In my portfolio this is a unique image.
I posted it way back on February 17, 2011 but when I stumbled across it again last night I realized that back then I had processed it poorly so I wanted a do-over.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I photographed this male Horned Lark on a very breezy morning in Tooele County. When an unexpected gust of wind came along he lost his balance on the rock and had to attempt to recover. This pose was the result. At first glance it may look like the bird is deliberately taking off but notice that his feet aren’t in a takeoff position and only his right wing is open. His left wing is barely away from his body.
The more I look at this photo the more it appeals to me, especially since I re-processed it. I love the unusual pose with only one wing open and his feet off of the perch, I think the similar colors throughout work well, the rock is much more attractive than the usual white ones in that area and to me the extremely out of focus dried grasses in the background almost look like a sunburst of light rays emanating from the rock.
I think it’s becoming my favorite Horned Lark photo.
Ron
On an unrelated note: There’s a new documentary out on PBS called “When Whales Walked: Journeys in Deep Time”. It lasts for two hours and I watched it online over the last two evenings. I think it’s excellent, though the title is misleading because it’s about much more than just the evolution of whales. It covers the evolution of Crocodiles, Birds, Whales and Elephants, spending about a half hour on each one.
It’s basically about the evolution of each group based on the fossil record and it’s truly fascinating so it has my high recommendation. And kudos to them for highlighting the work of female scientists. I wish it had been around when I was still teaching because I’d have given it a workout in my biology and zoology classes.
Here’s the link if you’d like to give it a try.
If you’ve ever had a bird perch on your finger, you know what lightweights they are…it’s a wonder they aren’t blown away and blown off more often…even Great Horned Owls and crows don’t weigh much…
Simply stunning. The horned lark undoubtedly recovered quicker (and better) than I would despite effectively having one arm(wing) tied behind its back.
And I love the almost monochromatic beauty.
The documentary sounds right up my alley.
As always, many, many thanks.
I suspect it’s right up the alley of many of my readers, EC – especially the half hour on birds but it’s all very good. Thanks.
Looked back at your original posting. Nice do-over; brighter and crisper. Sometimes wish I had wings to keep balance. Probably wouldn’t work so well in the house with walls and furniture.
Excellent eye, Lyle. Yes, you nailed what I did differently, mostly brightening the image and adding a small amount of sharpening selectively to the bird only.
I like to watch birds kite in the air when it is windy. Especially swallows, they can stay in the air in the same spot by adjusting to the wind currents. Magpies love to play in the wind, they tumble and chase each other. Amazingly the hummers seem to do ok, they are straight as a dart despite the gusts.
I will have to check out the link. Lately I’ve been busy with releasing birds. I hope to get out and photograph a few in the wild tomorrow.
My favorites to watch kiting include harriers and Rough-legged Hawks. Good luck tomorrow, April.
Cute little guy off balanced and all ‼️
Just put the documentary on my playlist😜 Thanks
Have a awesome day
Thanks, Diana. I hope you enjoy it.
Beautiful photo, Ron! Horned Larks are amazing little birds. While they certainly have preferred habitat, I’ve found them nesting everywhere from coastal dunes in Texas to the tundra at 11,000 feet in the Rockies. This photo is one of my favorites, too!
I agree, Diane. One of my good friends on Facebook put it this way in a comment on this post:
“I greatly admire Horned Larks. They are tough, tough birds. I see them first in spring migration here, in the high valleys, when there’s nothing but snow. In interior Alaska, they breed at elevations where there is nothing but rock and lichen.”
This is a fabulous shot! Poor guy — I wonder how often that happens. The rock is definitely interesting to look at, but doesn’t give him much of a toehold, does it.
Looking forward to the doc later today. I watched one a couple of years ago that connected whales to dogs. I wonder if this program touches on that.
“I wonder if this program touches on that”
It actually does, Marty – sort of. One of the very early whale fossils they feature resembled a dog or a wolf more than it did a whale, at least superficially.
Nice photo Ron, and very observant of you to point out that his feet show that it is indeed not a takeoff. I’m not a geologist for sure, but that rock looks like granite. We had very high winds yesterday and missed a great shot of one of our eagles taking off to chase some harassing ravens with a huge assist from the winds that were blowing him right at me. I was just coming around a corner on a trail and it happened faster than I could raise my camera. Thanks too for the whale recommendation. When I was a kid in high school I hated biology and science, but now in my early 80’s I watch every show I can such as this one. Guess I needed you as my biology teacher. 🙂
Thanks, Everett. Yes, it’s easy to miss a shot like the eagle encounter you mention. For me at least missing it is probably the rule rather than the exception.
Stunning photo, Ron. 🙂 It all “works” – body position, background, colors….. YES! 🙂 Marking the link…… Good day for it – cold/wind/rain… 😉
I hope you enjoy it, Judy. I think you will.
Excellent photo. It could easily be anyone’s favorite!! There is something about monochromatic that appeals to me and this is a perfect example of why. A quick glance and one would think he was just landing on the rock. The documentary sounds interesting…need to watch that. Will wait for the link…
Thanks, Kathy. It’s a very good documentary and the half hour on birds is exceptional.