Yesterday morning I mostly succeeded in getting what has been an inexplicably difficult shot for me.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 320, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Horned Larks can be relatively easy to photograph while perched but it’s a bugger to try to get them taking off or in flight. I’m convinced that’s because they’re somehow faster than other songbirds their size and they almost never signal their takeoff. For me “air shots” are the rule when I try to get them taking off and it’s almost a victory when the only part of their body I keep in the frame is the fast-disappearing tip of their tail.
But yesterday morning on Antelope Island I got (mostly) lucky and kept this male completely in frame by somehow anticipating his takeoff. My luck continued when I caught him an a posture I like very much, had light in his eye and his takeoff angle was darned close to perfect. There was lots of potentially obstructing vegetation near the perch so my last bit of luck was getting a clear view of him with nothing particularly distracting in the background.
But I ran out of luck in the sharpness department because the bird is a little soft. Not bad but definitely noticeable.
I’m finally seeing bits of green on Antelope Island and birds are beginning to pick up. Magpies are building nests, abundant meadowlarks are singing on territory and I’m even hearing and seeing a few Chukars. Sage Thrashers, Lark Sparrows and Long-billed Curlews shouldn’t be far behind and then Willets should show up. Mama pronghorn will pop in May.
Things are looking up but given the dismal water situation in the Great Salt Lake I don’t think we’ll see the “glory days” on the island again in my lifetime, if ever. We can thank Utah politicians for that.
Ron
Note: A bird photographer’s luck on the island comes in varying flavors. Yesterday morning (while I was on the island myself) friend and blog follower April Olsen found a $10 bill on one of the trails.
Congrats, April – with your run of luck lately you definitely had it coming. Now go out and buy that new lens. Or a couple of them!
Lovely horned lark, there were plenty yesterday but they are still a bit jumpy. I had a good day birding yesterday too.
The $10 was well weathered, I wonder how long it had been blowing around out there in the middle of nowhere.
Thanks, April.
Yay.
Like Patty my eyes are soft, so I had to look again for the softness you mentioned.
And love that pose.
Hopefully April’s luck is a sign that things are finally turning her way.
EC, these days April could use all the luck she can get. I wish she’d found a wallet full of cash and was given most of it as a reward when she found the rightful owner (which I know she’d try to do).
One of my favorite shots…the take off “fling”(wings up, feet lifting) shot…a hood one!!!
My vision is “soft” these days, so didn’t even notice…I loved it…
So is mine, Patty. And getting worse.
Thanks, Patty.
This is a great shot, Ron. Definitely a high DOD! The ever-so-slight softness is but a small price to pay for nailing everything else. Besides, the softness reinforces exactly how fast these little buggers are! 🙂
“Besides, the softness reinforces exactly how fast these little buggers are”
I guess that’s why they call it “motion blur” (although at this shutter speed that isn’t what caused the softness).
They don’t signal.
Very rarely.
I would argue that your friend April experienced luck in the traditional sense of the word. You, on the other hand, got lucky with this impeccably timed photo as Seneca defined it: a result of preparation and opportunity.
To belabor my issue with bird names, I see lots of points on this Lark: beak, tail, feet (spurs as Kathy says), even the wing tips. But no horns. Should be called the Pointed Lark and possibly an alternative title for the post “Sometimes Horned Lark at the point of takeoff.”
Lyle, Horned Larks are like Short-eared Owls in that their “horns” are only visible when they raise them. Usually they’re kept flat on the head and can’t be seen.
As I look at your Horned lark takeoff I look up at my wall of a picture of a Bald eagle taking off 😁 Love seeing the out stretch of the neck, wings and the point of the feet.
Great picture❗️
Thanks, Diana.
I like that phrase “air shot.” Reminds of “air ball” in basketball.
Jeffrey, when it comes to this species I’m an expert at air shots…
Have never seen one take off Ron. Excellent photo and probably would only be considered a little soft by top notch photographers. Not being familiar with GSL what did the politicians do to cause the dismal water situation?
Everett, the GSL is a “dead” lake so it has no outflow and it’s fed by just a few small rivers. Those rivers are now mostly used for industry and agriculture and relatively little water reaches the lake – largely due to dams funded by the Utah legislature. And the legislature is promoting even more dams in the near future.
The GSL is disappearing fast. Before it’s gone I’d like to drown a bunch of legislators in it…
Thanks for the explanation Ron – does not sound good for the lake
Love this…and you got a great shot of that hind ‘spur’ besides! I’ve never gotten anything even near this…mine are a total blur if any part of them is even present in the photo. The background here is really interesting with the verticals also. Yes you definitely got lucky! 🙂
“mine are a total blur if any part of them is even present in the photo”
That’s pretty much my track record with them too, Kathy. This is one of those situations where I wish I had the new Canon 1-DX Mark III. At 16 frames/sec I very likely would have at least one more shot with him in the frame.
Yes, the feet are great!