great salt lake – Page 5 – Feathered Photography

Grebe Panic

These aren’t great images technically but I thought they documented a fascinating phenomenon well enough. Yesterday there were thousands of these grebes at the first bridge along the Antelope Island causeway. They were actively feeding at the current boundary where the water coming under the bridge met the still water in the north arm of the Great Salt Lake so they were bunched up in incredibly thick masses. Several species of gulls were also present. Each time a gull would pass over the grebes, those directly underneath the gulls would panic and dive into the very shallow water in front of the gull which would create quite the stir in the water. Those grebes just a few inches to either side didn’t react which created a dramatic visual phenomenon as the frothy splash moved in front of and directly beneath the gull. Those times the gulls flew along the length of the mass of grebes the “splash” would travel exactly the same speed as the gull for perhaps 75 yards. This was one of the few times when shooting birds that I wish I’d practiced more with the video capabilities of my Canon 7D. That would be a video that I’d like to see many times as it was quite the spectacle to watch. Ron

Sagebrush Perches

For me there’s just something wonderful about sagebrush. In fact, lots of things. When sagebrush is wet its smell is almost intoxicating (at least it is for me). When walking through it that scent comes wafting up and my mind can’t help but wander through old memories and cowboy songs. I love the silvery-gray-green color it lends to a hillside. The presence of sagebrush is essential for many species for nesting, habitat, protection or food. Sage Sparrows, Sage Thrashers and Loggerhead Shrikes nest within the plant and larks, Burrowing Owls and Long-billed Curlews nest on the ground in stands of sagebrush. Sagebrush dominates the diet of the Sage Grouse during late fall, winter and early spring. It also makes for an interesting perch for bird photography even though its growth patterns often put obstructions in front of the bird. Since sage is the dominant plant of the Great Basin in many areas I have regular opportunities to photograph birds perched on it. The various species (Big Sage and Black Sage for example) provide variety in color and leaf shape and sometimes you catch the bird on bare twigs or branches or layers of snow/ice on top of the plant. 1/1000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I photographed this Lark Sparrow on sage yesterday – as you can see, the leaf colors are a soft silvery green in early spring. 1/2000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc And this Loggerhead Shrike is from this morning, with the Great Salt Lake (not sky) in the background. I thought I’d…

Northern Harrier In Flight

Usually winter has been the best time for me to photograph Northern Harriers but my opportunities with them have been relatively sparse this year. So with the season rapidly coming to an end I was delighted to find this cooperative bird yesterday morning near the Great Salt Lake. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 The harrier allowed a close approach while hunting and this time the light was favorable too. Occasionally the bird would look up and provide good eye contact. 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 I found it difficult to get anything but sky in the background but for this image it dipped down low enough for me to get the lake as a backdrop. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 The sun was high enough that the far wing was usually shaded while in the down position but I think there’s still enough light and detail there to make this work. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 Here the bird was a little past me but the slight look back I got helped to compensate for that. It’s very possible that this was my last good harrier opportunity until next winter so I’m appreciative of yesterday’s serendipitous encounter. Ron

Birds, Spiders, Brine Flies and Mercury Contamination on Antelope Island

Last Sunday I found this Northern Shrike on Antelope Island enthusiastically singing away as if spring were already in full bloom. Their predatory habits and interesting behaviors make them a favorite species for me but when I got home that day I read an article in the Salt Lake Tribune that made me wonder just how healthy their populations near the Great Salt Lake really are. North end of Antelope Island, 2/5/12 The reason for my concern is a bit complex but I’ll summarize: For over 100 years smelting operations have been responsible for high levels of elemental mercury in the Great Salt Lake and its sediments. Microorganisms in the lake convert the mercury to methyl mercury which is the toxic form of the element that can be absorbed by tissues of living things. Brine fly larvae living in the lake then absorb the methyl mercury and when they hatch the adult flies are consumed by spiders living in the vegetation around the lake. Finally, those spiders are eaten by the many bird species living and nesting along the shoreline. But very little is known about the movement of mercury compounds through Great Salt Lake ecosystems, including the possible effects of toxic methyl mercury on birds so Westminster College’s Great Salt Lake Institute was recently awarded a $250,000 grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to study its possible effects. Antelope Island causeway, 8/29/11 The number and total biomass of brine flies in late summer around the lake literally boggles the mind but this shot should give you some idea. It was taken in late August of…

