Category: Fighting

Agonistic (fighting) Behavior in Male Short-eared Owls

I recently returned from one of my favorite places in the world – Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.  Last year I was able to photograph nesting Short-eared Owls carrying voles to their young but this year, because of the very cold spring, nesting hadn’t even begun.  Instead the owls were competing for territory and mates and pairing up.   On one morning I was incredibly lucky to find two males trying to impress a female with their aerial prowess and fighting skills.  They were so engrossed in their activities that they pretty much ignored me. Canon 7D, 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc  Often one male would be on the ground when the other male would swoop in on him.  Here the foreground bird has just lifted off to meet his adversary. Canon 7D, 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc As was often the case the birds didn’t make actual contact.  In researching this behavior I’ve learned that they will sometimes lock talons and fall to the ground before releasing.  I suspect that as they rush toward each other they look for a weakness in defense – if they spot one in the other birds defensive body position they would likely make aggressive contact.   Canon 7D, 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Most of the time both birds stayed on the ground or flew very low but occasionally one of the owls would fly several hundred feet up and circle over the other male (and the female, who was…

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The Coyotes and the Plucky Pronghorn

 Yesterday Mia and I were witness to quite the little drama on a trip to Antelope Island to photograph birds.  It all started when we noticed the frantic calling of a Long-billed Curlew which flew over us several times in obvious distress.    Canon 7D, 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc At  first we didn’t know what was causing all the ruckus but soon Mia spotted this coyote.  A couple of minutes later we noticed a second coyote nearby.  We suspect that the curlew had a nest in the vicinity and it was disturbed by the foraging coyotes.  Soon both coyotes disappeared into a ravine but we hung around hoping for more flight shots of the curlew.     Canon 7D, 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Then, almost a quarter-mile away, we spotted the coyotes again but this time a doe Pronghorn (at least I think it’s a female and not a young male) had entered the scene.  There was obviously going to be a confrontation and at first I assumed that the coyotes would be the aggressors but I was quickly proven wrong.      Canon 7D, 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This doe had pluck!  After a few seconds of staring each other down the pronghorn charged the coyote on the right.     Canon 7D, 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc That coyote beat a hasty retreat but the teamwork the coyotes showed was impressive.  They always stayed a short distance apart and whenever the doe would…

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Willet Wars

Earlier this week Mia and I witnessed an incredible display of avian aggression on Antelope Island.  I’ve often seen and photographed battling birds but I’ve never before seen such a long-lasting and vicious fight as this one between two Willets.  It lasted for over 20 minutes and I took 413 photos of the action but don’t expect high quality images in this post as the conditions were far from ideal.  We had contrasty sidelight, lots of obstructingvegetation between us and the birds and constantly changing lighting conditions as clouds moved in and out and the birds moved from place to place as the battle raged.  But as I’ve stated before on this blog I’ll often post images of interesting behaviors even if they are less than perfect in image quality.  And to me this behavior was certainly interesting.    Canon 7D, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, 1/1600,  f/5.6, ISO 500 The Willets were already fighting as we approached them in my pickup and they mostly ignored us after pausing for a  few seconds when we first drove up.       Canon 7D, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, 1/1250,  f/5.6, ISO 500 In this and the following image the bird on the right had its bill tightly clamped on the upper mandible of the other bird.     Canon 7D, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, 1/1250,  f/5.6, ISO 500 The bird on the left was desperately trying to break the grip of its tormentor but it took some struggling before it finally succeeded.       Canon 7D, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, 1/1250,  f/5.6, ISO…

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Fish Eating Northern Harriers

 As I’ve mentioned before in this blog, the winter of 2008 was a particularly brutal one in northern Utah.  During January and February there was much more snow than usual and it was bitterly cold.  During most winters our Northern Harriers rely primarily on voles as a food supply but in 2008 with the voles under the deep crusty snow our harriers were desperate for food.  Birds of North America Online provides extensive information on the dietary habits of harriers.  It lists small to medium-sized mammals (primarily rodents), birds, reptiles and frogs as harrier food sources, stating further that the diet of harriers during winter in their northern range (which includes northern Utah) consists of voles “almost exclusively”.  I can find no mention of harriers eating fish, ever! Each year in early February some of our wetlands managers treat some of our ponds with rotenone (a chemical that prevents oxygen from being absorbed across fish gill membranes) in an effort to control the invasive and damaging carp that do so much damage to the emergent vegetation which is so vital for waterfowl.  So, in 2008 for a few weeks, our desperate and starving harriers began to eat fish!  In the three winters since then I have never seen harriers eating fish even though the dead carp are always plentiful after the rotenone kill.    1/1250, 1/1000, ISO 500 Many of the carp are brought to the shores or ice surface by Bald Eagles which makes them available to the harriers who generally cannot retrieve them from the water.      1/1250, f/8, ISO…

