I just never know what I’ll find, or find out, during a morning of attempted bird photography. Yesterday provided ample evidence of that.
Largely because of coronavirus-related restrictions and events it had been many weeks since I’d been to either Antelope Island or Farmington Bay WMA so yesterday morning I decided to pay them each a visit. The island was first on my agenda and then I visited Farmington on my way home. Birds were more numerous than they’d been for a very long time but in general Lady Luck wasn’t with me, in part because the morning wind was blowing so most birds were hunkered down out of sight. That’s just the way it is with bird photography.
But I did find out some interesting, and in at least one case disturbing, stuff.
My morning started out with a bang, or perhaps I should say with a roar. While still drinking coffee and trying to wake up I found this calm and trusting Willet on a rock. But at the same time I spotted the Willet I noticed two motorcycles and a car traveling in a tight group and headed my way.
To get a shooting angle on the Willet I had to pass it in my pickup, turn around, and then come back which I did in a crazy hurry because I knew, I just knew, that the car and motorcycles would turn off the main road, come my way and scare off the Willet before I could get off a shot. Willets are plain looking birds while perched but I was after a takeoff shot that showed off its flashy black and white wings.
I didn’t even have time to turn my engine off when I stopped (I never leave it running while photographing birds.) While I was still rolling to a stop I stuck my lens out my window, acquired focus and barely had time to fire off four shots in a burst which took .4 of a second.
This is the third shot in the burst.
And this is the fourth.
The car and motorcycles passed within about 12′ of the Willet and scared it off before I had time to compose carefully for a takeoff shot so of course I cut off its wings and didn’t leave enough room in front of the bird.
Before that I’d only seen one other vehicle all morning. The timing sucked.
My next good chance with a bird came with this Western Meadowlark. I didn’t see it on the ground along the edge of the road to my left as I drove very slowly because it was buried in the vegetation but it called so suddenly and loudly I actually jumped in surprise.
When I stopped it hopped a few inches off the ground onto this bent stem facing to its left which is the direction I figured it would most likely take off.
But at the last second it looked to its right, crouched slightly and…
took off in that direction instead. So not only did I not leave enough room on the left, the bird took off at such a steep angle vertically that I also cut off its left wing.
I had other chances with a few other birds while I was on the island but none of them turned out to be very good photos. By then high clouds were moving in from the east and when the wind suddenly died down the biting gnats came out with a vengeance so I was more than ready to slowly meander back to the causeway and head for gnatless Farmington.
Those damn gnats will ruin your fun on the island every time.
But it was a gorgeous morning looking west as I looped around toward the causeway.
Much of the Great Salt Lake north of the causeway was teeming with hundreds of thousands of migrating Eared Grebes, often with a few Horned Grebes thrown in for good measure.
They stay well away from the hubbub of the causeway so there’s really no opportunity to photograph individual birds but their numbers are truly jaw-dropping.
Here’s another view in better light. Every tiny dot we see on the water is a bird and we’re seeing only a very small portion of the vast lake.
At this point a quick geography lesson is called for to provide proper context for the photo and unsettling information that follow. I took this photo looking north from the causeway. Most of the mountainous land mass in the far distance is the Promontory Mountains, a peninsula jutting down into the lake from the north. But notice the slightly redder, lower elevation portion directly in front of the higher mountains – that’s Fremont Island.
Three thousand acre Fremont Island is the lake’s third largest island (after Antelope and Stansbury Islands) and it’s privately owned. But it’s extremely remote and difficult to reach, even for its owners. That fact relates to the following photo.
Yesterday I was shocked when I saw this brand new access to the lake and mudflats on the north side of the causeway just east of the “second bridge” so I made some inquiries of folks in the know to find out what the hell was going on.
It turns out that Fremont Island is now owned and controlled by at least one of the infamous Diesel Brothers of cable TV fame. Yup, the same Diesel Brothers who were very recently fined $850,000 by a Federal Court for modifying pickup trucks into smoke-belching monsters that “produced 36 times the pollutants and 21 times the particulate matter compared to a stock truck.” This new access to the mud flats was built to allow the Diesel Brothers more convenient access to Fremont Island which in this photo is out of frame to the left.
