During winter, photography in the valley of the Great Salt Lake can be difficult at best due to frequent inversions that trap fog and smog in the low-lying areas and that especially includes the marshes near the lake. These inversions often last for days or even weeks and the fog and smog get progressively worse each day. But the fortunate result for photographers is the thick hoarfrost that blankets everything in the vicinity of the lake if and when the fog burns off during the day.
Yesterday was one of those magical frost-covered mornings at Farmington. This tree on the side of a hill (and all of the rest of the vegetation on the refuge) was covered with a thick layer of hoarfrost that sparkled in the bright sun. The freezing fog had lifted within a few minutes of our arrival so the timing couldn’t have been better.
But vegetation isn’t the only thing covered by frost – so are the birds.
1/1000, f/8, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
As the sun rose over the mountains to the east we found this Rough-legged Hawk perched in a tree at the top of the same hill as the tree in the first image. The hawk moved very little and at first it looked like it was frozen in place (it had been -2 degrees F a few minutes earlier and was +5 when this photo was taken). The bird is fluffed in an attempt to keep warm but I suspect that its frozen and distorted breast feathers didn’t do the best job of insulating.
It was bitterly and uncomfortably cold inside my pickup (windows down, engine and heater off, of course) and I kept thinking what it must have been like for this hawk to spend the entire night out in the elements. Though the species breeds in the high arctic and sub-arctic, that’s during summer when the sun seldom sets. I can’t help but think that the time they spend on their wintering grounds might be a bigger overall survival challenge than when they’re in the arctic.
This tree at the top of a hill is the highest perch on the refuge and the hawk was at the very top of it so the warming sun reaches this spot first. Makes me wonder if the perch was a deliberate choice for that reason.
As I peered out into the darkness a few minutes ago (4:45 AM) I see that the fog/smog has settled in once again so I might not be going out shooting this morning. But if it clears I may get lucky with the frost once again.
Ron
It’s amazing how deplorable conditions can be turned into art by a true artist! I didn’t even notice it was cold I was so intent on enjoying the images!
Ron, and yes, the property owners by Farmington Bay would be good candidates — ideally far from busy roads.
ED: Somehow I have missed the link to the PDF of the Barn Owl Boxes and its information. I’m sure Ron wouldn’t mind if you posted it here for all of us. Thanks in advance.
Bill
Hi Ron and Bill, here is the link to the instructions on building a Barn Owl box.
http://www.scvas.org/pdf/cbrp/BuildingBarnOwlBoxes.pdf
Enjoy
Ed
Ed: Thanks but that link is not working for me??
Bill
It’s not working for me, either. “Error 404 – page not found”.
Somehow when I paste the URL to the online PDF file some characters are being added to it. If you cut and paste, or retype this URL into the web browser address bar it works (at least on this end).
http://www.scvas.org/pdf/cbrp/BuildingBarnOwlBoxes.pdf
Please make sure then when you copy and paste this above URL that you remove any extra characters added after the .pdf ending of the URL.
If that does not work, then please try and do an Internet search on “Steve Simmons Barn Owl Box” and you should see it.
Let me know if that does not work. Thanks.
Great photo Ron. With all the winter photography you have done I am curious if you ever see birds that have died from the cold? I remember last year seeing some dead Black Crowned Night Herons at Farmington Bay (presumably from the cold), however I wonder about the raptors? Thanks
Ed, I saw those same BCN Herons. I’ve seen very few dead raptors that looked like they might have died from the cold. I think those that die do so from a combination of not enough food and the extreme cold. Last year there was one Barn Owl that was rescued (couldn’t fly). It was taken to rehab for treatment of a frostbitten face and then was released. I suspect that most raptors that die in those conditions do so in isolation and they’re seldom seen after their demise.
Thanks Ron, that makes sense, the challenge of finding enough food in the extreme cold. It is interesting how some of these northern based raptors and other birds migrate south to “warmer” places that are actually still very cold and challenging.
I have very mixed feelings on photographing the Barn Owls in the extreme cold, great to see them hunting in daylight from my photographer (selfish) perspective, and yet very sobering to see them barely surviving the cold. Sometimes I see a few vehicles parked right next to a owl resting / sleeping on the ground. I wonder if that disturbs the resting owl? It seems like it would have more impact than photographing them from a distance or when they are in flight. I know, and respect, your high integrity for not disturbing the wildlife you photograph and I wonder if there were signs put up at the refuge that said something like “please give resting wildlife a 100 foot distance…”, whether that would help? (sometimes having the rules in view of all, allow peer pressure to enforce better behavior).
