Plus raptor baiting right here in my home state of Utah.
I’m curious what my readers might think about this image. Almost surely it will only have limited appeal and I understand why but I’m beginning to be more flexible about photos of birds in the fog, partly for the mood and partly because in nature… fog happens.
1/500, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
This is a photo of a Montana Merlin with the frozen remains of a meadowlark in its talons. The photo was taken just after sunrise so I’m guessing the meadowlark had been cached and retrieved. The fog was dense but I was fairly close to the falcon which helped significantly in these conditions. I’ve posted other shots of this bird but those taken in heavy fog like this were mostly documentary of the feeding process because of the effects of the fog.
But when this shot was taken the morning sun was just beginning to burn through the fog so when the Merlin turned its head to look at me it put nice warm light on the side of its face and provided a catch light in the eye. And I like the way the light makes those yellow legs and talons stand out (even in the fog), especially that menacing falcon foot holding the meadowlark. That’s a long meadowlark leg sticking up between the prey and the belly of the Merlin.
Even though it may not look like it if you’re on a large screen the falcon is actually sharp. Fog tends to have a dulling effect on fine detail. Yes, the image is dark and moody but sometimes that works (and sometimes it doesn’t…)
Anyway, if you have any thoughts about the image, one way or the other, I’d be interested in hearing about them. I’m still trying to figure out my own thoughts on it.
Ron
On an only partially related note:
My readers know how I feel about baiting raptors for purposes of photography and I think most of you agree but I’m not sure if many are aware of how rampant that nefarious practice really is so here’s an example from my own “back yard”.
Here’s a link to an ad from Studebaker Studios (Matthew Studebaker) recruiting clients for a series of 2 five day raptor photography workshops along the Wasatch Front this winter. They openly bait raptors with pet store mice as evidenced by this line from their ad – “We will feed the raptors mice to entice them closer and anyone on this trip must be 100% comfortable with using mice.”
Trip leader John Crawley is proudly advertised as having “graduated with a degree in Zoology with an emphasis in raptor biology. He did research for the DNR and NFS on Osprey and helped take care of endangered raptors at BYU as they transitioned to the Peregrine Fund.” Obviously Crawley should know better but apparently he’s been seduced by the draw of big money from workshop participants (check out the cost of the workshop per client which “does not include meals or lodging.”). This is essentially the same ad they ran for last year’s workshops.
As someone who has also “graduated with a degree in Zoology” I’m angry and embarrassed and I hope the BYU Department of Zoology is too (though I have my doubts about that, I’m not a huge fan of the “Y”).
Each year Studebaker Studios and John Crawley set the example to other bird photographers that somehow it’s perfectly OK to bait raptors for photography which makes me nail-spitting angry so I try to expose what they’re doing to a wider audience. Maybe someday the shame will get to them and they’ll change their ways but I’m not holding my breath. The almighty dollar can be a powerful motivator and Matthew Studebaker was mentored by Arthur Morris who has some serious ethical problems of his own.
As my friend Jim DeWitt pointed out Audubon literally forbids raptor baiting in their Guide to Ethical Bird Photography – ” Never lure birds (including but not limited to hawks, owls, eagles, ospreys, roadrunners) with bait. “Bait” includes live animals (such as snakes, fish, mice, crickets, worms); dead animals or parts of animals; processed meat; and decoys such as fake mice. Baiting can change the behavior of these predatory birds in ways that are harmful for them.”
Now maybe my readers will better understand why I always include “not baited, set up or called in” in my image techs on my blog. Including it may look self righteous to some and you probably get tired of seeing it but I sure as hell don’t want to be associated with that despicable practice. Or its practitioners.
I do appreciate the education I receive from your blogs about why it is not good to bait raptors, set up, or call in. Thank you. the light is so soft and a combination of cool and warm which I really like.
I really like this photo.
I think it captures the raptor mood very well.
I like the all encompassing grasp of the talon on the meal.
Is that a leg bone sticking up behind the merlin?
Keep on keeping on regarding baiting and ethics, we’ve got your back.
