Birds – Page 278 – Feathered Photography

Juvenile Burrowing Owl – Wing Exercises

I simply can’t resist posting a couple of more images of juvenile Burrowing Owls that were taken last week. 1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc It may look like this bird has lost its balance on the sage and is trying to regain it but I believe it was simply exercising its wings. It flapped and fluttered for quite a while – long enough for me to get several dozen images of the action (I saved 18 of them). 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I do wish there’d been a bit more light though. The sun ducked behind a cloud just as just as this youngster started flapping. Should’a heard Mia cussing that cloud! As per usual, I kept my cool and just went with the flow. 🙂 Actually, we’ve both been known to cuss clouds on occasion but I’m much better at it than she is. She just doesn’t have my enthusiasm. Or originality… Ron

Rough-legged Hawk Hunting Voles

Out of pure habit I still look for Rough-legged Hawks whenever I pass one of their favorite perches, despite the fact that they’re now on their arctic and subarctic breeding grounds in northern Alaska and Canada. Last winter it seemed that these hawks were everywhere in northern Utah and it wasn’t unusual for me to see a dozen or more different birds in a morning of shooting. They’re a particularly handsome raptor and I love photographing them. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I found this one hunting voles along the Antelope Island causeway this past December. A moderate headwind slowed the bird down and made getting flight shots a little easier. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc When hunting they’re usually looking down which makes it difficult to get eye contact but occasionally you can catch them looking at you if you’re quick on the trigger. Here the wings are mostly horizontal but for me the tilt of the tail helps to compensate for that. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This eye/head angle is more typical of a hunting bird. The position of the left wing probably won’t appeal to many but there’s something about the curves of both wings that I liked. The sky color may seem a little funky but that’s the color it really was so I didn’t play with it. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Here the hawk has captured a baby vole. This surprised me a little…

Storm Clouds Over Antelope Island

Last Wednesday, June 11, was an interesting day to be on Antelope Island. We need good light for bird photography and clouds usually don’t cut it for us (much different from landscape photography, I know) so we’re seldom out there when it’s overcast. But the forecast called for clearing so we took a chance and left home right after 5:30 so we could be there at sunrise. It turned out to be mostly cloudy all morning so we didn’t have much luck with birds but the clouds and light gave us some dramatic vistas that I couldn’t help but photograph. 1/200, f/9, ISO 400, 17-85mm @17mm, hand-held Just after sunrise we had this view of the island from the causeway. I liked the unusual combination of fearfully dark clouds with no wind which made the water almost as smooth as glass for some interesting reflections. The cluster of American Avocets on the right added to the natural scene for me. 1/640, f/9, ISO 400, 17-85mm @17mm, hand-held Traveling south on the island I liked the play of light on the clouds, prairie grasses and sagebrush to go along with the curved horizon line. I’m certainly no landscape photographer and have no plans to give up my “day job” photographing birds but I couldn’t resist sharing a couple of images from that wonderful morning. Ron

Antelope Island – A Smorgasbord For Coyotes

A lot of folks don’t like coyotes but I’m in a different camp. I have great admiration for their adaptability, hunting skills, intelligence and communication abilities. Over the past few years I’ve had many opportunities to observe their behaviors on Antelope Island which has made me an even bigger fan of this amazing canid. To watch a coyote hunt is a fascinating experience. This post is meant as a documentation of the opportunistic feeding tendencies of the species rather than as a showcase for technically perfect photos. Getting clear shots of any mammal on the ground (as opposed to perched or flying birds) is a rarity because of all of the grasses, sunflowers, sagebrush, rabbitbrush and moth mullein the photographer has to shoot through on the island. So there’s lots of “stuff” in front of the coyote in some of these shots and a couple of them are sizeable crops but I think their prey tendencies are documented reasonably well by the images. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Coyotes eat a lot of voles – prodigious numbers of them in fact. I’ve seen a single animal catch and consume 4-5 voles in the same area within just a few minutes and I’ve seen it several times. 1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But they’ll also take birds when they can catch them. This coyote was returning from the lake shoreline with an unusual prize – some kind of waterfowl. From the position of the leg attachment at the back of the body I’d guess…

Landing Juvenile Burrowing Owl

We had some more fun with the family of Burrowing Owls this morning. There are two adults and at least seven chicks. Some of the youngsters have been banded, which may be good for the owls but it isn’t particularly good for photography so I was happy to see that this one wasn’t wearing any jewelry. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4 One of the adult birds spent much of the morning perched on sagebrush to the left of this one and occasionally one of the youngsters would come in and land close by. I was pleasantly surprised by the eye contact in this image. Usually they’re looking down at this point in the landing process but I think a slight headwind gave this bird time enough to glance up at my pickup just to make sure we continued to be no threat. In the very next frame the owl was beginning to look down at its landing spot on the sage. I love the very early morning light on these owls but especially on the juveniles. The tradeoff is that ISO 640 is pushing it for my Canon 7D but I always like to have good shutter speed when an opportunity like this suddenly appears. I had taken off my tc but still barely fit the owl in the frame. The upper background is a distant sandbar and sloping shoreline of the Great Salt Lake. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4 I was able to get five sharp shots as this owl was coming in. My favorite of the sequence is the first image…

