A new but sporadic feature on Feathered Photography.
Feathered Photography sprang into life on August 18, 2010 and in the intervening 10+ years I’ve posted many thousands of images on this platform. Many of them have never been seen since the first day they were published and I think some of them deserve better than that.
So beginning today it’s my intention to, perhaps once or twice per month, repost some of my favorite photos from the distant past. Not all of them will be my best images technically – some will only be sentimental favorites, some will be behavioral shots that I think are pretty special, some will be photos that readers have convinced me are better or more interesting than I originally thought they were and others will be photos that got an unexpected reaction or had an unexpected effect when I posted them. But admittedly the photos I include will likely be heavy on those I think are some of my ‘best’ images..
Regular, long-time readers will have seen many of them before but for most of them it’s been a good long while. Each of the following four photos was posted during the month of October, 2010.
So here we go, deja vu all over again.
When I photographed this Common Goldeneye eating a fish I was intrigued by the eel-like shape of the prey so I became fixated on determining what kind of fish it was. No one I asked seemed to know and in the meantime I photographed several other birds eating the same kind of fish at Farmington Bay WMA and Bear River MBR.
Eventually I asked my good friend Justina Bernstein who at the time was Director of the original Farmington Nature Center and she sent some of my photos to a fisheries biologist at DWR who keyed the fish out as invasive Weather Loaches (dojo loaches). He said he was unaware of their presence at our refuges. Weather Loaches in Utah were likely released into our waters illegally by fish fanciers (aquarists). Since that time I’ve photographed birds, including Kingfishers, eating Weather Loaches at other Utah ponds and streams.
This photo is smaller than I usually post because when I first began blogging I was posting my photos at 720 pixels on the long side instead of 900 pixels like I do now.
Ten years ago I knew that Western Grebes are voracious feather-eaters and I’d photographed adults eating feathers many times but until I took this photo I’d never photographed an adult feeding feathers to its chicks.
This is one of my photos that inspired my intense interest in bird behaviors so it has special meaning for me.
One of my favorite photos of all time for a lot of reasons including technical merit, behavior, iridescent colors and flight posture. I caught this Black-billed Magpie with nesting material in its bill soon after it took off in the direction of the nest it was refurbishing.
Some of us think of this photo as my ‘hat magpie’ but I guess that’s mostly an inside joke. This version of the image has my newer copyright watermark on it because I was unhappy with the way I’d processed it back in 2010 so I reprocessed it.
A very young and very inquisitive Burrowing Owl parallaxing me as it was trying to figure out what was causing that clicking sound coming from inside my pickup.
This may be my most popular photo of all time – if it isn’t it’s close. There’s no question that it’s my most stolen photo. When I do a reverse image search on it I get what are probably hundreds of hits from thieves who have lifted the image for use on their websites or for their profile pictures on social media and elsewhere. A backhanded compliment if there ever was one. Image thieves piss me off..
So there you have it, Volume 1 of my new feature on Feathered Photography. How often I add additional volumes and how long I’ll continue adding them depends on several variables.
We’ll see how it goes.
Ron
I have no idea how I missed this post, Ron! What a beautiful trip down memory lane. I absolutely adore pictures of grebe chicks hitching a ride, so you can probably guess my favorite shot and the other three are a VERY close 2nd! 🙂
And as for those image thieves, may an incontinent Mastiff hang out on their beds — after eating a gas station burrito!
I ditto everyone’s responses because they’ve said what I think. You are one of a kind and I’m happy I stumbled onto your blog site. I have done many screen shots of birds I have a problem identifying. They are on my system to refer back to. Thanks for being on my screen!
Hi Ron – Pls watch the movie “How to Train Your Dragon” #1. It’s a delightful animation. You’ll feel like a kid watching it – make sure you have popcorn! 🙂
Thank you for re-posting older images. They are always a delight to revisit. I think you need more credit than you give yourself, your daily blog has informed, educated and sparked an interesting in many photographers. I know in my case it definitely did. I have always loved photography mixed with nature. I ran into your blog while grounded from a TIA. My family would not let me out exploring alone since full debilitating life threatening strokes can follow in a few months of a TIA. Seeing your work I decided to invest in a Canon 7D MIII and what lenses I could afford. Without your daily tutelage I would have taken forever to master the camera. It is very technical. I, like you, want to capture behavior shots more than a bird on a stick. Not easy! I do have many photos of birds on sticks but the sought out goal of nice movement, light, setting and composition keep me going. I love to see what you have captured out in the field every day. So I hope you keep teaching online with your passion. There are many new photographers waiting and learning.
What a nice and thoughtful comment, April. I didn’t know I’d been such an influence on your interest in photography.
Btw, I really enjoyed running into you in the field yesterday.
What a great idea you had because since I saw your blog for the first time on August 2013 I have missed three years of photos.
Those you showed today are awesome so I am very curious to see some more.
If that calendar ever sees the light of the day you can count me in to purchase it.
And thank you EC for that great suggestion.
Thank you, Jorge. Gotta admit to some curiosity about how you remember so precisely the first time you visited my blog… ?
You will probably think I am a little weird but I usually keep records of everything that is important to me and that I did for the first time.
