I almost didn’t go shooting yesterday because birds have been slow but one of my mantras is “you never know unless you go”, so go I went. I’m very glad I did.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender
Here’s a scene I photograph all too often – the water splashes of a Pied-billed Grebe with a fish in its beak as it runs across the water with another grebe hot on its heels and with fish-thievery (kleptoparasitism) on its mind. It’s incredibly difficult to photograph the grebe with the fish because the action is so fast – finding that little feathered rocket in the viewfinder is hard enough but then you still have to lock focus on the bird before you get a decent shot. Usually all I get is a soft and/or clipped bird or a water trail like this one.
Sometimes I lock focus on the water trail before my lens even reaches the running bird.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
When I caught up with this grebe I was able to get several sharp shots of the panicked bird skittering across the water. I love action shots like this, partly because they’re so hard to get. I’ve cropped the photo to include some of the water splashes which I think are important in illustrating the behavior.
Notice that this is a young bird. It still retains some of the juvenile markings under and behind its eye.
There wasn’t much else going on at the refuge so we decided to head for home. But within a couple of minutes of that decision I spotted something that blew me away – especially this time of year.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
A Barn Owl out in the open and actively hunting in daylight (this photo was taken at 10:05 AM)!
It isn’t an unusual occurrence in the dead of winter when it’s very cold and there’s snow on the ground but this time of year it’s almost unheard of (temps were in the mid-40’s at the time and there was no snow). I believe late December is the earliest I’ve photographed Barn Owls hunting during daytime in the past. I saw the owl go after prey one time but it came up empty.
I have other images of this owl, including flight shots, that I’ll probably post in the near future but I still have to go through them so it’ll take some time.
I was delighted to see this owl but it also has me a little worried. Typically they only hunt this time of day when demands for food are high (extreme cold) and voles are hard to catch because of snow on the ground. I hope this isn’t a sign of a crash in the local vole population…
Ron
Sorry to be late to today’s party, but what a joy to see these images! I’m really liking these grebes! I’ve never been in a place to study them, and through your photos, I’m definitely going to make a point to pay lots more attention to them–even from Arizona! THANKS so much for introducing me to these guys and opening up a whole new quest for learning new things. I love it when that happens!
Thanks also for helping me wind down from a full day, out in the cold rain (not good for RA), supervising the mews deconstruction. It’s now in pieces and loaded onto the truck (along with a bunch of mud). Tomorrow we fill the truck to capacity with the rest of my stuff (filling in the holes where the mews parts aren’t). After that, it’s just a matter of waiting for my partner in crime to arrive, the trek to Arizona and a new segment of my life to begin! My participation is likely to be spotty for a while. And once I’m moved, Utah ain’t that far away. A road trip will be necessary to go hunting with a good friend in Ogden. So just BEWARE 🙂
Fantastic shots Ron!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.
Love the water. And the panicked grebe. And the owl (of course). I worry about it hunting in the day though. I am so glad that you saw it and captured it, and so hope that it isn’t indicative of difficult times ahead.
Thank you, EC.
Fantastic photo of the grebe! I can even see the panic in its face. It seems that it was a very successful year for owl reproduction in general, I too hope the food supply will support the numbers of owls this winter. I have been seeing GHOs in unusual places hunting during the day this fall. We saw a GHO with a rabbit kill on the Spiral Jetty trail from the parking lot. The rabbit was too heavy for it to fly with. I felt bad for the owl, the kill was right on the trail and as people were coming and going to the Jetty it would flush and sit out on the mud flats waiting for people to move away from it’s kill.
We took a trip to Fish Springs yesterday, beautiful day and the colors were perfect. There were many coots but all the birds are so jumpy there it is almost impossible to photograph birds. We saw 2 golden eagles along the way. Both along the highway who lifted off as soon as we neared.
April, I saw 7 Golden Eagles in the Promontory region a couple of days ago but all of them were much too far away, even for my lens.
