And some incredibly cold temperatures.
After another week stuck at home (I know, that pattern is beginning to sound like a broken record) due to inclement weather and medical appointments, I finally got out again yesterday morning.
1/8000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
As expected, Antelope Island was almost barren of birds but I did manage to get several photos of this Common Raven in flight soon after it took off from one of the island’s ubiquitous Tintic Quartzite boulders. With the jet-black bird taking off from a very light-colored rock in a setting that included a snow-covered hillside in the background, it was an exposure nightmare. But the light angle was such that I still had pretty good detail in the blacks of the raven.
If you’re wondering why the pure white snow on the hillside appears light tan it’s because it was covered with brownish vegetation and it was far enough away that the bokeh of my lens rendered it as an off-white.
For this version of the photo I had to add a narrow sliver of canvas on the right side of the image to avoid having the raven completely centered in the frame but…
a vertical composition of the same photo avoided that problem. Plus, it made the raven larger in the frame.
Birds were so scarce on the island I decided to make a quick stop at Farmington Bay WMA on the way home, where I found…
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 200, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
an immature Red-tailed Hawk hunting voles from a low perch in a large tree. This photo was taken after ‘he’ took off away from me, pounced on the vole that you see in his talons, and returned with the vole to a different branch on the same tree.
When he was returning to the tree I assumed he’d land on the same branch he took off from, so in an attempt to get landing shots I made the mistake of prefocusing on that branch. But he landed on a lower branch so I missed the landing shots.
For the rest of this week we’re supposed to have some pretty good light for photography so I hope to publish posts to my blog more frequently than I have in recent weeks. That is, if I can find birds in this bitterly cold weather.
The recent temperatures around here are beginning to remind me of my days growing up in northwestern Montana. As I type this at 4:10 AM my outdoor thermometer reads 4° F. and it’s supposed to get colder by dawn. Due to cold temps and wind, some schools have been opening two hours later than usual and Utah’s notorious Peter Sinks near Logan had a low of 61° below zero yesterday morning.
Is it cold where you are? For those of you in the path of the forecast frigid temps and ice storms in the south and central US, I wish you loads of luck.
Ron
PS – My friend Loren Nebeker was parked near my pickup when the red-tail landed in the tree with the vole. Loren was smarter than I was so because he didn’t prefocus on the branch the hawk took off from, he got a few of the landing shots I missed. If you’re on Facebook, one of them can be seen here.
You haven’t mentioned temperature differentials & focus sharpness issues for awhile. Problem solved ?
“Problem solved?”
Pretty much, Valon.
I dress warmly, including using my seat heaters (bun warmers), so I can keep it cold in the cab of my pickup. That keeps my lens cold so the problem has been very much reduced, though not completely eliminated. So far at least…
OK, I guess 43 (at 7am) isn’t so cold by comparison, but I live in SoCal for Pete’s sake! Even the backyard birds are confused about this weather, they’re going through food like I’ve never seen before. And they’re better off than your photo subjects today, both of whom are likely finding slim pickings out there in the deep freeze. But happy to see the beautiful RT was successful.
“but I live in SoCal for Pete’s sake!”
Chris, I’ve always wondered who Pete is. Any clues… 🙂
Thankfully, voles seem to be very active, even in this cold, so our raptors seem to fare pretty well.
Ha! It was an oft-used phrase in my house, my dad said Pete was a friend of his. (Google says it’s St. Peter, a substitute for Christ. I like Dad’s explanation.)
We are hot here. Not as hot as it has been in other years, but still hotter than I like.
I LOVE all of these shots and the vertical crop of the raven works really well.
EC, this time I hope you’re spared the fires.
Brrrr! It’s been cold here. 15 when I had to leave the house.
Bundle up, Arwen. Bundle up…
Nice exposure of the Raven and the rock (sounds like an English pub).
I think Red-tailed Hawks are like fingerprints and snowflakes: no two are exactly alike. You do manage to get the most interesting shots a la RTH with vole.