Great work Ron.
Thank you, Dave.
Yes, that’s a meadowlark leg poking into the Merlin’s belly. That very long leg is one (and only one) of the reasons I felt confident in identifying the remnants of the prey as a Western Meadowlark.
I’m appalled by the baiting.
The image is too moody for me today. Perhaps because my old friend melancholia has been paying an unwelcome visit.
I hope your “old friend” moves on soon, Arwen.
Love the mood of the photo, and the passion behind the comments about baiting birds. Sure hope you can dissuade “real” bird photographers from this unnatural and overall harmful practice. Being out in the wild and observing and photographing the natural world behaving “naturally” is much more rewarding. There is no comparison between a natural shot and a staged shot, and the latter is usually harmful to the creatures we profess to admire and want to protect. Thanks for speaking out.
You said that very well, Burrdoo. Thank you.
A tricky post for me today.
I adore the merlin in the fog. And am a fan of fog anyway.
Baiting? EMPHATICALLY not a fan, which has me wondering/squirming about my own behaviour. We do feed the wild birds. Seed and apples which many of them adore. Particularly in times of drought (which means almost always). I photograph the birds who visit too (though that is not my reason for feeding them). Just the same, I am increasingly wondering whether feeding them is doing harm. We also plant for the birds, paticularly the nectar eaters. And drat them they view all of our planting as for them. I don’t mind them eating plants, but do object when they behead and shred apparently just because they can (without eating any of it). Thinking, thinking, thinking…
EC, Don’t stress about what you’re doing!
It’s baiting raptors that’s the major problem. It’s complicated to explain why one is harmful to birds and the other generally isn’t (and is often helpful to them) but that’s the case. Feeding songbirds and most others is usually fine and many if not most of us do it, but baiting raptors has a variety of actual and potential negative affects on them.
Now it’s getting more into a gray area (regarding ethical bird and nature photography) if someone is baiting birds of any kind just for photography. And in my opinion calling birds in with electronic calls should never be done except in fairly rare and unusual cases. And it should NEVER be done during breeding season.
Hi Ron,
Great image of the Merlin. We concur with your thoughts on the baiting activities – not ethical and demeans the photographers who take advantage of it.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you, Gary.
Ron, I really like your photo of the Merlin. I think the fog causes a type of mystique to the bird.
As for the other subject in your blog, I’m happy that I belong to a group of individuals who appreciate your honesty and integrity. Shame on those who don’t care about those things.
Thank you, Ron
Thanks very much, Alice – for the feedback on the photo and for the kind words.
Lovely photo, as always.
Thanks for the baiting info Ron, I went to their website and sent a message about their lowly ways, I hope many of your other readers will do so as well!
Good for you, Glenn!
Love the beautiful Merlin in the fog. (Too bad about the beautiful Meadowlark, but raptors gotta eat….)
Detest raptor/wildlife baiting of all sorts (except in cases of attempting to aid the injured). So go get ‘em, Ron!
I will, Chris. Thanks.
I love fog images so I am more than pleased with the foggy Merlin. The light on the face is perfect. As for the photo tour it is sad that photos take precedence over wellbeing of the animals. And it is Sold Out.
As you know last February I was so disgusted with photographers behavior at Farmington Bay I had to take a personal break from photographing wildlife. Finding the dead harassed barn owl scared me for life!
Thanks, April. Yes, I remember your reaction to some of the things you witnessed at Farmington. I mostly stopped photographing eagles there for that very reason.
I think the photo is great. Fog is also a part of nature and can create some very stunning effects in a photo. It may be a detriment if you want just a very sharp photo of a bird, but the softening it causes can also be appealing and as a photo of a bird in its natural world, it works well for me.
