Horned Larks are finally showing up on Antelope Island again.
1/4000, f/8, 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
We found a few of them yesterday morning, including this one foraging for seeds near a snow edge. I spent quite a bit of time with this male but he was quite skillledl at keeping bits of vegetation between us so I didn’t get many shots of him I like. Occasionally he’d break out in less than enthusiastic singing which is what he’s doing here.
1/2500, f/8, 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
I never did get any of them to fully erect their ear tufts but this one raised them enough to isolate them visually.
I had a couple of opportunities to get more interesting Horned Lark images but a camera malfunction and operator error stymied both of them. I wish I could blame both of them on the camera but I can’t.
A cute little cottontail for those who aren’t fans of Horned Larks. In the four minutes I spent with this little feller the only movement it made was constant nose-twitching.
On the way home along the causeway we encountered this female American Kestrel. Typically I wouldn’t post a bird perched on a sign but she was banded on both legs. The band on her right leg, like her right foot, was covered with blood so I couldn’t read those numbers but in other images the left leg number had enough detail to be deciphered. I was crazy-busy after I got home but Mia reported the band number to HawkWatch International.
The island was pretty slow for photo subjects yesterday but since I fully expected to be skunked by the lack of birds or poor light or both the trip was a little better than I anticipated. We actually had good light until near the end of the morning and we found a few interesting critters.
That’s a significant improvement over my recent track record on the island.
Ron
Sensational post Ron! Hope you’re feeling better!
Charlotte
Ron, what a nice mixture of photos. Your horned lark is quite interesting with its horns. I’ve never seen one, at that I know. The twitching nose bunny is quite a pleasant surprise. Kestrels are always welcome.
Glad you were able to get out. I’m sure it is hard waiting. Thank you
Thanks, Alice. Yes, I’d just like to get it over with and far behind me…
On the contrary, looks to me like quite a productive outing. Never seen a Horned Lark, rarely Kestrels, occasionally rabbits, but certainly not all in the same day. I’m assuming they were all on Antelope Island; what a special place. Nice shot of the long hind claw of the Horned Larkspur, the big feet of the bunny, and can never get tired of looking at Kestrels.
Yes, they were all taken on Antelope Island yesterday morning. Thank you, Lyle.
Love the 2nd pic of the Horned Lark. That is the chubbiest Cotton Tail I have ever seen. Or is it puffed up due to the snow. At least you found something in your travels.
Regarding the cottontail it’s probably a little bit of both, Jean. Thanks.
I am really, really glad that you didn’t get skunked.
Sadly ‘screw loose in the operator’ is v familiar to me. And not just (or even mostly) on photographic issues.
Loved the photos. And who could not like a horned lark?
Horned Larks aren’t appreciated much by some folks, EC – in many areas they’re very common and to a lot of people they’re just another LBJ. You and I know different… 🙂
Nice photos! I will add Horned Larks to my “Western Birds to See” wish list! That cotton tail photo is real nice! Quite a nice batch from one day
You shouldn’t have much trouble finding Horned Larks out here, Joanne. Thanks.
So great that you had a trip out to the island and that you had good light–“everybody” looks pretty cold, but enjoying the sunbathing…….there’s something I really like about
the second Horned Lark image–its slightly upward pitch–not quite vertical, but not diagonal either, which I find LIVELY …….I hope you get many more days out and around !
I agree with you about that second shot, Kris. Out of several hundred photos I took of Horned Larks yesterday I think that one’s my favorite.
Nice to not get skunked and getting photos of the HornedLark are a bonus. They are such an appealing bird and patience is key with them. Your second photo is beautiful showing the tiny horn and black bib. Love their colors. I looked back at your earlier posting of them; those are some terrific photos in that set! They are beginning to show up here now foraging in the corn fields…it’s that time of the year.
“patience is key with them”
You’re sure right about that, Kathy. More than most songbirds, if they hide instead of flying off when you approach they’ll very often come out and play if you wait a while.
Lovely photos, Ron. The female kestrel is amazing. I can even see some of the her whiskers and she seems to have food crumbs on them! I hope the blood on her leg is from a meal and not from an injury. She is beautiful. They used to be relatively abundant in Piedmont NC but no longer. I truly miss seeing them hunting along rural roads. Please let us know if the you hear about the bird’s history from the band info. I love the cottontail sunning itself. It actually looks young and so healthy. And we don’t have horned larks in North Carolina. I wish I could hear his song. The ear tuft on the second lark is just a tantalizing hint. Super posture and what a wonderful study of his feathers. Hope your back behaved and you had a fun time.
I’m pretty confident the blood is from prey, Melania – most likely a vole. Please see my response to Tana below about the history of the bird.
And yes, it was nice to find a healthy-looking cottontail. Many of them have their ears and even their faces covered with ticks.
Both the Horned Lark and Cottontail are cute – latter a bit of a pain but luv ’em anyway! 🙂 Kestrel is always a welcome site…….. 😉 Glad you could get out and about and capture some photo’s………
Thank you, Judy. From the band numbers on the kestrel we know that she was hatched in a nearby HawkWatch nest box in 2017 and she’s still hanging around! Tana Peery Hunter – is she one of “yours”?