Tag: sage thrasher
The Balancing Act of Shutter Speed, ISO and Wing Motion-blur
Once again, a little photo-geekiness from me this morning. I know that some regular readers of Feathered Photography (especially those who are photographers themselves) sometimes wonder why I tend to use such fast shutter speeds so I thought I’d attempt an explanation.
Sage Thrasher Bilateral Wing Display
Male Sage Thrashers perform what is called the “Bilateral Wing Display” during courtship and territory establishment. Yesterday morning I was able to photograph the behavior on Antelope Island and though I wish I’d been a little closer I had decent light, a pretty good view of the bird and he performed for me for several minutes so I shouldn’t complain.
Iridescent Magpie In Flight (and an “early bird” of another species)
Before we get to the main event of this post I must report that a pleasant surprise awaited me on Antelope Island yesterday morning.
Yearning For Sage Thrashers
One of the species whose return I most anticipate in the springtime is the Sage Thrasher.
Sage Thrasher Posing For Me
This past spring was a pretty good one around here for Sage Thrashers. There were more of them and they seemed more cooperative than usual.
Birds, Bugs And Frustrations On Antelope Island
Antelope Island is crawling (and flying) with “bugs” right now. Mosquitoes are common, flying midges are thick as are the dreaded biting gnats (I call this the “itching and bitching” season).
A Sage Thrasher, A Buffalo Chip And A Little Family History
Most of my photos of Sage Thrashers show them on elevated perches so I appreciate the variety when I can catch one on the ground in a flowery setting.
My “First Of Year” Sage Thrasher
Some Recent Shots To Break A Bird Photographer’s Heart
Occasionally I just have to vent about some of my photography frustrations.
Every nature photographer has them. Landscape photogs spend countless hours waiting for just the right light and dramatic clouds which often never materialize, those specializing in wildlife (especially mammals) often cannot even find their subjects, macro nature photographers have to deal with slight breezes that can ruin their shots and those who focus on flowers have a limited season.
But bird photographers may have the most challenging subjects of all (perhaps my bias is creeping in here, but I doubt it).
A Sage Thrasher Kinda Morning
On average I probably only have good opportunities with the elusive Sage Thrasher two or three times per year. This year the last day of June was one of them..
Sage Thrasher Attitude Adjustment
Three days ago I had some more fun with Sage Thrashers on Antelope Island. I don’t know why little things like this interest and amuse me. But they do.
The Sage Thrasher And The Wasp
The best fun of the morning was provided by this wasp as it unexpectedly intruded on the personal space of the thrasher. The gaze of the bird locked on to the wasp like radar.
Sage Thrasher On Rabbitbrush
Though there’s a fair number of Sage Thrashers on Antelope Island they’ve been a difficult quarry for me. Originally called the Mountain Mockingbird, this smallest of the thrasher species is known to be particularly elusive, frequently running on the ground rather than taking flight and their wandering habits during migration have caused them to be poorly studied.
Bill Deformities
I’m seeing more bill deformities “out there” than I used to and that disturbs me. The latest example was a Sage Thrasher we found on Antelope Island four days ago. This is what a normal bill on a Sage Thrasher looks like. Notice that the upper mandible is slightly longer than the lower one with a curved tip at the terminus and that both mandibles fit together tightly showing no evidence of a gap between them. But in this thrasher the upper mandible is significantly shorter than the lower and the curve of the two mandibles doesn’t match so they don’t fit together well, leaving a gap. This is definitely not a temporary, voluntary position of the bill as I have about a dozen shots of the bird over a period of about a minute that show the same thing. The two mandibles never fit together cleanly and the upper one is definitely shorter. With this head turn you can see the other side. I can only imagine how this would interfere with normal preening as the bird attempts to draw the individual feathers through the bill to lock the barbs together. An extreme crop of the previous image. Notice how the back of the mandibles touch each other and prevent the rest of the bill from coming together because their curves don’t match along the entire length of the bill. At first I thought that the end of the lower mandible looked damaged or eroded but perhaps there’s just something on the bill that…
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The Balancing Act of Shutter Speed, ISO and Wing Motion-blur
Once again, a little photo-geekiness from me this morning. I know that some regular readers of Feathered Photography (especially those who are photographers themselves) sometimes wonder why I tend to use such fast shutter speeds so I thought I’d attempt an explanation.