You know my thoughts are in agreement with you about baiting and it extends to more than just photography. I know birders who bait to increase the number of birds they will see on a trip they are leading or in an area where they want to increase the number of species they might see on a Christmas Count. Drawing birds in by sound is another form of baiting that I object to, especially during nesting season when it may draw a bird away from its nest. Someone from a local Forest Service office once asked me to do a “research” project in which I was to call in Hermit Warblers by sound then continue playing the sound for another 15 minutes to see what other birds might react. I gave them a resounding no and submitted several pages of comments to let them know how this was damaging to the birds why it was unethical and why it was illegal. I also let it be known that any such work would be reported to the USFW enforcement officials. The project was abandoned, and I later found out that it was only created locally so that that office could get brownie points for doing “citizen science” (which under different circumstances, can be very valuable) and the data collected would be discarded because it wws not needed, just busy work to earn them credits. Something that made me even angrier.
Thanks for your feedback on the photo, Dan.
I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I know of examples of professional researchers or “raptor experts” who baited birds in for no other reason than to validate their education portfolio so they could get that next degree (and pay raise) or just to take photos for their next book, claiming that because it’s for a book it’s somehow ok…
Great post today, exposing those unethical groups who I also despise. Thank you.
Thanks, Sandy.
Love the Misty Merlin.
About baiting – I agree with you. But. The Feds are apparently of two minds. I went several times with Forest Service biologists to count Spotted Owl nests, which they do by calling in these tame birds and tossing them mice. Does that damage the birds? I have no idea. If you think all interactions with humans is damaging, I would say yes. But we interact with wildlife all the time, for good and for ill. Falconers hunt-train young hawks by tossing them live mice, rats, etc. I am personally of two minds about falconry. But I became a falconer in order to work with young hawks who were brought into care at a very early age with injuries or diseases, before they had any parental “mouse school” experiences. The important part, in my estimation, is supporting them by keeping them active and fed while they learn the refinements of hunting flight and determining prey behavior. Alas, I found that I cannot photograph a bird while working with him (my experience so far has always been with “hims!”
Sallie, I have similar issues with government agencies and even bird banding operations that either bait raptors or lure them in with things like plastic or stuffed owls. Sometimes it’s necessary but all too often it’s abused for less than valid reasons. It would take me a while to explain it all but I have pretty strong feelings about it.
The interplay between the fog and the light gives this shot an eerie quality that definitely speaks to me. I really like this shot for the reasons you mentioned and also for the way the light hits his perch and the beige horizontal “stripe” in the background. That being said, the most striking thing for me is the juxtaposition of the Merlin’s talon with the Meadowlark’s foot — I get shivers. (BTW, how in the hell did you ID the prey as a Meadowlark? All I can make out is carcass, foot, and a couple of feathers.)
And I have one word for the baiters squared (well two, actually — the adjective rhymes with a type of waterbird often found in park ponds and sometimes served with an orange sauce in French restaurants): ASSHOLES!
Marty, I’m not 100% sure it was a meadowlark but I’m close. I have many other shots with better light where the prey was in different positions so I’m pretty sure of my ID.
Your reaction to baiters (I call them master baiters) is pretty darned close to my own.
A master baiter would be an expert at pole/rod fishing. These guys? Still assholes.
I agree, they still are. But I like my two words when put together into one word and applied to them…
I am always impressed with your art and skill. I love the mood of this picture as it is what I would see in the wild if only I was that lucky.
I am also impressed with your ethics. This bird photographing stint sounds as honorable as the private hunting camps for people with more money than talent or skill can bag a trophy to brag about. Our whole world seems to be about winning pride instead of honorable accomplishment. Sad so many of the leaders in the world now seem to be in this camp.
Thank you on both counts, Betty.
I loved what you said about private hunting camps and how you said it.
That is a stunning photo. I had not known that they cache food. Around here shooting in the fog is a required art/skill. It’s not easy, eh? If I were to change anything at all about this photo, I’d propose shooting with some foliage in the background. As if we could order these things up.
You might recall my opinion on baiting. I don’t know who Studebaker Studios are and I don’t know who John Crowley is. California law makes it unlawful to bait any wild animal. It is also unlawful in the US -if you throw bread crumbs into a stream that is habitat for a federally endangered species it is baiting.
