There’s old and then there’s really, really old.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISOO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Two days ago I heard this Chukar, very likely a male, on Antelope Island before I saw him. He wasn’t close so these photos have been cropped significantly but I think they held up pretty well.
He was calling from atop one of the ancient Farmington Canyon Complex rocks that predominate on the southern 2/3rds of the island. As I described in some detail in an earlier post, the Farmington Canyon Complex, at 2.5 billion years old, is made up of some of the oldest rocks in Utah. Or anywhere.
1/6400, f/6.3, ISOO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Chukars have several calls but this one was using the Rally Call, the most common call of the species. The Rally call is “usually given from a rocky vantage point and carries for great distances. Function of this call during breeding season is primarily to space males rather than to attract a mate”.
I love to photograph Chukars and other birds on top of these rocks. Their darker color is an easier exposure for the photographer and more attractive in photos than the almost white Tintic Quartzite rocks on the north end of the island, birds are more easily seen on the elevated perches and the romantic in me likes to imagine all the other birds and critters that have perched on the same rock in past millennia. I wonder if Pterodactyls liked to perch on rocks…
So, I cropped this photo so we can see more of the rock and the green lichens.
Ron
Wonderful shots Ron!
Charlotte Norton
Thanks, Charlotte.
And now you have me wondering what the chukah’s (and you know I love them) ancestors looked like and whether they too called from that rock…
Yup, it would be interesting to know…
A lovely study in lines – the lines of the Chukar’s plumage, the lines in the rock, the lines of the plants, the lines in the little dark fuzzy thing lower right corner of 2nd photo. And the Chukar calling, just beautiful! Thanks for a lovely start to April.
And Happy Birthday, Everett!
Thank you, Carolyn. I hope April continues to be lovely for you.
I’m not sure Everett (happy birthday), you, or I are old, really old, or really, really old. But it’s nice that we all see the beauty in our avian friends. That will never get old.
Lyle, if we make that determination based on how we feel, on some days it’s me that’s “really, really old”. Believe me, it’s me.
That is quite a beautiful bird. I’m reminded of the first time I saw a male kestrel up close–not just a brown bird! Thank you for this gorgeous “up close” detail of this beautiful guy. Incidentally. I keep your pictures, and certainly will this one, and love seeing them again and again.
Good comparison to your first male kestrel, Barbara.
2.5 billion-year-old rocks, a calling Chuckar, and some lichen? My day is made!
(And yes, I also wonder who else might have perched on or walked around those rocks! One of my favorite “brain candy” activities!)
I often wonder that, Marty. And I did with this rock, despite the fact that it isn’t whitewashed by birds.
Geology and Chukars – a good combo. It would blow us away if we could see all who have perched on that same rock through the ages. I sometimes think of that when I am standing on some of our multi billion year old boulders. Excellent photos as always.
84 today and that is no April Fool’s joke.
Happy Birthday, Everett! 🎂 🎈
Then Happy Birthday Everett, you youngster you!
Happy Birthday Everett! 🙂
A very Happy Birthday Everett.
Gneiss!
😂 You win the Internets today!
😁
Well, Ron, after the first billion years, it all feels the same . . .
Sometimes I feel like I’m working on my own personal second billion years.
Beautiful! Chukars are such pretty birds – like Waxwings their feathers lay unbelievable smooth seeming unlike feathers at times. 🙂 Those particular rocks blend in yet set them off well.
The comparison to waxwings for that reason is accurate, Judy.
Your visualization of the birds perching over the millennia reminds me of a Norman Maclean quote from A River Runs Through It; “All there is to thinking is seeing something noticeable which makes you see something you weren’t noticing which makes you see something that isn’t even visible.” That number 2 shot goes so well with that thought.
You’re right, Michael – it does.
Those Chukars ! They appear to be decorated by an artist with a great
sense of pattern, clean color pots, and a steady hand…..and then
Ron captures them in excellent lighting upon a fabulously ancient and gnarly pedestal–what a visual TREAT. Thanks for a great wake-up call !
I liked your “artist” description, Kris. Seems appropriate for Chukars.
Hi Ron. This group of photos is just beautiful. I love the subtle gray- blues, the buffs, the gray- greens. And,your own reflections added a new dimension. Earlier images this week, that flashy, gorgeous magpie, and the curlew amaze me, but a special thanks for this guy calling on that ancient rock!
Glad you enjoyed them, Kate. Thanks.
I agree, those old rocks can be quite a work of art! And the rally call “This space is MINE!” of the stunning Chukar makes that rock all the more dramatic.
Glad you agree about the rocks, Terri. Thanks.