Wow, a GHO at the jetty. And with prey too. That’s pretty neat!
I am still awaiting your article on the landfill. Last few times I have been in the area I have seen signs opposing it. I have followed it some but you might have more interesting info than I have run across. If you have some links I’d be interested in reading.
At this point I’m undecided if I’m going to post on that subject. It’s very complicated and I’m having a difficult time finding out everything I want to know about it.
I too am delighted with your decision to ‘go I went’. What an amazing image. I can almost hear the splash. I have to tell you too that because of physical restraints (especially a very arthritic hip that pretty much precludes much movement) my camera has lain dormant for far too long. You have now motivated me to not only charge the battery and check the functioning, but decided that to aid in my recovery from replacement surgery (new hip installation will be on the 7th of nov) I will awaken my love of birds and photography and just ‘go’ out and seek and find. Thank you for that.
That’s great, Gillycat! I wish you luck and a speedy recovery from the surgery and much success with that recently underused camera.
Gilly, just to encourage you in your decision, I have two new knees and I just love them. The only drawback is they don’t kneel well (actually, they’re lousy at it), but they do everything else well, really well, and they don’t hurt (which is a huge biggie)! I’ve also had many friends now who have had the hip replacement done. The falconers are back out in the field and having NO problems whatsoever and another friend who shows her German shepherds is back out in the show ring, less than four months after her surgery. Showing German shepherds is a strenuous task!
Across the board, what all of us have found is that the secret to a great outcome is doing the rehab religiously, and I mean zealously! Push yourself–not too far, but push yourself just a little past your limits. Do one more extra repetition per day. Just a little beyond your limits–you don’t want to CAUSE pain, but staying within your comfort zone isn’t that good an idea, either. Oh and once the basic surgical pain is gone, you’re done with pain! That’s a very good thing.
I wish you the very best and hope you’re back doing what you want to do as soon as possible!
Welcome to the two new knee club Laura!! I’ve had my 2 new knees for 5 years. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner!!
Dick, I LOVE my new knees, especially the left one–the one where I was zealous about the post-surgery PT! But the right one ain’t bad. They don’t hurt and I can walk. That’s good. LOL!
The second photo – the one of the grebe, fish in mouth, skittering across the water – may be my favorite out of all I’ve seen over the last couple of years of following you. Well done!
Very nice of you to say so, Linda. I like it a lot too. Thank you.
Love the action shot, and the water splashes are definitely necessary to the photo. I also hope that the Barn Owls are doing okay, that there’s no crisis with their food population. Also love your phrase “so go I went”. Had to read it a couple of times to make sure I was reading it correctly.
“Also love your phrase “so go I went”. ”
I’m glad you mentioned that, Susan. I had second and third thoughts about using it but in the end I went for it. Stuff like that might not amuse some but for me it makes the reading more… interesting. Besides, I had fun writing it and wondering if others would think it was an inadvertent typo, ignorant use of grammar or done deliberately for effect.
I’m grabbing my camera and running out the door……. Your pictures motivate me to keep trying…..
That made me smile, Marina. Good luck!
I definitely hear you on the drought issues as I live with my dead (I think it may have finally gone past dormant) lawn and drive around SoCal in my filthy car. Fortunately, most of the plants in the yard were well-established and can make it on the very little water I give them, so I’m still seeing some insects, reptiles and birds in the yard — and the occasional coyote walking down our urban street! I don’t understand how people can reject well-replicated and accepted science out of hand because it conflicts with their beliefs. I can believe I’m a size 5 all I want to, but it ain’t gonna change what I see in the mirror! (Darn it!)
The grebe photographs are spectacular! You have the eye, the instinct and the perseverance to make the most of what you call “luck” (and I call skill!). I have to admit that there’s something about the faces of barn owls that makes me a bit nervous. I think it goes back to a scary illustration in a storybook I had as a young child. I know they’re beautiful animals, but I always feel a little like “prey” when I see one. Go figure! 🙂
Our drought isn’t as bad as yours, Marty. Yet. But I’m afraid it’s coming.