Juvenile Marsh Wren

I normally have difficulty getting close enough to Marsh Wrens for them to be large enough in the frame to show good detail. They’re very small, incredibly flitty and they inhabit busy backgrounds – all challenges for the photographer. Last year I had some success with adults but juveniles have always eluded me. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But yesterday at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge I found this cooperative juvenile in good light and the background reeds were far enough away from the bird to soften nicely. And I didn’t even get shadows from the reeds falling on the bird which is unusual for me. I love these feisty, raucous little birds and they have unbelievable energy. They scurry from perch to perch and sing almost continually, day and night during breeding season, in their bid for reproductive success. It makes me tired just to contemplate such a frenzied existence. Think I’ll take a nap… Ron

At Long Last – The Red Crown Patch Of The Western Kingbird

Occasionally, even a mediocre shot can make my day. I’ve known about the red/orange crown patch of the Western Kingbird for some time now but until yesterday had never seen or photographed it. 1/1600, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc It normally lies concealed under the gray feathers on the top of the head and is rarely seen or photographed. Normally the crown patch is only revealed before or during an attack on another kingbird or a potential predator threatening its nest. 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4 The most common aggressive pose toward other kingbirds is called the wing flutter, where the wings are extended and rapidly fluttered in small arcs. But typically the crown patch is not exposed during a wing flutter unless an actual attack on the other kingbird is imminent. 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4 I’ve included this image and the next one to show how well the crown patch is concealed. Here, as this kingbird ejects and throws off a pellet, you have a good look at the top of the head with no suggestion of a red crown patch beneath the overlying crown plumage. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc And another kingbird, banking at takeoff, gives us a pretty good look at the top of the head with no hint of the patch. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But yesterday a gull made the mistake of landing on a perch very close to this kingbirds nest and it’s…

A Plea For Respect For The Burrowing Owl

If there’s a group of birds on the face of the earth that is almost universally loved it seems to me that it would have to be owls. Many folks are captivated by them for their large forward-facing eyes, quizzical expressions, eerie vocalizations and the sense of mystery provided by their generally nocturnal habits. Others appreciate their many unique adaptations, such as silent flight and their ability to turn their heads 270 degrees. There’s just something about owls… 1/640, f/9, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc And for many of us Burrowing Owls are at the pinnacle of that adoration. Their comical antics, especially those of the juveniles, tug at our heartstrings and make us smile. And they’re more accessible to viewing than are most owls because they’re active during daylight and spend much of their time on the ground close to their burrows instead of being hidden high up in trees. The flip-side to all this is that Burrowing Owls are extremely vulnerable to unthinking human intrusion – especially while they’re nesting and caring for chicks or juveniles. 1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc In Utah the burrows of these owls are typically found among sagebrush, which they often use as perches during early morning. This allows the patient and ethical birder or photographer a good look at the birds without having to get too close in order to see through the vegetation usually found in the burrow area. It’s not unusual for Burrowing Owls to nest close to roads and when they do…

Western Kingbird Wing Flutter

This morning we decided to get out of our rut a little bit (actually, I tend to like ruts) and look for birds somewhere new so we headed to the high country of Morgan County. We figured it would be a nice respite from the heat, and it was. We saw some beautiful country and quite a few birds, though most of them were a challenge to get close to. One thing really surprised me. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such high concentrations of Black-headed Grosbeaks and Western Kingbirds anywhere. Both species were picking off bugs along the road and it was a delight to see so many of them. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This Western Kingbird was performing the “wing flutter” that kingbirds are so well-known for. It’s an aggressive behavior that is usually directed at other kingbirds, as was the case here. I liked the pose and the way the Scrub Oak framed the bird and helped to break up the blue sky background. Ron

Loggerhead Shrike Take-offs

One of my current projects is take-off shots of Loggerhead Shrikes and I’m finding it to be unexpectedly difficult to get the quality I want. Take-offs of small birds are challenging by definition but I have quite a few that I like of other species so I’m a bit surprised that I’m struggling so with the shrikes. This past week I’ve had at least some success and these two are the best of the lot so far. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc On Tuesday morning this shrike gave me nice eye contact as it launched from its perch and I had good light and a clean background but I’m a bit surprised that the wings aren’t sharper. I doubt that it’s motion blur at 1/3200 and I was far enough away from the bird that I thought f/6.3 would give me more depth of field than this. Live and learn… 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Two mornings later I was photographing this shrike perched when an insect that interested it flew overhead. The bird has its eye on the bug as it’s taking off. This has been the best year on Antelope Island for Loggerhead Shrikes that I can remember as they seem to have had very good success so far in raising their broods. And with the plethora of huge orb-weaver spiders just coming on, things should only get better out there for shrikes. They love to eat those nasty looking spiders and feed them to their chicks. Which should mean more practice for me…

