Ron Dudley

American Kestrel – The Killing Bite

I have watched American Kestrels consume their prey up close many times. Usually that prey has been a vole but occasionally it’s been a small bird or mouse. But until this day the prey had always been already dead when I arrived on the scene. It was cold and snowy when I spotted this male kestrel with a mouse (I was surprised it wasn’t a vole) that was still very much alive. As a side note I want to add here that this kestrel was not baited. Many photographs are taken of raptors when they’ve been baited by mice (they can be bought at pet stores) that have been provided as an enticement by the photographer. That was not the case here – I do not bait. Male kestrel with live mouse It was obvious that the mouse was alive because it was struggling slightly, its tail was twitching and its eyes were open. In my experience these birds often prefer a more stable perch than this while they eat their meal – something like a fencepost or pole that provides some kind of platform from which to eat. So I didn’t think he would eat the mouse here and I was right. He gave me time for a few quick shots and then flew off to another perch. Kestrel on second perch He didn’t go far however and I was able to approach him again. This next perch was also precarious to eat from because the wind was blowing and both perch and bird were swaying in the breeze. …

Canvasback – Feeding and Fighting Behavior

In April of 2008 I photographed some interesting Canvasback feeding and fighting behaviors at a local pond. At the time I was still a relative novice at bird photography so I’ll say up front that this blog post is more about the behaviors than it is about image quality. The almost white plumage and dark head made for a tricky exposure for a beginner and there was a significant issue with specular highlights caused by reflections off of the shiny mud. Dive, eyes open On this day there was one drake feeding quite close to me and I was very interested in the whole process. He would continually dive down to the muck at the bottom of the pond and come up with his head completely covered in thick dark mud. Sometimes he would dive with his eyes open, like this. Dive, eyes closed And other times he would dive with his eyes closed. Either way, mud and grit in the eyes never seemed to be a problem for him. Ol’ Muddy Head 1 When he would emerge, this is what he would look like. Ol’ Muddy Head 2 And this. It never failed – a true mud facial. Canvasbacks are often referred to as the “aristocrats of ducks” but it’s hard to look very aristocratic with a face full of mud. Shakin’ the mud off Occasionally he would try to shake as much of the mud off as possible but it never seemed to change the look of him…

Burrowing Owls – Clowns of the Bird World

Of the many bird species I’ve photographed, Burrowing Owls by far show the most “personality”. Their repertoire of silly antics, funny poses, stretches, yawns and grooming behaviors are a photographers dream. And once they feel comfortable in your presence they will often allow you to photograph them for a very long time without flying off or retreating to their burrow. But you have to find them first… The antics of juveniles are even more exaggerated than those of adults. Most of the images I will present here are of juveniles. Some of the shots were taken in less than ideal conditions (harsh light, shadows, clutter) but I think they illustrate the goofball personalities of these birds well. Giving the photographer a suspicious look It’s difficult to resist being anthropomorphic (ascribing human emotion or motivation to non-human species) when it comes to Burrowing Owls so I won’t even try. This juvenile looks very suspicious of me but in reality I suspect that it was only curious. Wing-stretch with lifted foot, or “They went that-a-way!” Topsy turvy owl Juveniles practice their parallax skills regularly. It involves bobbing and twisting their heads so their eyes can view an object (in this case me) from different positions. This allows them to better determine distance to that object. I’m sure it’s serious business for the owls but to us it can sure look silly. And adorable. Reaction to sudden and unexpected rain One sunny and hot August morning I was photographing a pair of juveniles when a single cloud passed overhead and…

Barn Owls in Flight

Flight shots of Barn Owls are very difficult to get because these birds are almost strictly nocturnal and typically fly and hunt only at night. Photographing birds in flight in the dark or very low light is virtually impossible without using artificial lighting methods which I will not do for ethical reasons. Barn Owl in flight during in full daylight I had never even seen a Barn Owl in flight until the winter of 2007-08. That unusually frigid winter began early and brought more snow than usual to the valleys of Utah. Suddenly, during January and much of February, Barn Owls were hunting the marshes close to the Great Salt Lake during daytime – sometimes until 10 or 11 AM. Their usual strategy was to hunt for voles (very similar to mice) along the edges of Phragmites growth in the wetlands. Typically it was very cold on those mornings – often between 0 and +20 degrees Farenheit which made it very uncomfortable standing outside in front of a tripod mounted camera for hours on end! I very nearly lost some digits to frostbite many times but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Barn Owl hunting voles along frosty Phragmites edges I usually preferred to get Phragmites in the backgrounds of my flight shots if possible because they make such a nice backdrop. In the photo above, there had been heavy fog with sub freezing temperatures so literally everything was covered with a heavy coating of frost. A magical setting. Barn Owl skimming Phragmites in background Sometimes the…