Regarding your posts that year I only kept the first one (30/8) and two others (25/12) and (31/12).
As I told you before your posts are very important to me and I read them all.
Hope you have a great day.
I really like EC’s calendar suggestion, although once you started you’d be hounded by us to make one every year. Then there’s the time spent with a printer and how to distribute and what holidays would be included and what size lest they be mutilated by stuffing into mailboxes. I’d also like one with date boxes about 2” square to write appointments in and such. And then all of your customers would eventually have huge stacks of calendars and torn out photos covering walls in countless homes because no one could possibly dispose of them. Not your problem, I know.
Oh, by the way, none of these photos is my favorite, which is not to say they aren’t absolutely calendar worthy and more, and I haven’t seen but a fraction of your photos. But, of the ones I have seen, I’m sure you’ll get around to posting it.
Are you going to keep me in suspense, Lyle?
Yeah, those are a few of the reasons I haven’t done a calendar in the past.
Hint: Where the calendar begins; there you will find the key.
LOUD applause from here.
I adore all of these and am very glad to revisit. These and many, many others.
Slightly off topic. I know (regretfully) that you resist the idea of writing a book. As I peeled away the month of November from calendars this week I did think how much I would like a calendar of your shots to delight, and inspire me through the year. Is this something you have (or would ever consider? Asking hopefully. For me and for many friends.
EC, and I thought of you when I was composing this post. You’ve probably been my most enduring (and endearing 🙂 ) blog follower almost from day one so you’ll likely have already seen most of the images I post.
I’ve (briefly) considered publishing a calendar but never followed through. Maybe for 2021…
Please. Pretty please.
And yes these images ARE familiar. But much loved.
Remind me in early fall of 2021.
Done.
And thank you for your kind words. Your posts are a daily delight.
Always a special time in the morning when I open up your gift of a blog, Ron❣️
Hard indeed, to pick favorites…but really appreciate your inquisitive owl photo.
Are they just “resting ” when they have one foot tucked up and under?
I love the education I get from your sharing Ron >💕❣️
Thanks, Carolyn. It’s a relaxed and resting pose. I always love seeing it because it means the bird is accepting of my presence and I’m not making it nervous.
Fantastic!
Charlotte Norton
Thanks, Charlotte.
What a special blog – so excited for more!! The Black-billed Magpie is my favorite! Reminds me of Toothless from ‘How to Train Your Dragon” painted with the brilliant colors from ‘Avatar.’ Film fantasy inspired by nature! Thank you for sharing the archival favs!
Thank you, Kathleen. I guess I’m unfamiliar with “Toothless”.
I don’t know about you, but when I am “rating” my pictures I have a hard time not playing favorites with pictures that I took on a particularly great day/location and not just the quality of the photo itself.
I agree Ken, there are lots of things that come into play other than technical excellence when picking favorites.
Love the “hit parade” Ron. Looking forward to upcoming installments!
Good. Thanks, Diane.
Terrific idea! I agree with Everett that the owl gets the Oscar! What’s old is mostly new for me and for me re-runs are always welcome with your photos.
Good to know, Kathy. I was worried it might fall flat.
The baby grebe really tickles me. I think I’m going to love this Retro Ron, professor. 🙂
“Retro Ron”. Ha, wish I’d thought of that.
As a fairly new follower of your blog, I am delighted to see some of your favourites – these are wonderful. I too think photo stealing is reprehensible, but it is also a compliment, given the billions of images available for illegal harvesting. Thanks again for sharing the fruits of your labors of love.
Thanks, Burrdoo. Image theft is a ‘compliment’ I can easily live without.
I’ll take these trips down memory lane any time! 😀 I remember most of them…. I’m sure the refuge wasn’t happy to find the weather loaches there even if they provide some grub. The Grebes are too cute with the feather the young one is trying to get. Of course, the owl always gives me a HUGE grin. AND, it is a beautiful photo of the Magpie even if they aren’t my favorite bird. Thx!
Judy, just this week I read an article about weather loaches being found in the ponds and streams of another state (can’t remember which one). They’re electroshocking them in an effort to get rid of them before they become too well established.
Georgia? I hadn’t heard of the weather loach before, so I looked it up, and I found a recent article in the Athens Banner-Herald that matches your description.
It could have been, Phil. I just don’t remember.
Love these, looking forward to seeing more!
Thank you, Stephanie.
I really enjoyed this post, Ron. One reason being that I once photographed a Western grebe feeding a feather to its young. I had never seen this before so I did an internet search on “feather feeding” and your website came up and that’s how I discovered your blog.
Also, as I recall, that wonderful magpie picture has also been stolen — probably more than once.
Justine, yes that magpie photo is stolen often. I once got into a pretty nasty brouhaha over it with one of the thieves.
Very interesting nostalgic photos Ron. I believe the only one I am familiar with is the Magpie that I purchased a print of for my wife. All interesting, but for sure the Burrowing Owl gets the Oscar. No doubt it would be your most stolen along with that one fabulous eagle photo you have shown us.
I think it is an excellent idea to do posts like this one from time to time especially during these upcoming very cold winter days when you might not be able to get out there.
Thanks for the encouragement, Everett. I’d forgotten you’d purchased a print of the ‘magpie hat’ photo. 🙂