Ron Dudley

Sometimes the Prey Bites Back

I hope you’ll bear with me but this post will be more about behavior than image quality as I just didn’t have a good light angle for this little drama. As I’ve said elsewhere on this blog, one of my primary goals is to document interesting behaviors and at times that will take priority over the quality of the images. When Rough-legged Hawks dive on prey it can be fairly dramatic. Typically they hover high up over the potential prey for a few moments, then dive fast and at a fairly steep angle. Occasionally they seem to hit the ground so hard that it rattles my teeth, almost making me expect them to bounce on impact. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This morning I watched this hawk hover, then dive. I think you can see from the wing position that this bird was still traveling at a good clip and at a fairly steep angle when it was only a couple of feet from the ground. The prey was on a hill above me and buried in this vegetation so I didn’t see the impact. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Often these attempts at prey are unsuccessful but this time the hawk caught a vole (along with a talon-full of debris). The bird came out of the grasses directly toward me but then turned to its left to give me a side view. 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This little vole had a bucket-full of attitude and didn’t want to go down…

Just A Shot That I Like… #6 – Short-eared Owl In Flight With Prey

Sometimes conditions are marginal at best for avian photography and that often seems to be the case for me when I’m presented with an otherwise wonderful opportunity. Then the decision must be made – go ahead and shoot anyway, knowing it’s likely that I won’t get any keepers or just pack it in and watch and enjoy the birds? 1/640, f/5.6, ISO 800, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, noise reduction to background Such was the case with this Short-eared Owl at Montana’s rugged and remote Centennial Valley. It was an overcast day and there generally wasn’t enough light for photographing birds in flight but this male was regularly delivering voles to his family and would occasionally fly right by me as he did so. I could have removed my teleconverter to get a little more shutter speed but then the owl would be quite small in the frame so I just decided to fire away and hope for the best. Even at ISO 800 (the absolute limit for my 7D without getting too much noise) I was often getting shutter speeds of 1/500 or slower at f/5.6 – just not fast enough to get birds in flight sharp. I got lucky with this shot. As the owl was coming in, the clouds behind me opened up slightly to allow a little more light on the bird and a shutter speed of 1/640 – just enough to get good sharpness on a relatively large and slow flying bird if your focus is well locked on to the subject. The still shaded Centennial Mountains provided…

Lamenting the Loss of a Favorite Perch

This was a perch I had a love-hate relationship with for almost four years. It was a small, very old and sun-bleached snag along the road down unit 1 at Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area. I loved it because American Kestrels liked to use it as a hunting perch, it was close to the road, not too high and it was natural and photogenic. I hated it because it was on the east side of the road (I could only shoot from the road in my vehicle – open the door and the kestrel skedaddles) which meant that I was usually shooting into the sun in the morning which is my favorite time to photograph birds. Back-lit kestrels are generally not a pretty sight… That road down unit 1 is closed for the nesting season (March through September) and I was very disappointed to see on my first trip down the road this fall that the snag was gone. It may have fallen down on its own, been removed by refuge managers (which I doubt) or perhaps it was vandalized – I just don’t know. But I will miss it, as will the kestrels I’m sure. Avian photographers on this continent are well aware of how difficult this species is to get close to – they’re very skittish and almost never allow a close approach for photography. That changes in mid-winter when it’s very cold. They simply are much more reluctant to fly when it’s that frigid and the photographer can occasionally get quite close to them, especially when shooting from a vehicle. But most nature photographers…

Just A Shot That I Like… #5 – Great Horned Owl In Tamarisk

We recently found a Great Horned Owl that likes to hang out in some tamarisk close to the Great Salt Lake. Usually the owl is deeply buried in the foliage and can’t even be seen unless you know where to look but of course getting clear shots of the bird is impossible in that situation. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc However on cold early mornings this bird likes to get a little warming sun and has found one spot where it’s open enough that it can soak in some rays and still feel safe and hidden by the enclosing tamarisk. By careful maneuvering I can get a relatively clear view of the owl from a close vantage point (without disturbing it). It’s a busy setting for the bird but I like that the spot it has chosen to warm up in is so dense with leaves that they almost seem to wrap protectively around the owl. We’ve had several opportunities with this bird in exactly the same spot over the last couple of weeks. At least we thought it was a single bird but then yesterday sharp-eyed Mia noticed (while editing and culling images) that the plumages don’t match from day-to-day. There are two owls that use this spot and we have photos of both of them. A pleasant surprise! Ron

