The shooting conditions weren’t good but the action made up for it.
I’ve posted one of the following photos in the past but the other two are new to Feathered Photography so obviously I’ve never posted them as a series.
Eight years ago, on New Years Day morning 2013, there was lots of new snow on Antelope Island so it drew me like a magnet. After the previous night’s celebrations (by others, not me) and with less than ideal driving conditions I knew the island would be close to deserted in the early morning and I love fresh snow so off I went. When I arrived it was overcast with light fog so shooting conditions were less than optimal but just experiencing the island in those conditions was worth the trip and as a bonus I expected the critters to be out and active.
I wasn’t disappointed.
1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 400mm, not baited, set up or called in
This coyote was hunting voles in the deep snow and ‘he’ was so focused on pursuing breakfast he paid no attention to my pickup being close to him, so close I had to swap out my 500 mm lens and use my ‘baby lens’ to keep him in frame in case there was any action. Here I caught him at the beginning of a very athletic leap with the intention of pouncing on a vole he’d heard quite a distance in front of him and beneath all that snow.
This shot isn’t as sharp as the others but I wanted to include it to make the short series complete.
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1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 400mm, not baited, set up or called in
He really stretched out as he sailed through the air and closed the distance between him and the vole he’d heard beneath the snow. Even though it’s subtle I very much like all of the snow falling off of the back of his tail.
1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 400mm, not baited, set up or called in
Just before he hit the snow I didn’t have enough room on the right for great composition but I kept him in frame so I’m including the photo. I like how his entire body is only inches above the surface of the snow and even conforms pretty well to its shape.
I have to wonder if it’ll ever snow again around here. We’ve had snow in our forecast for most of the last two weeks or so but every supposed snowstorm that has come through has been a dud.
With my surname and given its intended definition I’ve always taken minor exception to the use of ‘dud’ in this context but somehow it seemed appropriate here.
Dud
Notes:
- I don’t remember for sure if the coyote came up with the vole but I doubt it. If he had I’d have kept more photos of the encounter.
- In high school many of my friends called me ‘Dud’ and it rankled me at the time but eventually I figured out that it was meant as a term of affection so I learned to accept it with relative grace. It beats the hell out of “Dudley Duck”, a character in one of our primary school readers. I was stuck with that moniker for a while too. I remember at least one bloody nose that resulted from being repeatedly called Dudley Duck in the first or second grade. In some delicious irony the name of the kid with the bloody nose was Alan Teal. And that’s the truth.
I like these. I was lucky to watch a mother coyote hunting down the hill from where I was standing this summer. Fascinating! My grampa would make long rhyme like verses for a person’s name. He would greet me with, “Hello, Jane -bane boopin brow. I got stuck with “Boop”
Thanks, Jane. I’ll certainly give your grampa credit for originality!
What a fantastic series. I love watching any canid in motion. If I had it to do over again, I think I would have gone into studying canine behavior and locomotion. I enjoyed my foray into feline locomotion as an undergrad and human posture/gait/locomotion in grad school, but I think I missed my calling.
And yes, THIS particular “dog” is too old to learn new tricks right now, although behaviors can be trained/shaped both operantly and classically in actual dogs of all ages. 🐶❤️
Wow Marty, when you specialize you specialize!
I intentionally planned my trip to Antelope Island the other day because of the snow. The Island in the snow is one of my favorite places. It was odd how the north end had about twice as much snow than the south. I have not noticed that before. I had planned on hiking and staying for the sunset. I forgot my gaitors so I did not hike much, but the sunset was spectacular. I have been seeing more coyotes this past year. On my hike I followed multiple coyote tracks along the trail. I saw several at a distance.
In 6th grade our class had to move to another school due to rapid growth in the area. We were a small group of 30 that had know each other since kindergarten. When the two schools merged there were now 5 classes each of 30 sixth graders. For some reason it was a hard year for me. I was teased a bullied. One new boy started called me buffalo hair because my hair was auburn and curly. The name spread. Finally in the spring while waiting for the bus after school it came to a head. The boy had started a group of three other boys teasing me and taking my stuff, I had had it and beat the crap out of him. It did not make me popular but the teasing and taunting ended that day. In Jr high he called me buffalo hair once, I kicked his locker shut jamming his fingers in the locker. He avoided me the remainder of our school days.
