Something just a little bit different this morning.
1/2000, 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
I photographed this male Ring-necked Pheasant yesterday morning in a fairly remote area of Box Elder County, Utah. It’s a busy and cluttered setting but I had a nice look at the bird in good light so I trained my lens on him as he walked the wooden rail from right to left and waited to see if anything interesting developed.
1/1600, 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
Soon it became obvious that the bird was about to vacate the fence. Here he’s apparently trying to pick out a landing spot directly below him.
1/1250, 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
He pushed off…
1/1250, 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
and barely opened his wings prior to landing below the fence. The next image is less interesting (so I didn’t include it) but it does show the pheasant’s wings extended further than this.
A couple of these images aren’t quite as sharp as I’d like and there’s infinite clutter in the background but I enjoy the action and I always appreciate the spectacular colors of the male Ring-necked Pheasant.
Populations of pheasants and Chukars in the area seem higher than usual this spring. Last year’s breeding season must have been a good one for upland game birds in Box Elder County and I suspect our wet spring may have contributed to that success.
Ron
What a treat. Haven’t seen any in my area of CNY for at least 5 years. They are so beautiful. Thanks for this pic.
Nice to see something different. I don’t know if we have pheasants in the desert, but I have never seen any!
Beautiful bird. I think the “clutter” is just fine. It truly gave me a feeling of being in the country.
Sigh on the ‘game bird’ status. It ISN’T a game to them.
A beautiful bird. And I like its care in finding an appropriate landing.
“I like its care in finding an appropriate landing”
It was VERY careful about that, EC. He spent quite a few seconds trying to make the decision.
I agree with Ellie Baby about the term “Game “… Should be something like “kill for thrill” animal…more accurate than “game”, because if that’s a “game” it sure aint one I’d want to play!!!
It should be noted that both the ring-necked pheasant and the chukar are native to Asia and were introduced here as game birds. As they are non-natives, perhaps the setting of human-manipulated materials is appropriate. I like it.
“both the ring-necked pheasant and the chukar are native to Asia”
Exactly, Betsy. I’ve pointed that fact out multiple times on my blog over the years and I usually add the Gray Partridge (Hungarian Partridge) to that list of introduced upland game birds.
These are stunning, Ron!!!
Thank you, Gena.
I so enjoyed this series, Ron!! The pheasant is so colorful and your photos seem to actually sense his thinking process to go along with his actions!! Handsome game bird!! Also just wanted to give you a reminder of a request I made a while back. You had told us in a past blog that you have a mental task list that you automatically do when taking your photos & I’d asked you to share it with us amateur photographers – hint, hint!!
I’ll try to take that hint soon, Jo Ann – so many subjects to sort through…. 🙂
Very nice series Ron and I like the background…that old wood fence…an unusual sequence of a beautiful bird!!
Thank you, Jerry.
Pheasants are SO beautiful, and a worthy opponent for a redtail hawk. While I probably shouldn’t mention it, they’re tasty, too!
“they’re tasty, too”
I agree, Laura. Pheasant is the only “wild” game that I’ve tasted that I liked and I liked it a lot.
It’s really a special thing to share your hawk’s dinner. I’d never eaten game before I lived in Wyoming, and while there, I tried just about everything. I didn’t taste anything I didn’t love! I guess I’m a wild woman 🙂 But it was truly a special blessing to share in Mariah’s successes with ducks and pheasants!
Nice capture of a bird that used explode out of the grass right under my nose! Probably why I have heart problems today!!! The background is busy, but I always like seeing weatthered wood–love the colors and textures. I saw plenty of these birds in the fields, but never saw one on the fence…(I wonder if he’s decided who to vote for or of he’s still on the fence). It was always exciting to find one of their beautiful feathers, especially the long taill feathers. We had one who spent so much time running back and forth across the corral, chasing intruders out of his territory, that we were afraid he was going to starve to death! He never seemed to have time to eat!
“a bird that used explode out of the grass right under my nose! Probably why I have heart problems today”
Isn’t that the truth, Patty! I suspect that flushing pheasants, Gray Partridges and Sage Grouse have shaved several years off of my life span…
I like the images Ron. They also look sharp to me and I think the fence and background actually help set the mood of the images. Sort of “Thanksgiving like”. Please pass the cranberry sauce and the stuffing 😉
Thanks, Ed. I like the fence and that big post too but I’m not quite so enthusiastic about some of the other “stuff”…
I’ve been trying to figure out which of these images are not sharp, and have failed miserably.
Just called my “eye doctor..” must be something wrong with my eyes. I love pheasants, and
personally the “clutter” in the background does not bother me at all… it is merely a part
of the environment where this bird is currently living, so it tells a story. Actually I
prefer images that are “realistic,” and that actually show where the animal is living. I
have been known to leave a soda can in an image just to impress on the viewers how much we
are “abusing” our home. As always Ron, great images, even if several are not “as sharp as you
would like…” Ha. ;-)))
Roger, Images presented at web resolution and size can hide a lot of ills. When viewed at 100% in PS two of these images are noticeably soft but it’s not very noticeable at only 900 pixels on the longs side – the size of these images. I applied about 50% more sharpening to those two images to try to compensate for the softness.
Nice shots, Ron. 🙂 I love the ring necked pheasant cocks – they are beautiful even if a bit spooky. 🙂
Thank you, Judy.