I have those same mixed feelings, Ed. Those owls are stressed when they’re hunting during daylight in that cold and they get a lot of pressure from photographers and bird lovers in general. At least there’s lots of places they can go, and still hunt, to get away from those pressures. The signs you mention might be a good reminder for folks to do the right thing but I suspect there would be lots of politics involved to get such a thing done. Things like that can be complicated out there…
Yes, luckily the owls can fly along the levee roads that are blocked off to traffic. I really noticed at Bear River how the owls follow the levee roads since that is where the dirt / ground is, where the voles live, in contrast to the large expanses of frozen water without voles. So, that makes be feel better for the owls, they can get away from the people if needed.
I just visited your site and saw that you make a 20% donation to the Barn Owl Trust for all Barn Owl photo purchases. I like that. A lot.
http://www.mackerrowphoto.com/
Thanks Ron, now I just have to sell some photos :-).
I wish that we had more active Barn Owl groups in the US. California has huge numbers of Barn Owl boxes up to control rodents. For those in Utah interested in putting up boxes, Google “Build a Barn Owl Box” AND “Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society”. Feel free to e-mail me if you need help in erecting one. Pretty easy to do, you can make two boxes per one sheet of 3/4 inch plywood. If you are farmer and have gophers, Barn Owls are amazing.
That’s a great idea, Ed. I encourage it! Over the years I’ve seen so many old barns and granaries torn down that had Barn Owls in them, so they need some help. One barn, at the entrance to the causeway to Antelope Island, was just taken down fairly recently.
Sad to see the old barns and buildings being torn down. Research shows the Barn Owls do not like living in metal buildings and barns — which is the norm these days for newer buildings. Last year when I visited Utah to photograph the daytime flying Barn Owls I was amazed at how many I saw. So there is a pretty good population out there. Putting up some Barn Owl boxes would really help stabilize the population. What seems to work well is to have a Barn Owl box building day, perhaps involve some schools or the Boy/Girl scouts, etc. We cut out all the pieces per the PDF instructions on my earlier post and then have an assembly party. Ideally use a 2″ diameter 10 foot long piece of heavy rigid conduit, or drill pipe, as the post — use metal to help reduce nest raids by mammals. I would be happy to come out and participate if enough people are interested in putting them up — very easy to do and worth it (10 gophers per night on average per box!)
Correct me if I’m wrong, Ed but it seems to me that the best way for this to be done would be for private landowners, in suitable habitat (like the Farmington area), to put up nest boxes on their own properties. I know that organizations like Hawkwatch have to go through a maze of red tape and up to a year or more of time before they can get permission from municipalities and other public land managers to get permission to put up their kestrel boxes (if permission is granted at all).
I just hope that some folks in suitable areas will put them up on their properties, where appropriate. I would, if I didn’t live in the city…
Yes, for sure Ron, the less red-tape the better. Easiest is to find some local resident landowners who are having gopher issues and send them the PDF for the instructions. If you find anyone that needs help or questions, feel free to e-mail me, I am happy to help them (for free). They are not that hard to build, but there are some nuances w.r.t. locating them, etc. The homes located on the road into Bear River NWR would perfect, especially they are put up far from busy roads. The more I think about it, this would be much better done by individuals who are motivated to help the owls and help their crops. We used to spend a lot of time and money going after gophers with poisons, explosives, traps, etc. Caddy Shack at its best. Now, the owls take of the gophers and we get to enjoy the presence of the Barn Owls. So, …, if you want to spread the word to those interested, they can easily put up the boxes. I do know the USFS was supportive of the boxes out here in New Mexico, so I a *guessing* you might also get some interest from the refuges themselves.
Ed and Ron: I would think the farmers have some form of an association that have meetings that often host presenters on issues pertinent to their farming practices. Getting permission to make a presentation at such a meeting might be very possible. Such a presentation could include an example nest box, handout plans for such a box, and either a slide show of the birds in action and using a box. It might be possible to actually coordinate some young builders making the boxes for distribution to the farmers or in conjunction with the farmers. Here in B.C. we have young naturalists clubs and 4-H groups as well as the guiding and scouting organizations. I also co-ordinated a Ducks Unlimited (what are called “Green Wings” youth group to do a nest box program. All may be interested in such a “program”. With regard to the more modern and less Barn Owl friendly steel barns that often are less penetrable for the owls boxes can be placed on outside walls and will attract the owls. I also second the thought on placing boxes on private land. There is far less red tape.
Just some thoughts from my experiences of doing nest box programs for various owl species and Kestrels.