This seems highly inappropriate to say the very least. When lake water is low Fremont Island can be accessed using various vehicles across six miles of mud flats but significant damage to the lakebed will result, as can already be seen in this photo.
Since both Utah politicians/officials and the shady Diesel Brothers are involved in this matter I smell a skunk. An unusually odiferous one.
OK, on to Farmington Bay WMA. This time of year most of the refuge is closed to visitors for the nesting season so I knew I’d have very little opportunity to photograph birds but I’d heard of a recent drastic change to the area that I wanted to see for myself.
The nearly iconic yellow house that for decades sat at the entrance gate to the refuge is now gone. It belonged to my friends Ron and Carol but the state bought them out many months ago with the intention of incorporating the relatively large parcel of land into the refuge.
For years before the automated gate was installed Ron was the unofficial gatekeeper to the refuge so he’d lock and unlock the gate at the appropriate times each day. .
Ron and Carol actually owned two houses that sat here but now both of them are gone. The difference is amazing. I suspect that some old-timers at the refuge will occasionally miss the turnoff into the refuge because they’ve used that yellow house as a landmark for so many years.
The new addition to the refuge will be managed as upland habitat.
My morning ended with a short visit with my friend Billy Fenimore, manager of the nearby Wildlife Center. Because of issues with the current pandemic the center has been closed for quite a while but plans are to open it again in the coming weeks. This pandemic has been hard on our state employees, as it has been for all of us. But they’re working hard to adapt and prepare and they’re putting their best face forward so I applaud them. I wish them, and all of us, luck.
So there you have it, my morning of attempted bird photography. It wasn’t what I expected but then it almost never is.
Ron
Note: Even this time of year the water between Antelope and Fremont islands is extremely shallow, so shallow that in previous years wild pigs from Fremont have walked across the mud flats and gained access to Antelope, a State Park. Wild pigs do immense amounts of damage to natural habitats so the state actually had to hire hunters shooting from helicopters to eradicate them from Fremont Island as a preventative measure.
Ron,
I agree: upsetting to see that kind of damage (that rarely is repaired) occur to the lake bed. Money Talks and ….
Stephen
That new access does my head in. Sadly our politicians are also firmly in bed with money, and put the ‘economy’ ahead of rather a lot of things I hold dear.
At the moment they are insisting that the economy needs to be given a assistance in the post lockdown start-up. Just one of the ways I know of that they are achieving this is by ‘eliminating green tape’ (their phrase) and allowing loggers and other industry into areas without the need for pesky environmental studies. And one area they have already ticked and flicked is an area devastated by fire earlier this year – an area which is known to be a koala (and lots of other less cute species) habitat.
Hiss and spit doesn’t begin to cover my reactions.
On a much more positive note I was totally awed by the expanse of grebe dotted water. That would be an incredible sight.
Yeah, I know. Our politicians, state and federal, are doing about the same thing, EC. I think they’re using the pandemic and the resulting poor economy as an excuse to enact policies they’ve always wanted to enact.
True. Hiss and effing spit.
Those takeoff shots remind me of yesterday’s post. Those leg stretches mostly make up for the clipped wings.
Amazing to see all of those Grebes. They are here in winter, but I haven’t seen them close to those numbers.
Never heard of the Diesel Brothers. Not surprising that there are low-life aholes in Utah. You have biting gnats, I have mosquitoes and we all have pests the likes of these guys.
“Those leg stretches mostly make up for the clipped wings.”
I agree, Lyle but “mostly” is the key word there.
Believe me, Utah has at least its fair share of low-lifes.
So often change is NOT for the better. (Word that rhymes with duck) the diesel brothers and the government bastards that let them get away with this! 🤬
Had to take a moment and scroll back up the the grebe gathering. That must have been one helluva sight in person!