Getting enforcement, that’s a different matter. When I was on the Alameda County Fish and Wildlife Commission, we had to educate the county bench and bar association about state and federal law. This was crucial because we had at least one case of a ranger’s son cutting fence and killing a state-planted tule elk bull, and selling the meat out of his garage. I made it my business to get to know and work with the county assigned state fish and game staff. Their work includes getting shot at by pirates fishing illegally in San Francisco Bay. You live in a part of the country that probably needs as much education of bench and bar as California.
Martha, here’s what BNA Online has to say about Merlins caching food:
“Known to cache prey during the breeding season and in winter (Oliphant and Thompson 1976, Pitcher et al. 1979). Most caches on branches of conifers, but old corvid nests sometimes used (NSS). Search patterns displayed at retrieval suggest that Merlins do not remember exact cache locations (Oliphant and Thompson 1976, Warkentin and Oliphant 1985). During breeding, female retrieves cache if male does not bring food within 4 h, and male caches prey if female does not take prey upon arrival (NSS). Caching and retrieval more frequent in morning than evening (NSS).”
Mathew Studebaker has a history and a reputation of sketchy ethics in bird photography – see Keith Bauer’s link below.
Holy moly, a ranger’s son did that??? Some of this stuff still shocks me even though I guess it shouldn’t knowing how common it is when folks think they can get away with it.
I never, ever see Merlin’s in the wild, so I can’t be at all objective. In my humble opinion, any photo of a Merlin is an extraordinary one.
Thanks, Leslie.
Love the image, Ron! I don’t see many Merlins, but when I do it’s usually on a cold winter morning with light fog- so this shot is spot on. Baiting is appalling. I’m always happy to see “not baited, set up or called in” on your photos. You are educating each new visitor to your blog, and showing all of us how beautiful photography can happen without the need to bait, set-up or call in. Thanks again for another wonderful start to my day!
I don’t see them often either, Diane. I’ve probably only photographed the species about a half-dozen times. Thank you.
It is really sad that workshop leaders behave like this. I’m a workshop leader and it makes me angry and embarrassed that this kind of behavior is going on.
Clearly Matt Studebaker is willing to do other things to “win”. Remember this story:
https://www.audubon.org/magazine/january-february-2014/blurred-lines-audubon-magazine-photo
Cheated to try to win a contest only to be caught and disqualified. Looks like his moral compass still hasn’t found magnetic north.
I’d forgotten about that disgraceful incident, Keith. Thanks for the reminder, and for the link.
I always appreciated, respected and admired your ethical stance as a moderator at NPN. Wish I could say the same for some of the others.
I love it. It’s more subtle, but that makes me take time with the image.
Thank you, Mary.
The photo does have a certain appeal tho a bit more sunlight on the merlin giving a bit more contrast might have been nice? Just me – maybe “old eyes” that have to work harder to get the contrast…… 😉 Quite the “contradiction” – Zoology degree BUT will happily disrupt the natural order of things to make a buck…… 🙁 On one hand he’s up front about what he’s doing, on the other it’s “wrong” in my opinion. And how many of the photographers are as up front about how their wonderful photo was captured?? 😉 🙁
I appreciate your honesty about the photo, Judy.
I’m pretty sure the reasons he’s “up front” about it is to try to deflect some of the negative press and because he doesn’t want to deal with a client for five days in the field who didn’t know about the baiting and actually has a conscience. That would be uncomfortable… at best.
Judy, my daughter just graduated from the U in biology. She was disturbed by some of the practices of well known biologists. She called them on it and was not popular for doing so.
Good for your daughter! Biologists should know better.
Love the photo! Here the moodiness of the fog adds to the scene in my opinion. I like the sharpness of the bird here, but most of all the overall effect here is great…the blending of all the colors right down to the post works with the fog! My thoughts on ‘baiting’ go right along with yours…I could expound but it just sets my mood for the day.
I know what you mean about setting the mood, Kathy. After yesterday’s post I wanted something more light-hearted today but when one of my readers (Mark Amershek) reminded me of this workshop it set my wheels in motion. This ad is also being shared on Facebook so I hope it all has some effect.