Sage Thrasher Bilateral Wing Display
Male Sage Thrashers perform what is called the “Bilateral Wing Display” during courtship and territory establishment. Yesterday morning I was able to photograph the behavior on Antelope Island and though I wish I’d been a little closer I had decent light, a pretty good view of the bird and he performed for me for several minutes so I shouldn’t complain.
Iridescent Magpie In Flight (and an “early bird” of another species)
Before we get to the main event of this post I must report that a pleasant surprise awaited me on Antelope Island yesterday morning.
Yearning For Sage Thrashers
One of the species whose return I most anticipate in the springtime is the Sage Thrasher.
Sage Thrasher Posing For Me
This past spring was a pretty good one around here for Sage Thrashers. There were more of them and they seemed more cooperative than usual.
Birds, Bugs And Frustrations On Antelope Island
Antelope Island is crawling (and flying) with “bugs” right now. Mosquitoes are common, flying midges are thick as are the dreaded biting gnats (I call this the “itching and bitching” season).
A Sage Thrasher, A Buffalo Chip And A Little Family History
Most of my photos of Sage Thrashers show them on elevated perches so I appreciate the variety when I can catch one on the ground in a flowery setting.
My “First Of Year” Sage Thrasher
Some Recent Shots To Break A Bird Photographer’s Heart
Occasionally I just have to vent about some of my photography frustrations.
Every nature photographer has them. Landscape photogs spend countless hours waiting for just the right light and dramatic clouds which often never materialize, those specializing in wildlife (especially mammals) often cannot even find their subjects, macro nature photographers have to deal with slight breezes that can ruin their shots and those who focus on flowers have a limited season.
But bird photographers may have the most challenging subjects of all (perhaps my bias is creeping in here, but I doubt it).
A Sage Thrasher Kinda Morning
On average I probably only have good opportunities with the elusive Sage Thrasher two or three times per year. This year the last day of June was one of them..
Sage Thrasher Attitude Adjustment
Three days ago I had some more fun with Sage Thrashers on Antelope Island. I don’t know why little things like this interest and amuse me. But they do.
The Sage Thrasher And The Wasp
The best fun of the morning was provided by this wasp as it unexpectedly intruded on the personal space of the thrasher. The gaze of the bird locked on to the wasp like radar.
Sage Thrasher On Rabbitbrush
Though there’s a fair number of Sage Thrashers on Antelope Island they’ve been a difficult quarry for me. Originally called the Mountain Mockingbird, this smallest of the thrasher species is known to be particularly elusive, frequently running on the ground rather than taking flight and their wandering habits during migration have caused them to be poorly studied.
Bill Deformities
I’m seeing more bill deformities “out there” than I used to and that disturbs me. The latest example was a Sage Thrasher we found on Antelope Island four days ago. This is what a normal bill on a Sage Thrasher looks like. Notice that the upper mandible is slightly longer than the lower one with a curved tip at the terminus and that both mandibles fit together tightly showing no evidence of a gap between them. But in this thrasher the upper mandible is significantly shorter than the lower and the curve of the two mandibles doesn’t match so they don’t fit together well, leaving a gap. This is definitely not a temporary, voluntary position of the bill as I have about a dozen shots of the bird over a period of about a minute that show the same thing. The two mandibles never fit together cleanly and the upper one is definitely shorter. With this head turn you can see the other side. I can only imagine how this would interfere with normal preening as the bird attempts to draw the individual feathers through the bill to lock the barbs together. An extreme crop of the previous image. Notice how the back of the mandibles touch each other and prevent the rest of the bill from coming together because their curves don’t match along the entire length of the bill. At first I thought that the end of the lower mandible looked damaged or eroded but perhaps there’s just something on the bill that…