A Very Cooperative Rough-legged Hawk

In a previous post I mentioned that I had been encouraged by the number of Rough-legged Hawks (roughies) I’ve been seeing this fall. Well I’m delighted to report that the situation continues to improve. On virtually every photo expedition over the last few weeks I’ve seen several of them and on two recent trips we’ve made about a dozen sightings of different individuals each time. However getting good photos of them is a different story altogether. After a season in the high arctic they’re very unapproachable and even when I have been able to get reasonably close they’re usually perched on an unattractive sign or post and take off away from me. All that changed a few days ago though when we found one very cooperative bird. This species has the most different male and female plumages (sexual dimorphism) of all our buteos and I’m quite sure this is a light phase female. 1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc We first spotted this bird on a low wooden post that resembled a piling and I was pleasantly surprised that it let us approach (in my vehicle) with no signs of nervousness. It was early on a cold, frosty morning and while looking through the viewfinder I assumed that the material on top of the post was spider silk that had collected dew and then frozen. But after looking at the photos at home I wasn’t so sure so the next day I walked over to the post to check it out. Duh – should have known. It was frosted bison fur. This was Antelope Island…

Just A Shot That I Like…#4 – Cliff Swallow In Flight

I’ll admit that part of the reason I like this image as well as I do is the degree of difficulty involved in getting the shot. Swallows are small and very fast which makes for a difficult flight subject. For years I’ve tried getting sharp, well-lit, frame-filling images of them and failed miserably. My best shots seemed to have one or more of the following issues – soft, too small in the frame for good detail, poor head turn or no light in the eye. But the most common flaw was poor light on the underside of the bird. So I decided to change my tactics – yes, I’m a slow learner at times… Cliff Swallow 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 800, 500 f/4 It finally dawned on me that to consistently get light under the bird I had to shoot when the sun was very low, morning or evening. But when the sun is that low the light is also relatively weak which means higher ISO’s and apertures that provide less depth of field. To help mitigate that problem I took off the teleconverter (at times swallows can be relatively easy to get close to) to give me a little more light, faster shutter speeds and more responsive autofocus. And it worked! I got this shot and several others I liked on the first morning I tried the new tactics. Don’t get me wrong – swallows in flight are still extremely challenging (on this morning I took about 600 shots to get 3 or 4 I was pleased with) but at least it was now possible. Another…

Prairie Falcon – A Nemesis Resolved

Every avian photographer has their “nemesis birds” – a species or two that the gods of photography have foiled any and every attempt at getting quality images of. For me the Prairie Falcon has been at or near the top of that list. I particularly love to photograph raptors but locating and then getting close to this falcon in good light has eluded me for five years now. But two days ago I resolved that dilemma! 1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 640, 1.4 tc We first spotted this bird coming towards us along the Antelope Island causeway just as the sun peeked over the Wasatch. It soon landed on this stump and in good light but I wasn’t quite as close to the bird as I’d like to have been. Soon it lifted off and hunted the causeway going west, causing quite a ruckus among the gulls, shorebirds and ducks as it approached them. It was fairly easy to track the falcon by watching for groups of panicked birds taking to the air. 1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 800, 1.4 tc Next it landed on this interesting rock and I was able to get a little closer. The background is a little funky with the harsh color transition between water and rocky shoreline passing through the bird but I liked the perch and the good look at the entire bird, including tail. I suspect that this falcon has learned the fine art of thievery. Earlier this week we observed a Prairie Falcon along the causeway chase off a Peregrine Falcon from its Ruddy Duck…

Just a Shot That I Like…#3 – Chukar In Snow

The Chukar is a type of partridge that was introduced to Antelope Island many years ago and they thrive there. They’re originally native to Asia and are a popular game bird, though their range in North America is restricted because they thrive only in areas of low rainfall and humidity. 1/2500, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I found this one last winter on a boulder just after a fresh snow fall. Though the white part of the background may look like clouds it is actually a snowy hillside with blue sky above. I like the soft colors, coy pose, rocky perch and the snow in the setting with the blue sky up top. Some may miss seeing the feet but that’s a trade-off I’ll gladly make to catch this handsome bird in the snow. Ron

