Today I thought I’d post a little variety from yesterday in Box Elder County, Utah.
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Although this Northern Harrier appears wary of me it really wasn’t at all. I spent 13 minutes up close with it just after dawn as it was perched on this leaning old post and for much of that time it was preening comfortably. At one point it threw up the juiciest, runniest pellet I’ve ever seen from a raptor. I thought it might be sick but it apparently felt just fine because as soon as the pellet was cast the hawk returned to its normal activities, including more preening.
In this composition the bird is a little tight in the frame for my tastes but conversely I do enjoy the nice plumage detail in warm light.
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This (Audubon’s) Yellow-rumped Warbler was my bonus bird for the morning. It was buried deeply in a juniper but I kept my lens trained on it as best I could and was able to get a single shot as it lifted off. I enjoy the wing positions and the nice head turn with excellent eye contact. The background is busy and there’s “stuff” in front of its rump but this is an unusual species for me to photograph so I was very happy to get the shot.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This seems to be a very good year for Short-eared Owls in northern Utah. In fact, based on the number of sighting’s I’ve made I’d say it’s easily the best year I can remember. They’re difficult to photograph on natural perches or in flight but just seeing that many gives me the warm fuzzies.
This one took a break from its hunting as it perched on an old fence post for a while and allowed me some quality time with it. Eventually I drove off and left the owl on its perch. For me that’s the best way to leave a memorable photography session – with the bird undisturbed and still in place.
Ron
Beautiful photos. Looks like a wonderful trip despite the early rising hour.
What an absolutely blissful day.
And thank you for the update on Shannon.
You are all in my heart.
Thanks for the kind thoughts, EC.
Good morning. I’m LOVIN’ all three pics and agree it’s so special when you get to leave first!
“it’s so special when you get to leave first”
Agreed, Linda. It gives me a satisfying feeling when birds accept my presence. If I’m about to pass one near the road I always swerve a little to give them space if it’s safe to do so. I don’t do that on busy highways of course…
Is the warbler in that juniper bush because they eat the berries. Or is it just a protective place to perch?
PS My husband is from Maine. He calls them “wobblers”…,
Patty, during breeding season (now) this species eats insects and other small invertebrates almost exclusively so I strongly suspect it was only using the juniper for cover.
I like your husband’s “Maine-ism”.
Three wonderful images. Love the first (except for the wire) for the slanted post, the bird’s position and detail…Love the second, for the very slight “buried in foliage” effect, the counteroint of yellow against the echoed blue-grays of the bird and the blue-grays of the juniper and its berries…a beautiful image! I love any image of a short-earred. This one is especially pleasing because of the contradiction of the soft, curvy owl (nature) vs the hard, weathered, geometry of the square post(man)…that age-old man vs nature thing….
I love that Harrier photo!
I love the detail on both the Harrier and the Owl. The stuff in the background makes the Warbler shot hard on my eyes – unfortunately the somewhat blurry stuff draws my eye more than the bird. But I like the Warbler’s pose. Glad you had such a good day, and may the SEOs continue to prosper.
Glorious shots! I dawdled over each one, taking in the sheer intricate beauty of each one. I love the feather/facial detail on all three. What sheer, outrageous beauty!
Oh, and sometimes castings are exceedingly slimy (until they dry). Don’t know why, but I’ve speculated that it’s simply caused by the bird being more hydrated at the time of casting? But I don’t know. It just happens that way.
And my what a productive day you had! Just Oh WOW!
Laura, I’ve now seen these very wet castings from harriers twice. In this case there was actually a very small pellet, along with lots of what appeared to be thick, stringy mucus.
The previous time there was no visible pellet – only thick liquid. That time the harrier acted sick, even dizzy. It almost fell off the perch when it was casting it.
Huh, now that’s a little weird. But I suspect first of all that it was having difficulty bringing the casting up, and thus, the mucus to lubricate the whole process. But interesting about it acting sick/dizzy. Presumably it recovered after a few minutes?
Yeah, that bird seemed fine after a short period of time.
I also photographed a harrier once who almost choked getting the pellet out. This bird also almost fell off its perch during the process. It’s pretty interesting – here’s a link.
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2011/02/19/northern-harrier-struggling-to-expel-a-pellet/
WOW Ron! I’ve never seen THAT much of a struggle to cast! In addition to almost falling over, you can see that he’s not grasping the perch, but instead standing on the tips of his talons!! Of course that’s pretty much why he’s falling off the perch, but still.
I don’t know, but that makes me wonder if the bird was dehydrated? My thinking, which could very well be wrong, is that it should go a lot more easily than that and he probably has a couple of days’ worth of stuff in there. The other idea is if that bird had NOT been eating well, finally caught something and then gorged–getting while the getting was good. That was a HUGE wad of a cast.
Oh the questions these birds bring up…just when you think you’ve got a good handle on things, they come up with something out of the blue, just because they can AND to make you nuts 🙂 I maintain the latter is low-hanging fruit, but what do I know? Guess they’re easily amused. I know Mariah, Jack and Skye are. I’ve SEEN them pointing a wing and guffawing at me!
Ron, the detail on the warbler is stunning. Never seen one but seeing your photo makes me think I have done just as well. And without all the waiting and learning to use camera equipment. Thanks
You’re right, Diana – learning how to photograph well is a long (and often expensive) process. Thank you.
Especially liked the Harrier shot-that raking light is excellent for both the general form and plumage detail…..really beautiful ! I didn’t want to be intrusive, but
like Judy, I’ve wondered how your daughter is doing ?
Thanks, Kris. Regarding my daughter Shannon, please see my response to Judy Gusick’s comment below.
A Harrier, a warbler and an owl fly into a bar…
Don’t leave me hanging, Arwen – where’s the punch line? 🙂
Hello Ron where did you take these pictures. ??? I would very much like to plan an outing one of these days. Sending my lens to canon along with tele x and camera this week. Thank-you for all the info. Marina
I wish you luck with your gear, Marina. My experience with Canon Professional Services was a good one.
Sorry, but it’s been my long-standing policy to never publicly reveal owl locations, especially during nesting season.
That looks like a pretty successful day Ron. Love the images. Yeah for the Short-eared owls. I am glad you are seeing them as they seem to be having trouble in some parts ( I think due to shrinking wetlands).
It was a wonderful morning, Ed. Didn’t get great shots at every potential opportunity but saw lots of great birds and I always enjoy that too.
Didn’t you have a nice day!! WOW, I’d be jumping for joy with pictures like these!
What a terrific day.
Very nice close-up of the Harrier, great plumage sharpness and I agree wonderful warm light!
The Audubon’s and the Owl are excellent as well.
Many thanks for sharing.
I’m glad you liked all three, Dick. Thank you.
Beautiful! Wonderful detail and personality in all photo’s. 🙂 The warbler still stands out well from the “stuff” even if you consider it busy. P.S. How is your daughter doing?
Thanks, Judy.
Shannon’s physical recovery from her severe brain injury and multiple surgeries has gone well with the exception of some continuing issues with her sight.
However, the aphasia that resulted from the injury has caused significant problems with memory and cognition. She’s improving in those arenas too but it’s a very long and difficult road to full recovery.
Thank you for your concern.
Gosh Ron, I had no idea your daughter was in this condition. Getting out and seeing and capturing all the raptors and birds must bring some peace to you I assume. Best of recovery to her. I’d also like to say something to all your followers. “Raptors tend to perch out in the open and birds hide in the leaves for safety so the choice there is bird flying or in the trees or sometimes on the ground.” Signed, lover of LBB’s.