The Shot That Broke My Heart

There was a range fire on the north end of Antelope Island yesterday that forced managers to clear out all campers from the campgrounds.  So when we arrived early this morning the campgrounds were empty and this young coyote was hunting on the edge of Bridger Bay Campground. 

 

Canon 7D, 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, EV +0.33

Normally the coyotes on the island are elusive and difficult to approach but I believe this to be a young one so it didn’t seem overly concerned about us.  Besides, he/she obviously already had a quarry in sight deep in the grass and wasn’t about to let us interfere with the hunt.  In this image the coyote has just spotted something of interest in the grass some distance in front of “him”.

 

 

Canon 7D, 1/1600, f/8, ISO 500, EV +0.33

Here the coyote begins to make his stalk.  At first he didn’t crouch down so that he could see what ever it was he was after through the grass.

 

 

 Canon 7D, 1/1250, f/8, ISO 500, EV +0.33

But as he got closer (both to the potential prey and to me) he began to crouch down, almost in a cat-like manner. 

At this point I suspected that something dramatic might happen and tried to prepare myself for “the shot”.    The most common prey of coyotes on the island is voles but I was pretty sure it wasn’t a vole because the coyote was too far away from his point of interest when he first spotted it to have seen it or heard it from that distance.  I thought it was going to be a rabbit – both jackrabbits and cottontails are very common around that campground.  Vole or rabbit, I knew I wouldn’t get a good shot of the moment of capture (if it happened) because the grass was just too tall at ground level.  I was hoping to get a shot or two with the prey in the mouth when the coyote raised his head with its prize in his jaws.

I could kick myself for not thinking of the possibility that the prey was a bird that would flush up in front of the coyote! 

 

 

 Canon 7D, 1/1600, f/8, ISO 500, EV +0.33

This is the shot that broke my heart.  If I had anticipated that the prey might be a bird that would flush I’d have allowed for more room above the coyote.  I didn’t have a lot of wiggle room (this image is a small crop and is 85% of the entire image) but I didn’t need much to keep from cutting off the bird (a juvenile Chukar).  I’d rather have cut off the coyotes legs (that we can’t see anyway) than to have done this to the Chukar. 

So many things went right for me here.  I had enough shutter speed to pretty much freeze the action, the angle of light was good on both subjects and they’re both acceptably sharp for this kind of action shot,  the point of contact was above the grasses and visible, the coyote got close to me in the first place and, most of all, it flushed a bird right in front of me and I had my camera ready.   And what do I do?  I screwed up what was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.  I should have anticipated that the prey was a Chukar because we had seen a covey of these young birds disappear into the grasses in that same vicinity just a few minutes before.  I’m familiar enough with the behavior of Chukars to know that they’re reluctant to fly and will often flush at the last second in front of a threat.   There’s so many things for a wildlife photographer out in the field to think of, anticipate and plan for.  This is one I missed.  Hopefully I’ve learned a lesson, painful though it was.  If you’re a nature photographer I expect you understand my frustration. 

Oh, and by the way – the coyote had the same luck as I did.  The Chukar escaped the jaws of death with only the loss of one small contour feather that I could see in the next frame as it floated to the ground.  Bad day for both of us I guess.   I keep reminding myself that at least I saw something that most folks never experience.  And for now that will have to suffice…

Ron