Rough-legged Hawks Return To Utah

For the last couple of years I’ve had very little luck locating Rough-legged Hawks (roughies) here in northern Utah, which frustrates me because I think they’re among the most handsome and photogenic of all the raptors and I love to photograph them. These birds breed in the high arctic so they aren’t here at all during the summer. Most of them winter in the “lower 48” but they are highly nomadic and their numbers in a particular area fluctuate according to the availability of their rodent prey. This year I’m greatly encouraged because in the last ten days or so I’ve seen many of these striking hawks. 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This one was atop a perch that is photographically challenging – a Tintic Quartzite boulder on the north end of Antelope Island. These rocks often blow out the whites on the sun side, especially if the bird on them is dark. I’ve deleted many a shot of a raven on one of these boulders. 1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 800, f/4, 1.4 tc This morning I had a wonderful (though sometimes frustrating) time with the roughies on the island. The highlight of the morning came when I was trying to sneak up on a kestrel perched in a rabbit brush. As I did so I noticed a gull flying right toward the kestrel but I quickly ignored it and concentrated on the kestrel. Then, at the last second, something in my mind said “hey, that was no gull” just as the bird swooped low…

Ferruginous Hawks of Utah’s West Desert

The Ferruginous Hawk is a strikingly handsome raptor with its stocky build, white underparts and rufous coloration. It is the largest North American hawk and has several distinctive features including the fact that its legs are feathered all the way down to the feet. The Rough-legged Hawk is the only other hawk on this continent to share this trait. I’ve had a devil of a time getting many photos of this species that I like. For me they’ve been difficult to find in the first place and then there’s the issue of getting near enough to them for quality images as they generally don’t allow a close approach. My best luck with the species has been in the foothills of Utah’s west desert mountain ranges. 1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I found this bird earlier this week and spent quite a while “sneaking” up on it very slowly in my pickup. I ended up getting reasonably close before it flew off. The hawk is relaxed enough with me in its presence to perform a nice wing stretch. 1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc These birds tend to hunt high off the ground and no matter how slowly I try to approach them while they’re in the air they usually maintain a minimum distance from my truck that is too far away for good photographs. Very occasionally however one will apparently become curious about me and fly in close – always with its eye on me and not on any potential prey on the ground. …

Just a Shot That I Like…#2 – American Kestrel In Dramatic Light

Directional, moody lighting is an acquired taste for some – at least it was for me when I first starting photographing birds. Now I’m a fervent convert to the genre, especially when I can get a pleasing setting that I like to go along with it. 1/640, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc On this cold February morning of this year I’d been out shooting Northern Harriers but tremendous winds came up so I decided to call it a day. On the way out of the refuge I noticed this male American Kestrel higher up in a tree and decided to pull up and see what might happen, since he wasn’t in a good position for photography at first. Soon, in an obvious attempt to get out of the howling wind, he flew down and landed on this stump almost at ground level. The problem was that he was in deep shade. But because of the wind blowing all the tree branches around, occasionally some side light would strike him. I took a few shots without high hopes of getting anything I liked. I was pleasantly surprised with a few of the images when I looked at them and this is one of them. I quite like the setting and light in this shot. The detail is very good, especially at a larger size because I was very close to the bird. Some may think the brightness of the grass stems on the left are less than ideal but personally I’m fine with them. I was pleased that f/8 gave…

