Four days ago I had a particularly interesting morning on Antelope Island and thought readers might enjoy a chronological reporting of my experience. Some of these images are better than others but as a group these photos of varying quality document my 2 1/2 hour morning on that wonderful island.
Based on what I’m seeing in the field I’m wondering if some birds aren’t being tricked into spring activities too early.
Western Meadowlarks can be quite approachable when they’re singing on territory in the spring and summer but they’re generally shy at other times. So I was quite surprised yesterday morning when this one allowed a close approach as it preened on a snowy perch.
I took many, many shots of this crazy, mixed up Meadowlark this past spring and I posted a few of them previously. This is another one that I like.
I photograph Horned Larks often on Antelope Island and elsewhere but their propensity for perching on low rocks has been an issue for me.
Western Meadowlarks are good subjects for practicing take-off shots. The rule of thumb is the smaller the bird the faster the take-off, so songbirds are difficult subjects for this type of shot because of their small size and quickness.
Antelope Island is crawling (and flying) with “bugs” right now. Mosquitoes are common, flying midges are thick as are the dreaded biting gnats (I call this the “itching and bitching” season).
It’s not easy to get photos of Horned Larks with insects in their beaks. The diet of adults of the species consists largely of seeds year-round but they do feed insects to their young so if you can catch them at the right time of year it’s possible to get photos of them with insects. Yesterday morning in the foothills of the Stansbury Mountains I photographed both a male and a female with their beaks full of insects.
Avoiding “clipped” body parts is perhaps the biggest challenge associated with take-off shots.
When I’m photographing Western Meadowlarks at take-off there’s always one flight posture I hope I don’t get.
Yesterday I was able to get a shot of a Western Meadowlark that may be one of my favorite images of a songbird in flight. But there’s a potential flaw that niggles at me…
This was the strangest behavior I’ve ever seen from a meadowlark, though it was difficult to capture photographically.
Meadowlarks have been arriving in good numbers for several weeks now but they’re quite difficult to approach in early spring. Once breeding behaviors begin in earnest they seem to be a little less skittish.
The song of the meadowlark often stirs fond memories and thoughts of peaceful and melodious spring mornings. But for birds that song represents the tension of competition for territories and females – anything but tranquility.