Why Grebes Eat Feathers

Grebes, as a group, are known for eating feathers – usually their own. The obvious question is – why? There would be virtually no nutritional value in a feather. Clark’s Grebe eating a feather I’ve photographed four species of grebes – Western Grebe, Clarks Grebe (these two are very similar), Pied-billed Grebe and Eared Grebe. I’ve been able to document feather eating in all but the Eared Grebe. Western Grebe parent feeding feather to young Over a period of perhaps a half hour I watched this adult feed several feathers to the chicks, who seemed almost as eager to consume the feathers as they did the fish provided by the parents. Western Grebe chick reaching for a feather from its parent Feathers are fed to the young almost immediately after hatching. In fact, feathers are very often the first item eaten by newly hatched chicks of many grebe species. The purpose(s) of feather eating is unproven but evidence suggests that the behavior has these benefits for the birds. Some of the ingested feathers form a plug in the pylorus, between the stomach and small intestine, which acts as a strainer to keep fish bones in the stomach long enough to be completely digested. Most swallowed feathers end up in the stomach lumen, mixed with food. They eventually (along with any indigestible matter) form pellets that are ejected through the mouth. The continuous passage of these pellets through the upper digestive system minimizes the buildup of a variety of parasites that are very common there and plague grebes. Pied-billed…

Photographing Birds on Antelope Island

My previous post was an overview of the geology of Antelope Island and its non-bird wildlife. Here, I’ll focus on its birds. Juvenile Loggerhead Shrike begging for food Loggerhead Shrikes are common on many parts of the island during summer. They can be a challenge to approach but those few that nest close to the road eventually get used to traffic so if you photograph from your vehicle you can often get quite close. Here this juvenile was begging for food that was being delivered by a parent just out of frame to the left. Loggerhead Shrike with dragonfly Shrikes are often called “butcher birds” for their practice of temporarily impaling their prey on thorns or other sharp projections. This juvenile had done just that with the dragonfly but it wasn’t very good at it yet and in the end just decided to eat it instead of store it away. Loggerhead Shrike with spider Shrikes are opportunistic carnivores known to feed on insects, spiders, amphibians, small reptiles, rodents and other birds. This one also attempted to impale the prey before eating it. Juvenile Burrowing Owl practicing its parallax technique on me Burrowing Owls are one of my favorite species on the island though they can be difficult to locate from year to year as they often don’t seem to nest in the same burrow the next year. In the summer of 2009 there was an entire family of owls along the causeway to the island nesting under concrete rubble, as in the…

Antelope Island

Of the eight major islands in the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island is the largest at 15 miles long and 4.5 miles wide. Frary Peak reaches an elevation of 6596 feet. The island has an intriguing history, interesting geology and free roaming herds of bison, bighorn sheep, mule deer and pronghorn, in addition to a variety of smaller mammal species and plentiful birds. It is one of my very favorite photography locations – especially for birds. In this blog post I will present an overview of the island and some of its wildlife. My next post will deal specifically with bird photography on the island. The north end of Antelope Island at sunrise as seen from the causeway access road There is a 7 mile long causeway road that provides the only access to the island, which is actually a peninsula when the Great Salt Lake water levels are low. It’s common to see a variety of wildlife along this causeway including coyotes sprinting at the first sight of an early morning vehicle, American Kestrels, Northern Harriers, Burrowing Owls, Common Ravens and a variety of waterfowl and shorebirds where the water comes closer to the causeway. Approaching the north end of Antelope Island As you get closer to the island the water comes right up to the causeway’s edge and typically there’s hordes of waterfowl and shorebirds very close to the road. In the photo above, several shoreline levels of ancient Lake Bonneville can be seen where wave action eroded “benches” in the sides of the…

