Some Scrub Jays readily come to feeders but I have very few images of them because I prefer to photograph birds in a natural setting. There are several subspecies and the “interior” race found around here is shy and furtive which only adds to my woes when I attempt to photograph them.
A recent trip to northern Box Elder County produced some interesting raptors and uniquely challenging shooting conditions.
I’ve never before been able to get this many sharp images of a bird in flight in a single pass.
When I bought my 500mm lens I never imagined that one day I’d be using that monster to photograph insects in flight.
When temperatures get this cold and nearly all fresh water freezes up some bird species are at a distinct disadvantage. Pied-billed Grebes are among them.
When it’s this cold and snowy Barn Owls are flying during daytime over much of northern Utah. They’re often not easy to find but when you do locate one they can be fairly cooperative.
As a Montana farm boy I have a special affinity for meadowlarks in the snow – not because we had them there during winter but because we didn’t.
I think this owl might have been trying to intimidate me or maybe he was just curious about my pickup. Either way he sure did come in close.
“High-key” images have a predominance of light or bright tones which in this case were provided by an ice and snow covered pond in the background.
Don’t worry, there’s nothing gory in this short “before and after the meal” series. And I’ve also included a bit of a raptor biology lesson.
Two subspecies of Wild Turkey are found in Utah, Merriam’s Turkey and the Rio Grande Turkey. They’re very similar in appearance and are best distinguished by their distinctive habitat requirements.