American Kestrels In Snow, Frost And Fog

Photographing American Kestrels near the Great Salt Lake during the coldest parts of winter is a two-edged sword. On the one hand the frigid temperatures in December and January make the kestrels “stickier” – much less likely to fly off before you can get close enough for quality photos. But there’s a down side too. Moisture from the lake often forms fog or at least makes the air so incredibly laden with moisture that good lighting often becomes an issue. I’ll still take the shot under some of those conditions though – a close-up with the bird large enough to very nearly fill the frame is still usually much more desirable than a well-lit bird so small in the frame that little detail can be seen. 2000, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc In this image the background is snow and there had been a blizzard the day before which had stacked snow up on one side of the perch. This was one of the first times I’d ever been close enough to a kestrel to get a frame-filling image and I well remember having a case of “buck fever” while photographing him at such close range. Also a bit unusual was the fact that I was actually looking slightly down at him – something that doesn’t happen often with kestrels. 1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This shot illustrates well what you get when the atmosphere is so laden with moisture when it’s very cold – fog, low but even light, some reduction in detail and sometimes…

Just A Shot That I Like… #14 – Prairie Falcon Warming In The Early Morning Sun

As I’ve mentioned previously in this blog Prairie Falcons have been one of my nemesis birds for a very long time. But recently I had several close up opportunities with the species. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This juvenile falcon had been hunting smaller duck species along the shore of the Great Salt Lake and would occasionally rest on some shoreline rocks. This time I caught it enjoying the warming rays of the sun just minutes after sunrise. Here the warm light has just reached the bird and perch but hadn’t yet hit much of the water in the background. I’ve posted several images of this species recently and perhaps I’ve overdone it but I guess my excitement over finally “conquering” a nemesis just got the best of me… Ron Addendum: A note to any bird photographers who may notice my camera settings for this image and wonder about them. I certainly didn’t need 1/3200 shutter speed for this static image but I had already taken multiple shots of this falcon with more appropriate settings for a perched bird so now that I had enough light I decided to increase my shutter speed in preparation for take-off. But of course the bird took off facing away from me so I deleted those images.

Just A Shot That I Like… #10 – Prairie Falcon In Flight, With Duck Kill

This morning was cold and very windy out on Antelope Island and most of the birds seemed to have taken refuge from the freezing gale so as we left the island I figured it would be one of those relatively rare days when I had been photographically “skunked”. But as is so often the case, the island had a pleasant last-minute surprise in store for me. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This Prairie Falcon had apparently killed a duck (which I believe to be a Northern Shoveler) and was trying to defend it from two marauding ravens so the falcon decided to haul the shoveler off to a more private and secluded dining area. That turned out to be an unfortunate decision as very soon after this photo was taken a Bald Eagle flew in and forced the falcon to drop the duck. The eagle flew down to the ice, retrieved the duck and nonchalantly flew off with it. The wing and back of the duck are covered with snow/ice crystals. The out of focus lighter “blobs” in the lower background are whitecaps on the Great Salt Lake. This falcon is the same bird I photographed a little over a month ago and posted here. I know that to be the case because the same wing covert is askew in both birds (though it can’t be seen in this image). I’ve now been able to photograph this falcon on four different occasions in the last few weeks. What a treat! Ron

Brine Fly Feeding Frenzy at the Great Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake in northern Utah is a vital resource for many of North America’s birds. The lake is 75 miles long, 30 miles wide and has 1680 square miles of surface area and 335 miles of shoreline. Surrounding the lake are 400,000 acres of wetlands. Roughly 5 million birds of 257 species rely on the lake and those wetlands for food, sanctuary, breeding and as a migratory stopover. And one of the primary reasons the lake is such an asset for them is the endemic brine fly, Ephydra hians. Brine flies can be intimidating because of their massive numbers but they are truly innocuous. They are found only within a few feet of the shore, they don’t bite and won’t even land on humans. And they’re a huge nutritional resource for birds. In the photo above, the blurry brown bits in the background are brine flies in flight that have been stirred up by the feeding California Gull. Different bird species have varying feeding methods with these flies – this species often stakes out a few feet of feeding territory on the shoreline and then rushes through the hordes of flies on the sand, stirring them up, and then snaps them out of the air in large numbers. This bird is looking down the shoreline and preparing for its next run on the flies. Most of the flies are resting on the sand until the bird makes its run. As the gull rushes along the shoreline the flies are disturbed into the air and the bird snaps…

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…

Chukars of Antelope Island

The Chukar, also known as the Chukar Partridge, is a species first introduced into North America from India in 1893. Since then they have flourished, particularly in the Great Basin of the American west where the largely feed on the seeds and leaves of cheat grass. Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake provides perfect habitat for them and they abound there. Chukar calling In the springtime there are times when the hillsides sound like the island has been overrun by domestic chickens from the calling of the Chukars. Preening on a rock perch Chukars are very prone to perch on rocks – especially in the spring. While there they call to other birds and preen. Sentinel birds of a flock also prefer elevated perches while on lookout, which of course is ideal for the bird photographer. Parent with chicks And here’s one of the reasons there’s so many Chukars on Antelope Island – the breed prodigiously. Clutch size can be up to 21 eggs! Chukar covey on boulder In late summer and fall Chukars often congregate in large groups. These coveys tend to consist of adults and their offspring but several family groups may mix together. Preparing to jump off the rock Like some other upland game birds, Chukars are often reluctant to fly. They will typically jump down from their perch and scurry through the vegetation to hide. They are very fast runners and easily outrun a human on foot. Rock hopping I’m often tempted to call these birds “rockhoppers” because of their tendency…