I absolutely loved your story, April – especially since it stopped the bullying. Justice meted out can be so sweet, even if sometimes bordering on violent at that age. Karma isn’t necessarily peaceful.
Good morning Ron. Love the pictures you posted today. The coyote stretching out for the kill looks so graceful. Have snow up my way, but not the big storms, sure we all will get some heavy snow before winter is over. Wishing you and family a very Merry Christmas.
Thank you, Trudy. Similar wishes back at you.
Beautiful, athletic coyote in all that beautiful, moisture-laden snow — I hope you get a repeat on New Year’s Day 2021, a portent of better times ahead.
That would be nice!
What a wonderful, wonderful sight to see and capture.
It is warm, sticky and coyote free here this morning so this series has particular appeal. Thank you.
Nicknames are bad enough but I have thought (more than once) that some parents could/should be charged with child abuse for the names they foist on their offspring. Some celebrities are major offenders.
Thanks, EC. As Diana said, what were they thinking?
Not of the well being of their child that is for sure and certain.
I seem to worry more about wildlife during the winter than summer. It makes me cold just looking at this guy ❗️Great action shots.
My nickname was either abalone or albatross 😖 ❗️ But Candy Cane had it worse… what are parents thinking. I didn’t know him but Harry Pitts has to be the worst 😳
Diana, when it comes to cruel first names picked out by parents Ima Hogg always comes to the forefront for me but a close second was Bill Lear, inventor of the Lear Jet (among other things), who named his daughter Crystal Shanda. Think about it…
According to Wikipedia and US Census records other unfortunate names of girls named Ima include Ima Pigg, Ima Muskrat, Ima Nut, Ima Hooker, Ima Weiner, Ima Reck, Ima Pain and Ima Butt.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ima_Hogg#Name
All the poor Ima’s out there 😆 At least we can marry and change our name ❗️But that can be iffy too❗️
A law firm I worked for in Las Vegas back in the 70’s had a client named Royal C Paine … he was an obstetrician! LOL
Now that’s funny!
I had a botany professor in college named Dr. Flowers.
What a fantastic way to begin a new year! We have always something to learn during each outing we make regardless of the temperature or the weather conditions, good or bad. Your photos are excellent and they show the acrobatics that a coyote must do to catch its prey. Up here, the coyote is rare compared to the fox, but both have a similar behavior. Thank you to share this great moments.
Thanks, Laval. In my view it’s the BEST way to begin the new year – with critters and birds, solitude and my tires squeaking as they made their tracks in the snow.
What a fantastic snow day that was. Even though the fox got skunked he looks to be in good shape. What a thick winter coat. Coyotes here don’t get that, but then snow and temps are nothing like you get.
Lyle Lyle crocodile was my moniker in early elementary; later it was Lyle the big fat pile. Kids can be jerks. Some outgoing politicians never outgrow it.
“Some outgoing politicians never outgrow it”
Boy, ain’t that the truth!
Fun series. I have seen our coyotes do this all along the fringe of the golf course leaping for gophers of which we have more than I could ever count. The interesting thing is seeing their pained expression as they eat them. They don’t like them, but I think when they are real hungry the gophers due as a last resort.
Do you think of Alan Teal when you take shots of Green-winged Teals? 🙂
Everett, I think the grimacing coyotes often do when they’re eating rodents is caused by rodent bites to their mouth or tongue. Or their fear of being bitten.
Nope, I only think of Alan Teal in the context of him calling me Dudley Duck. He was smaller than me but he could run fast and he knew it but when he made me mad enough I could run faster.
Wonderful series, Ron – it IS fun to watch coyote/fox/ and even our Border Collie do that jump and dive…….😀 The “stretch” involved as well as the rest of the gymnastics is pretty amazing. Nicknames can be a REAL PITA particularly when we are kids and very “sensitive” to such things……😉 It IS funny that the one getting bloodied had the last name of Teal!
Thanks, Judy. I never even realized the irony until years later. I guess you have to know birds pretty well to appreciate it.