These are great shots, Ron. I’m convinced birds pick up rather quickly on subtle changes in climate from time to time. I can’t speak for Utah, but here in VT we have had an unusual warm past winter, leading into a dry summer and now leading into a warm and suspected to be cold winter. Could your Barn Owl be in that state of picking up on subtle changes to be hunting in the daytime? I wonder whether the quality of food for herbivores has gone down, which could cause rodents to be out looking for food and be more accessible to owls? Or are owls having a tough time themselves?
This has been an interesting year here, in VT, we have had a difficult draught. For that matter the whole inland Northeast has had a hard draught. It has been fine for some parts of agriculture, fine for drying hay, but I sense it has been difficult for our birds. We have had a dearth of birds for the past three weeks, I suspect due to the draught. Most have already molted and compared to past years, at this time of year, when the feeders are usually active, these past three weeks there has been very little activity. I think it underlines how important climate and subtle changes in weather affect wildlife. Just my 2 cents.
I suppose there are many possibilities that might explain the unusual behavior, Dick. It may even be a combination of those factors.
The drought out here has also severely affected our birds in a negative way. The Great Salt Lake is drying up and many of the adjoining wetlands are in trouble.
What concerns me, regardless what climate deniers say, is that it is more then just a feast of famine alternative, but I fear there are on going changes in the climate which produces these changes in the environment.
Wasn’t there someone else who could walk on water? Was he also a Grebe??? To get a. shot like this, with such an obviously fast moving subject, seems almost miraculous!!!
For me it almost is miraculous, Patty. My percentage of successful images of this behavior pales in comparison to my failures.
Do you thinkn the fire cut down on the vole population? A horrible thought…
There was no fire at Farmington – only on Antelope Island.
Are vole populations cyclical–like rabbits which which I believe have 7-year cycle?
Yes, they are, Patty – often in 3-5 year cycles depending on the species.
Great piece of ‘luck’ Ron. I am tempted to travel long distances to find a Barn Owl as the only one I’ve ever seen in the wild is in Chile.
BTW, I love the tak sharp water images along with your Grebe.
Are you looking forward to winter shooting?
I always look forward to winter shooting, Judy. What I don’t look forward to is our inversions and dirty air…
Looks like it was a great decision to go check out what was happening at Farmington Bay Ron! Love the image of the grebe running on water. They are so animated. More so it seems at Farmington Bay than in our local farm ponds. You are getting great images of action of them running on water with fish. The most exciting thing I am seeing is when then come up from a dive all covered in weeds 🙂
The barn owl sighting is interesting. I am so perplexed by these owls and their daytime behaviors. We never see them in the day, people in California see them in the day (sometimes), and in the UK. In the super cold of winter they are seen in daytime. Not sure what motivates some to be out in the daylight.
Ed, our grebes are pretty lethargic most of the time but if you catch them at feeding time good things can happen.
Around here it’s pretty much established that Barn Owls usually hunt in daytime only when they can’t find enough food to sustain them during the night. Nearly always that involves extreme cold and snow on the ground.
There you go being “Lucky” again, Ron. Well done on both.
There’s two kinds of luck, Neil, good and bad. I get them both but the latter most often…
My definition of luck: When preparation meets opportunity.
You certainly are prepared for the opportunities you place yourself in. I would never judge your “luck” by the wear on your delete button.
Well said, Neil. And I knew very well that you weren’t really implying that I was just lucky.
WOW! GREAT catch with the Grebe! 🙂 I know how fast the Mergansers go……………..! Beautiful picture of the Barn Owl – hope they aren’t getting short of food.
“I know how fast the Mergansers go”
And these grebes are much smaller and faster than mergansers, Judy. They’re tough little buggers to photograph in this behavior. Thank you.