A helluva sight indeed, Marty. It happens every year and sometimes many of them are much closer to the causeway than they are this year so it’s even more impressive. They must be extra spooky this year. The recent construction at the new entrance to the mud flats probably didn’t help.
Change, I am never good with it. I will miss the yellow house, I thought it was cute, but with all the growth in the area it will be good to have a little natural habitat added back.
As far as Fremont Island goes I hope they don’t tear the hell out of the mud flat habitat and Island. I know desert is not valued by officials in this state, but I sure wish the people in power would stop selling to people who respect it even less!
April, I’ll miss both the yellow house and its occupants but as you say at least they’re converting it to natural habitat.
Now that is an interesting morning Ron. I opened the blog up very early this morning, but was getting ready to head out myself so couldn’t take the time to read all of it. Back now and finding it a very interesting read. Did not know Willets have that neat wing coloring when taking off so next time I am photographing them I will stick around until something makes them go. Can’t believe the number of Eared Grebes there. That is incredible. From time to time I will see one or two here at one of our lakes, but that is about it. I think on just a couple occasions I have seen maybe eight of them together. Shame about the lost access there due to the Diesel brothers. Will have to Google them since I am not familiar with them.
Thanks, Everett. I provided a link to the Diesel Brothers in my text beneath the photo of the new lake access if you want to use it.
Ron, this is just a test to see if your program will allow me to respond.
You passed the test, Dick!
It looks on my screen that I was able to respond. Still can’t to Mia’s. However, memory can be a double edged sword. I remember very well the blackouts during WWII and the Wardens checking on the houses for any light leaking through. The absolute lack of young men about during the war. My whole family was working or serving in that war! I had to wait till Korea and Vietnam.
Luckily my timing was such that I wasn’t personally involved in any of the three of them.
Thanks you (again) for bringing a slice of joy into my morning! It’s sorely needed and I heartily appreciate your talents, your persistence and your artistry, timing issues be damned!
Have I mentioned that I hate most humans? I’m often not proud of being among humanity. Yes, there are some perks, but money, greed and sheer stupidity (among other lovely human traits <- sarcasm for the humor impaired) makes me ashamed of us overall. And yes, many humans GET it, even many corporations, but we've been rewarding mediocrity for a long time and we've got it now. Boy do we have it! I'm constantly reminded of how our forebears handled tough situations in our history. But we had different leaders during those times–well actual leaders who rallied us into smarter and kinder reactions. The WWII era springs immediately to mind. Sigh!
But I've strayed off topic. I now return you to your regularly scheduled program.
“The WWII era springs immediately to mind”
Agreed, Laura. Tom Brokaw was right – The Greatest Generation (even though they were far from perfect).
Great photos, as always. And nice to get a better sense of your part of the country. Sadly, money and influence are hurting the natural world in far too many places. Peace.
Thanks, Cathy. And yes, sadly you’re absolutely right.
Angry with you about slime balls owning Fremont Island. May their trucks sink.
“May their trucks sink”
Wouldn’t that be appropriate! Karma…
Damn! Of course, with “blessings from above” all sorts of things wildlife related are in jeopardy……. 🙁 Even with clipped wings it’s nice to see “spring” progressing! 🙂 We actually managed to get 1.3″ of rain overnight and still coming down! After our VERY dry winter…….. 😉
And I think you got several inches not long ago, Judy. A wet spring should pay off in the end as long as it’s not too much too fast.
Some areas got that – went around us as is often the case – we’re in an “arid pocked” as I understand it.
I’m a bit blown away with this post. Aside from the still awesome bird shots, I can’t believe the diesel brothers have their hands dipped in the island.
Wow! I can’t believe the houses are gone at Farmington Bay. I also talked with Kimmy about living in one of those houses. I’m sad to see they are gone as it has been a personal landmark to me for years.
As always thanks again for sharing!
Shane, I was blown away myself when I saw that new access. And my reaction was amplified when I learned its purpose. Influence and money grease a lot of wheels in Utah, I hope this isn’t one of them.
I think many of us will miss that yellow house. I know I miss Ron and Carol.