Bald Eagles in Utah

Every winter hundreds of Bald Eagles migrate south from Canada and Alaska and winter in Utah. They do so because of our relatively mild winters and they are able to find sufficient food here. Typically they begin arriving in November and leave in March when the ice begins to melt. They can be found in many areas of the state but a large percentage of them winter on the wetlands surrounding the Great Salt Lake where there are a number of bird refuges and other suitable areas to accommodate them. Adult Bald Eagle in flight Each year I spend many hours at some of the Great Salt Lake wetlands photographing eagles. What attracts them to some of the refuges is fish – lots of fish, especially carp. Carp are a nuissance for wildlife managers because they root in the mud of the shallow impoundments which makes the water cloudy and unable to transmit light to the bottom. This disrupts the healthy growth of desirable plant species needed by birds so some refuges “poison” the carp, usually in mid-winter, with rotenone – a non-toxic chemical that forms a film on fish gills preventing oxygen transfer from the water to the blood which kills the carp. Then it’s feast time for the eagles. Bald Eagles and gulls on the ice It’s common to see several hundred Bald Eagles from one spot. One refuge counted 408 eagles. I’ve personally seen 150 – 200 birds on several occasions. Immature Bald Eagle with carp This is why they’re here – fish! Specifically, carp. Lots of carp…

Weather Loach in Utah – Another Invasive Species

On December 12, 2007 I photographed this Common Goldeneye with a fish at Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area. At the time I didn’t pay much attention to what kind of fish it might be and then just kind of forgot about it. Male Common Goldeneye with unidentified (at the time) fish The moment of capture Then, on October 2, 2008, I took some photos of a Snowy Egret fishing, also at Farmington. Finally, I became curious about the unusual fish – noticing the atypical elongated almost eel-like body in particular. I made some casual inquiries of refuge personnel about fish species present there but didn’t get anything definitive that would match this fish. More time went by, then I finally showed Justina Parsons-Bernstein some of the photos and asked her about the fish. She is the Director of The Great Salt Lake Nature Center at Farmington Bay WMA and she was also curious as to what species of fish it was so she sent some of my images to a vertebrate specialist with the state of Utah. He keyed it out as a Weather Loach. It turns out that the Weather Loach or Dojo Loach as it is also known (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) is quite a remarkable fish. The name Weather Loach comes from the fact that it is highly sensitive to minor changes in barometric pressure and when it perceives such a change its behaviour becomes erratic, active and animated. Humans have kept them captive as a weather indicator for centuries. They are a very hardy species, capable of surviving poor conditions by swallowing atmospheric…

The Frustrations of Unnatural Perches

Most bird photographers prefer their subjects to be on natural perches. We are, after all, nature photographers. The definition of just what is “natural” becomes a slippery slope for sure but for my purposes I’ll define a natural perch by exclusion – it does not include buildings, telephone poles and wires, chunks of concrete, signs, or most anything else that is obviously man-made. Now for my exceptions. Some objects that are man-made and have a “rustic” quality are often acceptable. Weathered fence posts, old barns and rusty barbed wire would be examples. One of the major frustrations of bird photographers is to be able to finally get close to a beautiful subject in good light but the bird has chosen an ugly or inappropriate (for us) man-made perch. It is typically very difficult to approach many bird species close enough to get excellent detailed photos, even with big expensive lenses. So it can be aggravating in the extreme to finally get close enough but the bird has chosen an unappealing perch. Some folks choose to largely avoid this problem by shooting at “setups” where the bird has been unnaturally lured into an artificial situation by provided food with attractive perches arranged close by. To many of us this is not nature photography but more like studio or zoo photography. Good bird photography ain’t easy. If it were it wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying when I do finally get the shot I’m after – even though the pursuit has often been frustrating. Below are some of the situations where I’ve been frustrated by these unattractive, unnatural perches. Most bird photographers know…

Northern Harriers Fight to Survive Harsh Winters

Typically life is good for the hundreds of Northern Harriers who spend fall and winter in the marshes and prairies surrounding the Great Salt Lake after spending breeding season up north. Here their diet consists almost exclusively of microtine voles (small rodents resembling mice). These voles are incredibly abundant and relatively easy prey. It’s quite unusual to see a harrier even attempt to catch a songbird or anything else for that matter. Harrier hunting voles near the Great Salt Lake However the easy life takes a major turn for the worse during unusually harsh winters with intense cold and deep snow packs. During these times the voles spend most of their time underground eating roots and dried vegetation which means the primary source of food for harriers is suddenly unavailable just when they most need nourishment for warmth. And since most songbirds (their fall-back food source) have either migrated south or have already succumbed to the many American Kestrels in the region, simple survival for the harriers is suddenly very precarious. Now, out of desperation, harriers begin to go for larger prey – ducks and coots for example. Harrier on a duck kill frozen into the ice They aren’t able to take these prey often and when they do they can’t eat them quickly like they can a vole. The result is intense aggression – fighting fiercely over food. Typically I see very little true aggression(other than territorial squabbles) between harriers but all that changes when food becomes scarce. A relatively large prey item will provide multiple…