Red-tailed Hawk with Long-billed Hawk Syndrome

This morning I found this Red-tailed Hawk on a telephone pole near Grantsville, Utah. As soon as I looked at it through my lens I knew that something was wrong with the birds beak. A bit of research almost immediately turned up the probable culprit – Long-billed Hawk Syndrome. Birds with this condition have atypical uncontrolled growth of either or both upper and lower bills. Birds affected often have secondary infections in their bills. Since their bills are used for activities such as eating, preening, killing prey and feeding offspring the syndrome is extremely serious. Most birds with this condition die of starvation. The syndrome gets its name because most affected birds have been Red-tailed Hawks, though other species of raptors get the condition also, including Peregrine Falcons and Rough-legged Hawks. The first case of LBH Syndrome was reported in Washington state in 1997 and reports have been increasing since. This is what a normal Red-tailed Hawk’s bill looks like – quite a dramatic and obvious contrast to the diseased one. The cause of this condition is unknown, though research is ongoing. A sad situation for this poor bird. More info here. Ron Addendum: I posted one of these photos on a nature phography forum and a veterinarian with many years of experience with falconry birds has stated unequivocally that this hawks condition occurred because it was “kept jessed and tethered by someone who was totally ignorant of the necessity to keep the upper and lower bill trimmed to normal shape”. Whatever the true cause of the deformity, it’s…

Barn Owls and Phragmites

Barn Owls are among my favorite avian subjects. They’re uncommon, elusive and rarely active in daytime so they’re devilishly difficult to photograph in good light – especially in flight. And they’re unique – so different from other owl species (heart-shaped facial disc, smaller eyes, a short squared tail and serrated central claws) that they’re given their own family classification – Tytonidae. They’re the most wide-spread species of owl on earth, though their numbers are declining. Occasionally, very occasionally, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph them in daylight. Around here they can sometimes be found hunting for voles at the edge of Phragmites stands at the local marshes during the early mornings of the coldest days of winter. Phragmites is a very large perennial grass found in our wetlands that causes many problems for wetlands managers because it produces substances that are toxic to more beneficial species of marsh plants. 1/2000, f/8, ISO 400 1.4 tc As problematic as Phragmites can be I’ve found it to be a wonderful background for photographs of birds in flight. And since these owls fly during daytime only when it’s very cold the Phragmites is often covered with heavy frost in the mornings which can soften the background and make it very pleasing to the eye. If the grasses are close to the bird they appear fairly well-defined. 1/2000, f/8, ISO 400 1.4 tc But if they’re far away the bokeh of the background is softened even more, giving relatively subtle hints of texture and form. I think the sharper foreground phrags in this photo…

Just A Shot That I Like… #1

Today I’m starting a new feature on FeatheredPhotography. Typically my posts include multiple images showing a sequence of photos that illustrate bird behaviors, photo techniques, favorite shooting locations and the like. That will not change. But now, in addition I will post a single shot that appeals to me for whatever reason and title the post “Just A Shot That I Like…” and these image posts will be numbered. This is post #1. The photos I choose may be new or from my archives. I’ll mention what I like about the photograph and any significant flaws I think it has. I’ll also include my image techs. My plan is to make one of these posts at least once per week, in addition to my regular posts. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I found this Song Sparrow early in January 2010 on the coldest day so far that winter. The entire refuge was covered in thick frost – it looked like a magical frosty fairyland all the way to the horizon. The sparrow was puffed up to keep warm and eating ice encased seeds it grabbed from its twiggy perch. I like the frost, the vertical position of the tail, the puffed up squatting pose, the ice crystals falling next to the tail and the whimsical mood of the image. Ron

Strange Encounter with a Northern Harrier and a Junco

For me, life just doesn’t get much better than when I’m watching interesting or unusual bird behaviors up close. I was photographing this male Northern Harrier out my pickup window while it was perched on the clump of snow-bent vegetation you see in the image below when I heard a soft scratching sound coming from the front of my truck. I quickly glanced to my right and noticed that a Dark-eyed Junco had landed square in the middle of the hood of the truck. I thought that was unusual of course but I was more interested in the harrier so I quickly turned back to watching him through my viewfinder and it immediately became apparent that the harrier was now fixated on that junco. 1/3200, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I’ve spent hundreds of hours watching and photographing harriers and it’s virtually unheard of for one to take off in my direction when I’m this close to the bird. Usually the direction of take off is away from me or if I’m lucky it might be either to my left or right. But this one had apparently decided that it wanted junco for lunch and when it launched it immediately turned slightly and headed straight toward the junco on my truck hood. 1/3200, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc If you look carefully at the harriers eyes in all four shots you’ll notice that he isn’t really focused on me – instead he’s looking slightly to my right, directly at the junco on the hood of the…

Author: Ron Dudley