The Bald Eagle and the Fish Hook

Last week while looking for Golden Eagles to photograph in the Promontory area at the north end of the Great Salt Lake we came across a group of adult and juvenile Bald Eagles feeding on a sheep carcass. The light angle was bad for photography but we couldn’t resist taking a few shots anyway. Bald Eagle with fish hook in bill We were quite close to one adult and when it flew off I instinctively fired off a few shots, despite the poor light. When I got home and looked carefully at those images I could clearly see this gold fish hook embedded in the base of the eagle’s bill. This bird was apparently feeding normally and I suspect that the hook will not cause it significant problems while it’s in Utah for the winter feeding on carrion. However I am concerned that, because of the position of the hook in front of the eyes, the hook will interfere with effective forward vision for fishing after it heads north in March. I hope it falls out or rusts off before that although I’m not sure if “gold” fish hooks rust at all. An internet search shows that fish hooks are an ongoing problem for both Bald Eagles and Ospreys. Ron

Black-billed Magpie Nesting Behavior

This past spring and summer I had the opportunity to observe and photograph nesting behaviors of Black-billed Magpies on Antelope Island in northern Utah. Magpies are common in Utah and much of the western US but they’re typically difficult to approach (and very challenging to photograph well because of the contrast of their coal-black and almost pure white plumage) but this pair of birds was so intent on their nest-building activities that they virtually ignored my presence. Mated pair of Black-billed Magpies Magpies are monogamous and typically mate for life. This is a mated pair on top of their domed nest in a sagebrush. The male is on the left, the female on the right – males are about 20% larger than females so they are sexually dimorphic. As you can see from the muddy bill of the female they’ve been actively building the mud-bowl found inside the nest. Typically the male provides the heavier branches and sticks for the nest and the female delivers most of the mud for the mud bowl, which probably explains why the female’s bill is so muddy while the male’s is not. Obtaining mud for then nest The mud for the bowl of the nest was obtained wherever the birds could find it. When we’d had dry weather they would have to fly quite a distance to get any but after a recent rain they would often get it very close by. This bird has just scooped up a bill-full. When it’s available they’ll sometimes use fresh cattle or bison dung in place…

Barn Owls in Flight

Flight shots of Barn Owls are very difficult to get because these birds are almost strictly nocturnal and typically fly and hunt only at night. Photographing birds in flight in the dark or very low light is virtually impossible without using artificial lighting methods which I will not do for ethical reasons. Barn Owl in flight during in full daylight I had never even seen a Barn Owl in flight until the winter of 2007-08. That unusually frigid winter began early and brought more snow than usual to the valleys of Utah. Suddenly, during January and much of February, Barn Owls were hunting the marshes close to the Great Salt Lake during daytime – sometimes until 10 or 11 AM. Their usual strategy was to hunt for voles (very similar to mice) along the edges of Phragmites growth in the wetlands. Typically it was very cold on those mornings – often between 0 and +20 degrees Farenheit which made it very uncomfortable standing outside in front of a tripod mounted camera for hours on end! I very nearly lost some digits to frostbite many times but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Barn Owl hunting voles along frosty Phragmites edges I usually preferred to get Phragmites in the backgrounds of my flight shots if possible because they make such a nice backdrop. In the photo above, there had been heavy fog with sub freezing temperatures so literally everything was covered with a heavy coating of frost. A magical setting. Barn Owl skimming Phragmites in background Sometimes the…

Antelope Island

Of the eight major islands in the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island is the largest at 15 miles long and 4.5 miles wide. Frary Peak reaches an elevation of 6596 feet. The island has an intriguing history, interesting geology and free roaming herds of bison, bighorn sheep, mule deer and pronghorn, in addition to a variety of smaller mammal species and plentiful birds. It is one of my very favorite photography locations – especially for birds. In this blog post I will present an overview of the island and some of its wildlife. My next post will deal specifically with bird photography on the island. The north end of Antelope Island at sunrise as seen from the causeway access road There is a 7 mile long causeway road that provides the only access to the island, which is actually a peninsula when the Great Salt Lake water levels are low. It’s common to see a variety of wildlife along this causeway including coyotes sprinting at the first sight of an early morning vehicle, American Kestrels, Northern Harriers, Burrowing Owls, Common Ravens and a variety of waterfowl and shorebirds where the water comes closer to the causeway. Approaching the north end of Antelope Island As you get closer to the island the water comes right up to the causeway’s edge and typically there’s hordes of waterfowl and shorebirds very close to the road. In the photo above, several shoreline levels of ancient Lake Bonneville can be seen where wave action eroded “benches” in the sides of the…

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…

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