American Avocet Feeding on Fish

I’ve spent many, many hours watching and photographing feeding avocets and have never once seen one eat a fish or even attempt to catch one that I was aware of. Until yesterday. American Avocet feeding on fish at Bear River MBR While at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge I photographed this avocet catching, manipulating and finally swallowing a fish. I know that this behavior is not unheard of as Birds of North America Online (BNA) states that this species sometimes eats fish and my friend Dave Sparks once posted an avocet with a fish on an online critique forum. However, for me it was something new and unique and worthy of a post here. Ron

Loggerhead Shrike Impaling Prey, revisited

Recently on this blog I posted images of a juvenile Loggerhead Shrike impaling a dragonfly on thorns and said I hoped to get more documentation of the behavior but it would likely have to wait until next years nesting season. I was wrong. I witnessed and photographed this behavior again just three days ago. This time the shrike was also a juvenile but the prey was a large spider. Juvenile shrike with spider What happened after the capture was interesting for me. The bird didn’t simply impale the prey and leave it (as a cache or food store) as might be expected of an adult. Instead, it attempted to impale the spider on different thorns multiple times, like it was practicing – learning how to do it (keep in mind, the bird is a juvenile). In fact, at one point the shrike even seemed to be “studying” its work, as you will see (I’m sure that’s anthropomorphic of me). Sometimes they don’t actually impale the prey, instead they wedge it into crevices or between forked branches/twigs. This shrike tried to do both with the spider. After what I believe was four attempts at impaling/wedging the spider on some thorny branches someone had placed in a campground fire pit, the bird had apparently had enough practice and simply ate the prey in several pieces. Some of the images below aren’t of the best quality but I think they do document what I saw. As far as I could tell, the spider was dead through this whole process. Attempting to impale…

Red-winged Blackbird With a Crossed Bill

This morning while out photographing birds at a local wildlife refuge I came across this Red-winged Blackbird with a strongly crossed bill, which of course is not typical of the species. I’ve seen a few mildly crossed bills in this and other species in the past but never one quite this pronounced in a species where it isn’t “normal”. Red-winged Blackbird with a crossed bill, perched on curley dock There are species of birds in North America that have crossed bills as a species trait – the Red Crossbill and the White-winged Crossbill. Their crossed bills are an adaptation for extracting seeds from cones. Seeing this RWBB with a crossed bill naturally got me thinking about evolution. Variations occur throughout nature since each individual inherits a different combination of genes from its parents. This particular variation would likely be selected against in RWBB’s and would not persist since they do not typically pry seeds from cones. However, one can see how this same variation in the ancestors of todays crossbills would be the genetic fuel for the crossed bill trait they all exhibit today. Ron

Great Horned Owls on the Farm

For perhaps twenty years now there has been at least one pair of nesting Great Horned Owls on the farm where I grew up near Cut Bank, Montana. They were never there when I was a kid but they’ve sure taken to it since. This farm still seems like home to me and I return to it at least once every year for a visit with family and of course to check up on the owls. It’s the perfect place for these birds as it’s isolated, there are many old barns and granaries for the owls to find sanctuary and mice, voles and the ubiquitous Richardson’s Ground Squirrels (gophers) are everywhere. Both the owls and I love the place! Great Horned Owl in a barn cutout Most often I prefer my birds on natural perches but there’s just something about owls and old barn wood that appeals to me. I think owls, particularly Barn Owls and Great Horned Owls, often just seem to “fit” in many rustic settings. In the image above, I like the warm tones of the bird contrasting with the cooler tones of the black background and some of the wood. Juvenile (no “horns” yet) in warm, early morning light The youngster above was sitting in an east facing cutout in an old granary just as the sun came up. The effect of the warm light on both bird and wood is fairly dramatic (no saturation added). This juvenile is wet from the dew, thus the “spikiness” on the top of the head. They look very different from the…

Author: Ron Dudley