Whereas the White-crowned sparrow looks happy enough, the Meadow Lark looks out of place in snow…they embody sunshine and song to me, not snow. Shannon goes home tomorrow, doesn’t she?. A HUGE step—for everyone….I wish all the best with it……
Thanks, Patty. Yes, Shannon is scheduled to go home tomorrow – which brings yet another set of challenges but I’m very grateful that she’s able to do so.
Terrific news about Shannon!! Sounds like wonderful progress! YAY!
Ahhhh, so nice to have a 4-wheel when you need it!!
Although the light might have been marginal, you did a great job with these images!!
Your image of a Great Egret in the snow is the first I have ever seen of that species in the white stuff. I think, and it might just be me, that this picture is a good example/icon of how our planet is changing!
It is now middle of December, based on the strong El Nino, do you think you have a chance of getting the snow cover that you should have by the end of the winter?
Compared to last year we here in the east are diametrically opposite, which also should be a message.
Thanks for making the effort while we live vicariously through your efforts and pictures!!
“do you think you have a chance of getting the snow cover that you should have by the end of the winter?”
Yes, I think we have a reasonable chance to at least have an average amount of snow this winter, Dick, because some of the increased El Nino driven precip on the west coast could trickle this far east and because once a weather pattern has begun it often sticks around for a while. We’ll see…
Most of our Great Egrets don’t stick around for winter but a few of them often do. In fact, most of my photos of the species have been taken in snow.
So glad that Shannon is able to view pictures now—-even goofy ones of the old coot doin’ donuts—I’ll bet the laugh did her some good……
“I’ll bet the laugh did her some good”
I sure hope so, Kris.
Great photos! Though I think you misidentified your egret, it certainly looks like a “snowy” egret to me! 🙂
I miss being able to do donuts. All our vehicles are either front wheel drive or all wheel drive, makes it very difficult. Oh, and the wife that would make my life extremely difficult if I tried doesn’t help any either! 😉
Your egret comment brought a smile, Jeff. As did your comment about your wife. I understand…
Loved the birds but the video cracked me up. Some parts of us never grow up, do they? 😀 It’s a good thing.
“Some parts of us never grow up, do they?”
Nope, they don’t, Arwen – at least in my case. In fact I may have more “parts” in that category than most folks and if so I’m fine with it…
Just LOVE these photos! The song of the white-crowned sparrow is so beautiful it can break your heart with its clarity. Love the Great Egret nearly invisible against the snow. And the meadowlark…another song that can break your heart with its beauty and clarity. Birdsong makes my soul sing (yes, even the Harris’ hawk’s croaks–I’m so easy). I just gotta get back to where I can hear meadowlarks regularly.
From the perspective of a race driving nut (former–now a raptor/bird geek), doing donuts is extremely useful to get the feel for your car/truck and its balance and other capabilities (or lack) in the snow/ice and how to handle situations. My father took me to shopping center parking lots when they were closed (remember when they actually closed?) for driving lessons in the snow. Thus far, I haven’t yet gone wrong in the last 50 years since (knocking wood). Then, the racing folk taught me a lot. Just a suggestion, but when there’s a race driver in the car, it’s best if they’re behind the wheel. Otherwise, they just might give you a surprise handbrake turn lesson on a back road in the rain if they’re unsupervised in the passenger seat, but that’s another story.
Delighted that Shannon continues to improve. Wishing her as short a journey as possible back to herself.
And I also enjoy your photos/commentary with my morning coffee. You ROCK!
“And the meadowlark…another song that can break your heart with its beauty and clarity”
Laura, believe it or not our meadowlarks continue to sing in the winter and even in the snow and cold, though less often and with less intensity than in the spring and summer. Some were singing yesterday.
And I agree with you, experimental maneuvers in the snow (when it’s safe) make one a better driver in those conditions if you pay attention to the feedback.
Cool! 🙂 One does have to “play” now and then in a safe spot to do so! I’ve run into not being able to find owls again at times. The Egret REALLY blends in. Great detail on the meadowlark. Birds always seem to be able to fine a perch even under the snow. Wonderful what you are doing for Shannon even while not there. Hope she continues to improve.
That’s as safe a spot as any to play in the snow like that, Judy. Brought back memories of when I was a teenager in Montana doing donuts in the snow. I became very good at it but with these newer vehicles and their traction control it becomes much more difficult to do “snappy” donuts…
Wouldn’t have thought about the “modern marvels” inhibiting some play even if better for the roads. 🙂
The first time I drove an automatic braking (ABS)control system, rear wheel drive vehicle into a parking space I didn’t line up in the space because the rear end of the vehicle did not slide sideways.
The capability of that same rear-end slip differential (independent rear wheel traction control), ABS vehicle saved me from going off an embankment in black ice.
I haven’t tried to “do a donut” in a vehicle with the modern anti-skid controls. I probably won’t try because empty parking lots or open paved spaces are no longer available.
Ron gets to play in wilder places with the new equipment. I’ll remember that if I ever have an opportunity to experiment.
Stunning Ron!
Thanks, Nancy.
Just love your photos today, Ron!! Being a Southern Florida gal, I have to admit my favorite photo today is your capture of that gorgeous Great White Egret – a Portrait in White!! Is it hard to take photos with so much white, Ron?? Now to the video – snow can really bring out the little kid in all of us. I’m sure Shannon loved this video of her Dad being a little kid!! I also believe there was a donut inside the truck as well as the one you made in the snow!!
“Is it hard to take photos with so much white, Ron??”
Yes, Jo Ann, it is. And I’m having to relearn how to properly expose birds in the snow.
Actually I’ve been eating fewer donuts and more breakfast bars while I’m out shooting. I was beginning to develop another donut around my midsection…
Your blogs are the perfect companion for my cup of coffee in the morning. Thank you 🙂
I love hearing that, Zaphir. Thank you.