Birds – Page 262 – Feathered Photography

Highs And Lows – Killdeer And Bicycles

Yesterday morning didn’t begin well. I was up at 4 AM to give me time to finish my daily blog post so I could leave for Antelope Island by 6 to take advantage of the early morning light on one of those relatively rare recent days where no morning clouds were forecast. After an hours drive to get there I discovered that most of the island was closed to vehicular traffic to accommodate the Collegiate National Cycling Championships (unannounced on the Antelope Island State Park Facebook page). I made one pass of the north loop road and headed for home – an unhappy camper. But we decided to pay Farmington Bay an impromptu visit on the way home and I’m glad we did. We were able to visit with a friend we hadn’t seen in many months who we found walking the refuge road (a regular routine that she enjoys) and I got some Killdeer images that may turn out to be some of my favorites of the species in some ways. This photo is an example. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light Admittedly, it’s not a very dynamic shot – no interesting behavior and the pose is unremarkable (though perfectly acceptable). But I like the rock it chose to perch on, the light angle was good, it’s a very small crop so the detail is excellent (especially in a larger version) and I simply love the background. So thank you Mr. or Ms Killdeer (and friend Carol) for improving my mood, which was considerably better from Farmington to home than it had been from the island to…

Antelope Island – A Meadowlark Mecca

Antelope Island is still teeming with Western Meadowlarks and will be for the rest of the summer. Most are uncooperative but there are exceptions.

Short-eared Owl In Flight With Prey

This sequence is from the summer of 2010 in southwest Montana. The adult male was kept busy hunting and delivering voles to his family of two chicks and the female on the nest.

A Pleasant Surprise Amongst The Flowers

Parts of Antelope Island are simply covered with tiny purple flowers right now and I often look for opportunities to photograph birds in such a setting.

A Plucky Female American Kestrel Saves My Day

Sometimes a single bird saves the day for the bird photographer. That was exactly the case last Wednesday.

West Desert Mule Deer Behaviors

Last week we spent a few days camping and exploring Utah’s west desert. A herd of Mule Deer composed of over a dozen animals hung around the general vicinity of our campsite for most of the time we were there. They still had most of their winter coat so they were scruffy and sun-bleached but they displayed a couple of interesting behaviors that I was able to photograph.

Loggerhead Shrike – The Bill Of A Killer

I’ve never been able to get a really good look at both the hook and tomial teeth on the bill of a Loggerhead Shrike in any of my images. Until two days ago on Antelope Island…

Chukars Descending

I’ve mentioned before how very reluctant Chukars are to fly. They much prefer to scurry away through the grasses whenever they feel insecure or threatened.

And that reluctance also applies when they’re ready to leave an elevated perch. They’ll nearly always find a way to scramble down a big rock rather than fly from it like most other birds would. That tendency was demonstrated to me twice yesterday morning on Antelope Island.

Long-billed Curlew – A Running Start

Just another little trick of a bird photographer and it worked this time.

Fluffed Up Kestrel In Warm Light

Just a simple shot of a handsome little male American Kestrel this morning.

I’m still concerned about our kestrels this spring. I’m seeing fewer of them than usual for this time of year and hearing reports of a significant number of unused nest boxes and dead kestrels found in some of those boxes (apparent winter-kills).

A Bird Photographer’s Conundrum – Red-tailed Hawk

Sunday morning we visited Utah’s west desert to see what we could turn up out there. We found a pair of American Kestrels, a few Swainson’s Hawks, one Ferruginous Hawk, several Turkey Vultures apparently feeding on a dead calf and four Red-tailed Hawks. But most were difficult to approach, in bad light or on ugly perches. Note: Some of this post may be of interest only to photographers. I apologize in advance to those of you interested more in the results of bird photography than in the process… 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in But we did find the nesting pair of red-tails that I’ve posted about previously. This bird was perched up a canyon near the nest where its mate was incubating eggs. I caught the hawk at lift-off… 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in and immediately after… 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in and I was able to keep the bird in focus for a long burst of 22 images as it flew to my left. The problem was that it had been perched above me on a hill so when it took off it mostly glided with its wings straight out and shaded underneath so many of those shots aren’t particularly interesting. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This was the last image with any light under the wings….

The Bison Of Antelope Island

Last fall I drove up just as this scenario was playing out. This guy was a biker (bicycle) who had laid his bike down on the road and approached this bison much too closely on foot to get a few photos with his point and shoot. I just knew bad stuff was going to happen so I quickly aimed my camera just as the bison charged this bozo.

Mountain Plovers Revisited

As some of you know, 10 days ago we found a pair of Mountain Plovers on Antelope Island. These plovers are rare in Utah, the few that are seen here are on their way to Montana, Wyoming and Colorado to breed so after a day or two these birds were gone. But they sure created a buzz in the birding community while they were here.

Burrowing Owl Youngsters – Hams Of The Bird World

Prepare to lose your heart if you ever have the opportunity to photograph or watch juvenile Burrowing Owls up close. They’re full of spontaneous antics and personality and they’re cute as a button.

Gray Partridges In Northwest Montana

The Gray Partridge has a fairly limited range in North America and most folks don’t get to see them so I thought some of my readers might be interested in a post on the species. This bird prefers the grasslands and grainfields of our northern wheat-belt so they’re fairly common on our family farm in northwest Montana.

Gray Partridges are often called Hungarian Partridges, or “Huns” for short.

Category: Birds