And some thoughts on roadkill, of all things.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Since I’m not finding many Black-billed Magpies on Antelope Island these days, it’s nice to find them elsewhere.
Three days ago, in a remote area of northern Utah, this immature magpie and several of ‘his’ buddies were feeding on roadkill (a rabbit I think) when I drove over a small hill and surprised them. Many of them flew off quite a distance but this one didn’t go far and landed on a fence post on the ‘good’ side of the road.
When he took off I caught him in a flight posture I like and he was still close enough to the post for me to keep it in frame, which I also like for the context it provides.
Speaking of roadkill, later that morning I provided some of my own. Not long after I left the Short-eared Owls I posted photos of yesterday, I ran over some critter trying to cross the road that I believe was a half-grown Ring-necked Pheasant. I wasn’t driving fast (after all, I was looking for birds), but I didn’t see it until the very last second so I had absolutely no chance to avoid it. But I felt the thump when I hit it.
Three days later it still bothers me. I’m one to make every practical and safe effort to avoid hitting critters on the road, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, and until that morning it had been a long time since it had happened. At least that I’m aware of.
At this point all I can hope for is that it provided more food for the magpies and other scavengers. And that none of them became roadkill themselves.
Ron
More thoughts on roadkill:
When I was a teenager on the northwest Montana farm there would sometimes be so many ‘gophers’ (Richardson’s Ground Squirrels) on the road in early spring they were impossible to avoid. Their tendency to feed on their road-killed companions only compounded the massacre, as did the fact that springtime was when many farmers hauled their grain to town in big trucks. There were times when parts of the road to town (Cut Bank) would become almost greasy with road-killed gophers.
Eventually you couldn’t help becoming almost immune to hitting them. Trying to avoid them could be dangerous and besides, gophers could be a terrible scourge on spring grain crops so it was easy to think of running over gophers as a form of rodent control, especially for farmers.
Needless to say, my attitude today is different.
Powerful thoughts on roadkill: “Apologia” by the late Barry Lopez
Thanks, Shirley.
I hear you and feel you on the roadkill and echo what Arwen said…
I also carry rubber gloves in my car so I can pull over and drag or otherwise
remove the carcass/what’s left of the dear one who got hit to the side of the road where it can be fed on without danger to the scavengers.
In the appropriate areas that sounds like a good idea, Karen.
I adore that magpie launch.
I feel just as you do about road kill. There is a LOT of it on some roads here and it makes my heart ache. Food for some, but risky food…
“Food for some, but risky food…”
That’s it exactly, EC.
All life is precious and hitting anything is always very upsetting, even if completely unavoidable. I remember every unfortunate incident and can only hope no long suffering was involved.
The magpie shot is great. I wish we had them here but I have to travel east of the Cascades to find them. My sister lives in eastern Washington and her neighbors seem to strongly dislike them. But how could anyone not like such a beautiful and intelligent bird? Perhaps they are very noisy as they complain about but I would sure like to have that “noise” around here.
Dan, I was on Antelope Island this morning and for the second trip there in a row I didn’t see a single magpie. They appear to have fledged their youngsters and then completely abandoned the island.
I really appreciate the automobile. It’s a swift magic carpet to other places and things. Love a good road trip. But I sometimes wonder if these self-propelled mechanical conveyances are out of step with the bigger picture; roadkill just an example of that.
Good shot of the magpie. Like the way you captured the fully extended launch.
Thanks, Michael. Like a lot of things, vehicles are a mixed blessing.
I hate to hit critters. Makes me ill for a long time. I have hit a few, especially with the new eastern fox squirrels in Salt Lake, they are suicidal in behavior when it comes to running across the roads. When I am out in the backwoods and I see roadkill in the middle of the road I will often stop and pull it way to the side of the road, I have even tugged some good size deer over. I always worry it will cause another victim who is taking advantage of the meal. But as far as all the gofers that is more than I want to remove! I saw a big group of juvenile magpies eating fresh, still steaming cow pies. I had never seen that before.
April, I almost never used to see squirrels in my neighborhood but this year their numbers have exploded around here. And they’re beginning to become a nuisance at my bird feeders.
Nice shot of the Magpie especially with the context of the post.
Roadkill IS a fact of life here even if a sad one. The pheasants are often pretty stupid about such things and have gritted my teeth on a regular basis “hoping” they don’t go stupid on me – win some/lose some that way. Deer are a whole nother issue and, I’ve gotten 2 in my life that I never saw until it was too late one almost coming through the windshield of the Escort I was driving at the time! Neighbor died after hitting one on his motor cycle a few years back. 🙁 GF has a lot of the “gophers” in spring – not so much around here. They all do provide food for a myriad of creatures tho that can also create another traffic hazzard.
Thankfully I’ve never hit a deer, Judy. But I’ve had two close calls that certainly got my attention.
Interesting story this morning Ron. Back in October 2016 my wife and I spent about 8 or 9 days in Utah. We drove from here in Prescott up to Capitol Reef and then down to Zion and Bryce on the way home. Great trip that we very much enjoyed, but we were really amazed at how many road killed deer we saw. I was thinking possibly the majority had been hit by big rigs at night?
Here if I go very early up to our Goldwater Lake I have to really be alert for deer and javelina crossing the road. Right now the majority seem to be porcupines and skunks.
“I was thinking possibly the majority had been hit by big rigs at night?”
I don’t know, Everett. In my experience semi drivers on average are much better and much safer drivers than the typical motorist. And they know what to look out for.
But when a big rig hits a deer you can usually tell, because of all the mayhem.
That’s a nice neutral background that highlights the fan of the wing feathers. The post and still partly dangling legs do add to the sense of just taking off.
I had a sense of relief as I slammed on my brakes the other day to avoid a Townsend’s Chipmunk. It’s a busy road, so one wonders if he has developed car avoidance skills. Certainly the ubiquitous Crows are better at calculating vehicle trajectories than the people behind the steering wheel are. I suspect the related Magpie is much the same.
“Certainly the ubiquitous Crows are better at calculating vehicle trajectories than the people behind the steering wheel”
Lyle, some drivers either have broken calculators or they don’t know how to use theirs. Driving home from the island this morning I was reminded three times of how many completely mindless drivers there are out there. I’m glad I made it home safely.
I bless and release each roadkill I see. I thank them for their part in the circle of life.
I remember every animal I’ve ever hit.
Compassionate hearts can be a double-edge blade.
Bless you for providing for those that scavenge.
It is hard. 🤗
“Compassionate hearts can be a double-edge blade.”
Indeed.
Yup.
Thank you, Arwen.
Yup, I’m with you on road kills! I try and avoid anything on the road if possible!
Good.
I’m often often anxious about the feral Ring Neck Pheasants, (one male and two females and, currently their chicks) that have been permanent residents in my (wooden) fenced back yard for the 3 + years I have lived here. Even though my urban lot is double the size of most and perhaps triple the size of some I realize it is still small for a pheasant but I get nervous every time I see them cross the road to the traffic island even though there is little traffic here. Avoiding them on the road can sometimes be impossible especially if they engage in one of their famous “bursts” but still I worry for their safety. It’s too bad that it happened to you and that pheasant but there is no way I am aware of to teach a pheasant to look before crossing. Meantime, the magpie shot is lovely.
Thanks, Granny Pat.