Category: Ethics

Tree of Death (warning – graphic!)

 In late January my friend Mia and I made the drive to the Promontory area north of the Great Salt Lake in a quest for Golden Eagle photos.  We did find some eagles but were definitely unprepared for what else we stumbled upon.   Second warning – most of these photos are graphic and may be profoundly disturbing to some.  If you proceed further in this post, please – no complaints about what you’ve seen.  You have been twice forewarned.       A misleadingly idyllic scene What we found was the kind of country that I love – wide open spaces, big skies, blissful silence and isolation.  The setting reminded me of the area around Cut Bank, Montana where I grew up.      Tree of death So what a shock it was to come around a bend in the dirt road by this little reservoir and find such a horrific scene!  Someone had apparently shot two Red Foxes, a domestic cat and a Common Raven and deliberately hung them in this tree right next to the road as some sort of a sick trophy display.     First Red Fox in tree This Red Fox had been hung by its neck in a fork of branches.     Second Red Fox in tree This one was simply draped over a stronger branch, very close to the road and with no obstructing branches between the fox and everyone who was forced to look at it as they came around the curve in the road.     Cat impaled on fence post…

Continue reading

The Northern Shrike and the Good Samaritan

This blog post will be more about the experience I describe than about the shrike images. The Northern Shrike has been a nemesis bird for me for a long time.  I have many good images of its southern cousin the Loggerhead Shrike but the northern is an uncommon winter visitor to the northern US  and I’ve seldom seen one and never been close enough to the species for good, detailed images – until this week.  And I very nearly didn’t get the shots.     Northern Shrike This winter there has been a single (as far as I can tell) Northern Shrike wintering at the Great Salt Lake wetlands where I often shoot but I’ve never been able to get close enough to it for a quality shot.   Two days ago I was finally able to approach the bird but it wouldn’t have happened without the kind actions of a good Samaritan. As I was driving down the dirt road I could see the shrike flitting from perch to perch in front of me.  Several times I almost got close enough but then it would spook again.  Finally, just as I got close and trained my big lens on the shrike, wouldn’t you know it – a car came up behind me on the narrow road.  If it had passed it surely would have spooked the bird.  But it didn’t.  The driver could see my lens pointed out the window at the bird and simply stopped on the road, turned his engine off and waited respectfully for over 5 minutes as I photographed the shrike before it…

Continue reading

American Kestrel – The Killing Bite

I have watched American Kestrels consume their prey up close many times.  Usually that prey has been a vole but occasionally it’s been a small bird or mouse.  But until this day the prey had always been already dead when I arrived on the scene.  It was cold and snowy when I spotted this male kestrel with a mouse (I was surprised it wasn’t a vole) that was still very much alive.   As a side note I want to add here that this kestrel was not baited.  Many photographs are taken of raptors when they’ve been baited by mice (they can be bought at pet stores) that have been provided as an enticement by the photographer.  That was not the case here – I do not bait.       Male kestrel with live mouse It was obvious that the mouse was alive because it was struggling slightly, its tail was twitching and its eyes were open.  In my experience these birds often prefer a more stable perch than this while they eat their meal – something like a fencepost or pole that provides some kind of platform from which to eat.  So I didn’t think he would eat the mouse here and I was right.  He gave me time for a few quick shots and then flew off to another perch.     Kestrel on second perch He didn’t go far however and I was able to approach him again.  This next perch was also precarious to eat from because the wind was blowing and both perch and bird were swaying in the breeze. …

Continue reading

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…

Continue reading