In fact one of them is new to my blog.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Last week I photographed three Cedar Waxwings in Utah’s Little Emigration Canyon but only this one was in good light and not at a steep angle. Because of their dependence on sugary fruits in their diet these birds are nomadic and often difficult to locate so it was a real treat to find three of them, especially this time of year. In this shot I like the downward-looking pose, the good look at the distinctive yellow band at the terminal tip of the tail and the black face mask edged with white but the bird never did give me a good view of the namesake red, waxlike tips on its secondary wing feathers.
Ok, because of a somewhat unusual sighting on Antelope Island yesterday morning I’m now going to switch gears – from Aves to Reptilia.
Typically when I find snakes on the island they’re already road kill but this Gopher Snake (Bull Snake) was very much alive and well, for the moment. It was in the middle of the right lane of the road on the way to Garr Ranch and at first I thought it had already been run over because it was immobile as it sunned itself on the pavement. I love this species, partly because I had a lot of experience with it during my teaching days (biology and zoology).
I estimate that this one was about 40″ long.
After a few closer shots of the snake we shooed it off the road and into the grass where it disappeared from view.
I’m just glad we found this serpent early in the morning before there was any appreciable traffic on the south end of the road. It’s always depressing to find a smashed snake on the pavement.
Ron
I wanted to be a herpetologist when I was growing up. Thanks for the gorgeous reptile!
Really lovely shot of the waxwing Ron–so hard to get them with such a clean background. I love the sssppping sounds they make 😉 And what a COOL snake!!
Thanks, Christine. And you’re right – I seldom get them this much out in the open but in reality I seldom get them at all…
When I was collecting bees in a project with the MCC kids, one of them found a baby bull snake. I was such a darling – a pale robin’s egg blue and tan pattern and very calm. We all enjoyed it a few mnutes before letting it go. Thanks for the memory and also for a pic of one of my favorite birds. Had one sneak in and out of the tall grass around my trailer, this summer, but it never posed for me.
I’ve never seen one that young, Marilyn and didn’t know they had blue in them at that age.
I’ve seen reports that Montana may be getting some “wetting rains” this weekend. If so I sure hope it helps with the fires and smoke! We still want to make it up again before too long.
The waxwing looks incredibly sleek. So very beautiful. I was intrigued by Patty’s tale of pass the berry too. Something I have never seen.
I appreciated your snake too. I was about far enough away from it to see its beauty. We had a red-bellied black (venomous) which lived under the front steps of one of our homes. For about nine months of the year I only used the back door.
Interesting that you mentioned their sleekness, EC. Their plumage is so fine that photographers often complain that they can see no detail in their plumage.
Ron, liked both photos. Great as always.
And yes the bull snakes do have attitudes. Not sure if it is the same species but we had a snake like this in eastern Wa state between Ellensburg & the Columbia River where Interstate 90 now runs. I was on the first location crew for the WSDOT laying out the interstate 90 in eastern Wa..
I was the instrumentman and set up over a survey point. I was a bored 20 year old with nothing to do while I waited for the crew to move to a new location. I started bugging a bull snake by moving it around & standing in its way when it tried to crawl away. NEXT thing I knew it was trying to crawl up the legs of my transit when I was trying to work.
They can be aggressive when provoked & they do a great imitation of a rattler which we had plenty of.
Thanks for the memories
David
You describe their behavior when annoyed very well, David. Some of them can get quite large and that combined with their occasional aggressiveness and physical and behavioral mimicry of rattlesnakes can be a real attention-getter.
What a beautiful bird and snake. Is it just me or does your new 500mm lens render your images more 3D then your previous 500mm? The waxwing image is really exquisite. Perhaps you’ve mentioned this before but what editing program do you use? Thanx.
Thanks, John. I hadn’t noticed any apparent increase in the 3D effect when I changed lenses. I always process my images in Photoshop.
Cedar Waxwings are such beautiful birds. I’m glad you got this one. Earlier this year we had an experience trying to get a gopher snake off a 55 MPH road near Hueco Tanks. It really didn’t want to get all the way off the road, but between us and another guy who stopped we managed to do it. For a while it looked like it was ready to strike at my husband, but all ended well. I’ve never been much of a fan of snakes, but we’ve seen enough of them in the last year (mostly Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes) that I’m finally beginning to see them as just another member of the wildlife community. Those encounters have taught me that they just want to be left alone. It’s kind of nice to finally be able to appreciate snakes, at least a little.
I’m glad you’re learning to appreciate snakes, Susan. One of my goals in the classroom was to help students who feared them to fear them less and appreciate them for what they are.
Waxwings and female Cardinals have such a subtle beauty. I once saw a small flock of Waxwings on a huge, old beaver lodge, which had a berry bush, laden with bright red, obviously ripe, berries. It also had several snakes stretched out on it, sunning themselves. The Waxwings were all lined up on a branch.The first bird plucked a single berry from the bush and gave it to the next bird in line, who passed it to the next, and so on until it was received by the last, who gobbled it down. When the last bird had received its fill, it was the next to last bird’s turn. This went on until all the birds had had enough berries. The last to eat was the first bird who had intiated the “soup line” by plucking off the first berry from the bush and passing it on. We were sitting in a canoe, baking our brains out in the hot sun, watching, too enchanted to stop….
Wow, that’s quite a story, Patty. They’re known for handing off berries but that was quite the tonga line. I’d love to have witnessed it with you.
This was Promised Land Lake in Pennsylvania. The only Waxwings I’ve ever been lucky enough to see. The birds really do look waxy…very beautiful…
Loved the Waxwing photo–I’ve never before seen/noticed that beautiful golden tail tip feature………
Agreed, Kris – that tail is a beauty.
I agree with Dick, both shots are really cool. I especially like the shadow of the forked tongue on the pavement. No techs, but tack sharp as usual.
Thanks, Neil. Those snake images were taken with one of my older 7D’s and a kit 17-85 lens – the first one at 33mm and the second at 81mm.
Beautiful on both accounts!! What a terrific shot of the Cedar Waxwing !!
This would be a life snake for me if I had seen it in the wild. Great shots and thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Dick.
I like Gopher Snakes a lot – they definitely have an attitude and I find their mimicry of rattlesnakes interesting.