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Northern Harriers Battle over a Mallard

Occasionally we have brutally cold winters here in northern Utah.  It’s my opinion that unusually cold temperatures when combined with thick crusted snow gives harriers little access to their staple food around here – voles.  Survival then becomes tenuous for the harriers and they’re forced to move on to other food sources like small birds, dead carp and waterfowl.   When a large meal like a carp or duck is available many harriers often fight over the food item and they do so with ferocity.   During less stressful times of the year I often see these birds skirmish but then it almost seems like a playful interlude that they do simply for “fun”.   Not so when it’s very cold and food is scarce – then it’s deadly serious and incredibly interesting to observe and photograph. First, a disclaimer.  Some of the photos I’ll present here would wither under the scrutiny of critique because of cut off or clipped wings, missing eyes or heads, lack of catch lights and difficult and rapidly changing lighting conditions.  My intent here is to show the behavior with the best images I have but some of them do have obvious flaws.  The calm before the storm I didn’t see harriers make this Mallard kill but it was still fresh when I came across this bird on the duck.  At first I though I’d simply be photographing the harrier calmly enjoying its meal but I was very mistaken.   Thinking about challenging the larger bird for the meal It didn’t take long for other birds to challenge her for the Mallard.  Some were timid…

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Rough-legged Hawk – Defensive Posture

Most birds are defensive of their territories and space and raptors are certainly no exception.  Rough-legged Hawks and Northern Harriers both prey heavily on voles (mice-like rodents) so when a new bird of prey comes in to the established hunting territory of another there are often conflicts, with the established bird attempting to drive off the interloper to avoid competition for food resources.    Rough-legged Hawk As I was photographing this Rough-legged hawk sitting peacefully in a tree I noted a definite change in its demeanor so I looked around and spotted a Northern Harrier speeding toward the hawk from my right.  I anticipated that the harrier would “buzz” the roughie and since I was much too close to get both birds in the frame when it happened I decided to concentrate on the reaction of the hawk as the interaction occurred.  I never did get the harrier in the frame in any of the shots.   In the image above, the roughie hasn’t yet seen the harrier coming in (nor have I).     The incoming Northern Harrier has been spotted When I noticed this posture change in the roughie I knew something was up, so I looked in the direction the bird was focused on and saw the harrier coming in fast.       Beginning to react Here the hawk is beginning to react to the swift and aggressive approach of the harrier by beginning to fluff up.       Defensive posture This shot was taken when the harrier, traveling very fast, was closest to the hawk – roughly three…

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Pied-billed Grebe Feeding Behaviors

Pied-billed Grebes are fascinating little birds with a chip on their shoulders.  They are pugnacious, full of personality and quite small.  They don’t seem to get a lot of attention from bird photographers, possibly because of their generally drab colors and because they’re so common.  I really enjoy watching and photographing their behaviors. I’ve stated here before that “behavior” is a major focus of this blog and if I have images of interesting behaviors that are less than perfect technically I will still post them if they illustrate the behavior well.  There are several in that category in this post.    Grebe with young carp Carp are the primary food for these birds in many of the ponds I frequent.  Even young fish can make a huge mouthful for these very small grebes.       Swallowing a carp I’ve seen it take several minutes for a grebe to finally work one of these huge (for them) fish down their throats.  And I’ve yet to see one give up on the meal because it’s too big.     A slippery meal Fish are slimy and slippery and sometimes get away from the grebe temporarily, though they always seem to be recaptured.      A potential thief in the background  These birds are very social so there’s nearly always other grebes close by when one catches a meal and some of them will invariably try to steal the prize from its rightful owner.  This can make for some very interesting but challenging encounters for the photographer because the action is usually so…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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