Bill
Bill I agree with your suggestions. In central California the high school wood shop classes would make the boxes and sell them to the land owners. The champion of this effort is Steve Simmons, who was a high school wood shop teacher. Here is an excerpt from the PDF instructions I referenced above:
” As a shop teacher, he [Steve Simmons] organized the student production of over 10,000 Barn
Owl boxes which were sold to local ranchers for pest control. The sales from
the boxes provided over $168,000 in scholarship money for his students
over a 9 year period. The farmers were grateful for the owl boxes because,
in the few months between egg hatching and fledging, a clutch of six owlets
consumes on average nearly 70 pounds of rodents.”
That second one really shows the cold.Br-rr-r.
They are beautiful. You just wonder how the birds and animals do survive such cold, and how many succumb when the cold goes on for several days or weeks. We had bird deaths, especially with young birds, about 3 years ago when we had extreme heat for days.
Stunningly beautiful and unique!!!
Thank you very much, Melissa.
Poor bird, hope they can survive through the harsh winter.
Gorgeous gorgeous shot, Ron. Love the setting, and the frost on the chest feathers and the catchlight made this so special and beautiful.
Hi Tin, So glad you liked the shot. Thank you.
Ooh and aah. How incredibly beautiful. I am filled with envy this morning.
Envy works both ways, Elephant’s Child. I’d loved to have had some of your Australian heat while I was freezing my butt off taking these photos…
OOOOhhh! I’ve never seen frost on a bird before…he looks soooo cold! I hope the sun came up soon and warmed things up. You have to be one tough turkey yourself to be out that early, windows down, heater off…The tree looks like it,s made of wood and Swarovski crystal. Both bird and cat skins look dejected and resigned.
Patty, I see frost and even ice on raptors fairly often during winter. Not so much on the songbirds because they’re always flitting around, which dislodges the frost. Now that you mention it, I’d love to photograph frost on a passerine one day.
I am in awe of all your beautiful photos…this one is no exception!
Thanks very much, Pamela.
Great blog. Like everyone else I get a ton of e-mails every day, most of which I just delete. I always look forward to this one. I am a little lazier and less skilled than you so I don’t get to see all the things you share. So thanks.
I delete most of mine too, Ed. I’m glad you look forward to this one.
The photo of the frost-covered vegetation is gorgeous. When I was living in the east my favorite thing to see was the trees covered with ice in the morning, so they sparkled with the sunlight. I’ve seen a lot of different places and climates, and that remains one of my favorite sights. I feel very sorry for the hawk with the frozen feathers. It also impresses me because it is clearly a smart survivor.
I’ve heard about those ice storms back east, Susan. They don’t sound like much fun but at least some of the effects of the ice must be beautiful.
VERY beautiful!!!
Thank you, Lois.
Spectacular photo, Ron! And I’m hoping the rough-legged hawk finds some warm food very soon…
I hope it did too, Alison.
Raptors generally have 3 “metabolisms” by which they use energy. Their existence metabolism is the one that allows them to deal with the physiological effects of temperature change, wind, rain, etc. Certain species have greater abilities to deal with harsh climates than others. Food/calories, of course are some of the answer to the solutions by providing extra weight/energy normally in the form of extra muscle (found in the “keel” area). The real danger comes with sudden changes to very poor weather. Gradual changes allow the birds to make adjustments to compensate.
I don’t know much about the vegetation in the photo area, specifically but generally the raptors will seek perches/roosts that have elevation from the normally damper and frosty ground and shelter from the wind. I suspect this hawk may have moved from a lower roost to the chosen one in the photo around or slightly before day break. (Diurnal raptors often move around in the dark, by our standards, before the sun is up.) Having roosted in that location overnight would have left the bird vulnerable to the wind, if any.
Bill
Thanks for all the great info, Bill. I too wondered if this bird might have moved to the perch just before I arrived. It looks like its right wing, on landing, might have knocked most of the frost off of the highest branch.
Beautiful, beautiful shots. I can feel the cold!! I always wonder how the birds can survive sub freezing temps. It’s very cold here in PA too with more snow on the way. I have so many birds sin my yard. They are so hungry. I have my feeders everywhere and two heated birdbaths. Evenwith all their feathers they could use a little help. YOur pictures constantly amaze. Thanks for freezing yourslef to ge tthese shots.
Sounds like you’re taking care of a lot of birds, Ellen. And yes, the cold was palpable.
Just beautiful!
Looks like he’s trying to retain some heat by tucking one of his legs up under his feathers.
Probably so, Nancy.
Great shots!! Tough life out there, eh?
One can just imagine what the Indians went through.
Thanks, Dick. All I know is that when it comes to cold the birds and the Native Americans were a whole lot tougher than I am, or ever was. And I grew up in northern Montana!