Chukar Calling On One Foot

Chukars continue to be one of my preferred subjects during the winter and spring due to their distinctive and colorful plumage and their often comical behavior. They are abundant on Antelope Island and even somewhat approachable there – at least in comparison to their skittish and wily ways elsewhere (hunters consider them to be among the most challenging of upland game species).

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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.

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Chukar Contrasts

Early last Sunday morning was a good time for Chukars on Antelope Island. It was too early for the weekend crowds who were mostly still home snoozing away, the light was great and the Chukars cooperative.

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A Chukar Sentry Abandons Its Post

I’ve never been able to get a Chukar in flight or taking off, largely because they’re so hesitant to fly.  Even when they’re perched on an elevated rock they usually just hop to the ground when they’re ready to leave.  And when they do fly, typical of most upland game birds, they fly very fast, low to the ground and away from you which makes for an almost impossible target. But I got one yesterday morning, taking off.    1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 500, 100-400 @260mm, natural light This bird was acting as a sentry (also called a sentinel) for a small group of other Chukars nearby.  It’s observation perch of choice was a sign post that was high enough that it had to actually fly when it decided to leave.  I was too close to this bird for my 500mm lens so I quickly grabbed my 100-400 zoom lens and when it looked like it might be thinking of taking off I zoomed back far enough to give the Chukar enough room to fly into. I had plenty of light for a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the wings of even this buzz-saw flier (those relatively short wings on such a chunky bird really have to churn to get it airborne) and was lucky enough to catch the wings in a position I like.  A more appealing perch would have been nice but I’m pleased with the way most everything else turned out. Ron

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Chukar On A Snow-covered Rock Ledge

Sometimes a change of position of just a few inches can have a fairly dramatic affect on the overall “feel” of an image.  That was the case with this Antelope Island Chukar.    1600, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light  I found the bird on a rock ledge and slightly above me which gave an almost eye-level perspective that I like.  Occasionally it would call, as they’re very prone to do.       1600, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light  But then it began to walk a short distance to my right (I’m always surprised that the bottoms of their feet are yellow)…       1600, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light  which brought the snow-covered hillside in the background into play.  At first there was a mix of snow and blue sky back there…       2000, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light but then I deliberately raised my window a couple of inches (as usual I was shooting from my pickup) to take the blue sky out of the picture.  And the bird obliged me by calling once again. Most of the snow is finally gone from the island now.  Even the roads to the Frary Peak trailhead and White Rock Bay are open – they’ve been closed for months due to snow.  Hopefully that’s a sign that the curlews and Willets (and other spring birds) won’t be far behind.  Hope so – it’s been a long dry spell on the island. Ron

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Some Random Recent Images

I have an appointment early this morning so I don’t have time for a detailed, organized post so I thought I’d present a little potpourri from the last few weeks.  Though none of these images are spectacular, there’s something about each one of them that appealed to me in some way.   Common Ravens are a hugely challenging subject for me because of their uncooperative behavior and the difficulty of getting detail in the blacks.   For some reason, these birds really seem to eat a lot of snow, which this one had been doing just before take-off.  I do wish the head were slightly sharper but I like the remnants of the snow-eating behavior and how cleanly the bird is presented against the background which is the Great Salt Lake with the snow-covered shoreline at bottom right.     Finding water that isn’t ice-covered around here isn’t easy, for me or for the critters, but I think that’s the only reason this Muskrat came as close to me as it did.  I found this one at a pond close to my home.     Ok, not a classic wing position for sure but the aerodynamic profile of this fast flying Prairie Falcon still appealed to me.  I also like the eye contact and crisp detail in flight.     Life is tough for Coyotes right now as they live in a stark white world of deep snow which makes survival difficult.  Many of them wear an almost perpetual snow mask from pushing their faces through the snow as they try to follow…

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Snow-hoppin’ Chukar

Chukars typically forage in small flocks and when they do one of them often sits on an elevated perch and serves as a sentry while the others are looking for food.    1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light  This bird chose a pile of snow that had been pushed up high by a snow plow along the edge of a road.      1/3200, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light When the rest of the flock wandered off it decided it was time to look for a safe way down from its lofty perch.    1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light  When they do so they’re very deliberate about it.  This bird investigated several pathways down before settling on this direction.  It’s quite a ways down so “he” was pretty careful about it.      1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light Most birds would at least open their wings to soften the landing.  Not Chukars.  I’ve often been impressed by how far they’re willing to free-fall without using their wings.  I sometimes refer to Chukars as “rock-hoppers” – guess I’ll have to add “snow-hoppers” to the list. Since I was using my 100-400mm zoom lens for this sequence I wish I’d had time to back off a bit on the focal length for the jump, but I didn’t.  Consequently I had to add some canvas for composition.  It’s harder to get them in mid-air, sharp and composed well than it looks. Ron

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Chukars Falling Through The Snow

Two days ago we had great fun with Chukars on Antelope Island.  The afternoon before had been relatively warm, melting the top layer of snow which then froze into a thin crust on top of the snow during the night.  Our timing was perfect as we found a large covey of Chukars flitting between sagebrush and rabbitbrush for cover just as the morning sun was beginning to soften the hard crust. As you view these photos, keep in mind that most of the sequences were shot in bursts of 8 frames per second.  The action was pretty fast.   When these birds were walking, the crust would support their weight but they just couldn’t resist the impulse to run.  And when they did…     the crust, which had only become soft in the last few minutes, would usually give way…     leaving a very surprised bird stuck in the snow.     The bird would then pull out of the snow.  This one almost looks like it’s looking around to see if any of its buddies saw its silly maneuver. Usually they seemed to know that they needed to walk instead of run, which they did for a few steps but then they nearly always tried to run again. It was hilarious to watch and it happened repeatedly.  This was one of those few times that I wish I’d been prepared to shoot video but I think the still shots still give a pretty good sense of what was happening.     Another…

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Lickety-split Chukar

We haven’t seen many Chukars recently but yesterday we found a small covey feeding at the base of several rabbitbrush on the north end of Antelope Island.   1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light Most of them were pretty skittish but the sentry bird was standing watch on top of a snow-covered boulder as the rest of the birds slowly wandered away.  The sentry posed for us for several minutes.      1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light  It called out to the rest of the flock twice.      1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light  Chukars are often reluctant to fly and prefer to scurry on the ground to safety.   In an instant the bird accelerated up the rock…         1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light  and down the other side.  It was really moving.       1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light In this last decent shot I got in the series, the bird appears to be sledding on top of the snow as much as it is running through it. I really enjoy photographing Chukars in the snow this time of year.  For much of the fall and early winter these birds are pretty scruffy looking but now their plumage appears bright and fresh again. Ron

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