Some Recent Shots I Like, Despite Some Flaws

Like every other bird photographer many of the photos I take are not worth keeping. For the first few years I was shooting birds I estimated that I deleted 90% of my images. Now that I’ve become a little more discriminating that number is probably closer to 95%. Birds are incredibly difficult subjects – they’re fast, unpredictable, difficult to approach and generally uncooperative. When I’m culling images after a day in the field most shots fall under two main categories – keepers and garbage. But there’s often a few that are technically lacking for one reason or another but have some unusual or especially interesting feature that makes it difficult for me to trash them. So I don’t. Occasionally I go back through them just for the fun of it. I enjoy them and thought some of you might too so here’s a few from the past month or so. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This one’s from yesterday – a Lark Sparrow that posed and groomed for us for quite a while. Looking through the viewfinder I had no idea there was a second Lark Sparrow in the vicinity and didn’t even notice it flying through the frame until I got home and looked at it on my computer. Mia said that she’d noticed the second bird and that it chased the first bird away when it flew. Anyway, I thought the out-of-focus sparrow to the left was an interesting serendipity. I just wish the two twigs by the head weren’t there. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500 500 f/4, 1.4…

An Itchy, Fidgety Burrowing Owl On A Wiggly Perch

It all started with an itch. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Two days ago just as the sun was coming up over the Wasatch we found this adult Burrowing Owl perched on a dried sunflower. The lower background is the Great Salt Lake. The bird was sunning itself and pretty static and I was hoping for some kind of action. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Then it tried to scratch its face while perched on this spindly and unstable perch and that’s when the action began. (Full disclosure – this shot is a little out-of-order but it shows the scratching behavior better than any I got at the very beginning – it tried to scratch the same spot on its face several times during this sequence). 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Every time the owl tried to scratch its face the sunflower stem would move around and throw the bird off-balance so the wings would go out and I got some interesting poses in nice light. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I was able to get many images of the balancing act as it progressed but the owl was sidelit so in quite a few of them one or both of the wings and one side of the face were in shadow. These are the images with the best pose and light combinations that I was able to get. The secondary wing feathers seem to be still growing in from a recent molt. …

Western Grebe Chick – A Lesson Learned In Feather Eating

Most grebe species are well known for feather-eating and the Western Grebe is certainly no exception. I’ve seen and photographed them gobbling down feathers multiple times. While the purpose of such behavior remains unproven it is suspected that the feathers enable more efficient digestion of fish bones and aid in removing digestive parasites. I’ve discussed this in further detail and provided more images of the behavior here. 1/2000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc The feathers on their flanks and scapulars are in almost constant molt and when grooming dislodges them they are deliberately swallowed. Often, as was the case here, the feather is floating on the surface of the water and the grebe simply snatches it up as it floats by. 1/2000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But this time the feather was fed to the chick on the back of the parent. Adults begin feeding feathers to their offspring on the first day of their lives. BNA reports that researchers have found over 300 feathers in the stomachs of individual chicks that were no more than three days old. 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But of course not just any old feather will do. It must be small, soft and downy and without a stiff quill but apparently this is a lesson that the chicks must learn for themselves. As soon as the youngsters begin to make occasional forays off the backs of their parents and into open water they begin to experiment with feathers they…

Male Northern Harrier In Flight

When asked to name my favorite avian species I always bristle a bit at the question but if pressed on the subject I’ll sometimes provide a short list of candidates and I must admit that the Northern Harrier is likely to be the first one mentioned. The vanity plate on my pickup (and at the top of this blog page) is evidence that can’t be denied that I do play favorites to some degree. My admiration for the species is based on a variety of factors – their beauty, the stunning dimorphism of the sexes which is so unusual among raptors, the challenge of photographing such a wary subject, their incredible agility in flight (especially while hunting) and at the top of my list would be their admirable tenacity at survival in abysmal conditions which I’ve witnessed first hand. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I’m especially delighted when I can get close to the male (the elusive “gray ghost”) in flight with a wing position and background I like. Throw in eye contact (they always seem to be looking down) and no blown whites in the rump patch and I’ve had a good day. Ron

Western Grebes – Aggressive Speed Demons

I’ve spent a lot of time over the years watching and photographing the behaviors of Western Grebes and I’ve been impressed by both their aggressive tendencies toward other birds and by their incredible acceleration and speed in “running” across the water at those same birds. In my experience that aggression is most often directed toward other grebes in defense of mates, chicks or feeding areas but they are also aggressive toward a variety of other species and are suspected of stabbing them with their bill from under water. BNA reports Mallards and Red-necked Grebes found dead from stab wounds to the abdomen that were probably administered by Western Grebes. I’ve found photographing them as they dash across the water to be very challenging because of their speed and the unpredictable nature of the behavior – it usually comes with little or no warning and direction is difficult to anticipate. 1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4 Though these birds appear slim while sitting on the water, in reality they are fairly chunky and at the end of one of these “runs” their wide body throws up quite a wide wake as they begin to slow down and settle back into the water – much like a speedboat after the engine has been cut. 1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This grebe is early in the acceleration stage with its “bow” still raised high. 1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc And then another wake as it begins to settle into the water. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500,…

Category: Birds