30º and lightly snowing in NW Washington. Another reason I’m glad to be here and not in Logan.
“Raven and the rock (sounds like an English pub)”
That’s spot on, Lyle. I love that you think of stuff like that. With my English heritage you’d think I’d beat you to it, but no…
My brain saw COVID instead of Corvid – had to reread your title a couple of times! Did not see the vole at first. Love the contrasting colors in the raven shot – they’re underrated.
“My brain saw COVID instead of Corvid”
Kathleen, these days I have to be very careful when I’m typing either word or I’ll screw it up. I actually did screw it up on my blog once.
I had a friend who did a lot of bird photography. When Covid hit, it always called it Corvid. I finally quit correcting him. LOL He was a shift manager at a Rite-Aid store and you’d think he’d know with all the gazillion signs they had hanging everywhere. 🙂 Sadly Rod had a heart attack and passed away Thanksgiving Day, 2021. I still greatly miss him. He encouraged me in taking up photography and I owe him a great deal for all the things he taught me.
Interesting story, Karen. So sorry about your friend.
Ron, amazing shot of the Raven.
I noticed a comment from Burrdoo, from Ottawa. May I respond regarding Snowy Owls? I know where they can be found very reliably.
“May I respond regarding Snowy Owls?”
Of course, Jerzy. Have at it.
Thanks Ron for the excellent photos and explanations and the weather report. And probably for me only a new word Corvid. Stretching my memory, but do not think I have ever heard that word that describes the Raven’s family. Had to look it up.
Always glad to expose my readers a new word, especially when it’s bird related. Thanks, Everett.
It’s a “relatively balmy” 2 degrees below zero in Cedar City this AM……
Although born and raised in Utah, I’ve never heard of Peter Sinks until this
morning’s post, and I’m sure glad I wasn’t a native of THAT place–lordy !
I think the background elements in the Raven photos somehow add an
almost mythic quality to the bird’s image………
Kris, all our weatherpersons love to talk about Peter Sinks because the winter temps there are so extreme. I’m a little surprised you hadn’t heard of it.
Ron, my work has me in Death Valley for the winter. 40* or warmer for lows, in the mid 60’s most days. But winds, oh this *&^%(@ winds. Depending upon the direction and speed, we get just winds, or blowing dust, or blowing sand or all 3.
More birds around here for the winters than I thought I would find.
At my home in Oregon it was minus 5 yesterday.
jake
Jake, I haven’t been to Death Valley since I was just a little kid, so young I can’t even remember being there. Good to know there’s a few birds there, at least in winter.
-8 DegF here in the Heber valley this morning, Ron. Makes me awful glad I am not homeless and that I am not a Common Raven. How birds can survive these temps just perching on a branch shivering away is beyond me. Yes they can go into torpor and drop their body temps by a few degrees but that is still 90+ degrees of temperature differential! All that at a time of little food and the ground covered in 4-5’ of snow.
Thanks for the new pic of the Raven, my favorite.
“Makes me awful glad I am not homeless”
I’ve been having the same thought, Art. I simply cannot imagine…
Well I guess there are some advantages to living in Southern California, it’s 44 degrees here which sounds downright balmy compared to everywhere else.
“I guess there are some advantages to living in Southern California”
Kim, I know from experience that there are. However, I’ll take our winter cold over your traffic any old day.
Here in Ottawa it’s -0.4 F (-18 C) at 9:30 a.m. Not unusual, but cold. It’s beautiful with several feet of brilliantly white snow – a sunny day at last. I’m waiting for the Snowy Owls to return. The last several years they have shown up in nearby cornfields in February. The Snow Buntings are here. My Cardinal couple is still coming to my feeder, and the contrast of their red feathers with the sparkling snow is dramatic. Wishing you health and good luck as always.
Thanks, Burrdoo. In all the years I’ve been photographing birds I’m only aware of one Snowy Owl that I could have photographed but I didn’t know it was there so I believe I drove right past it.
I also live in Ottawa. If you want to Snowy Owl all you have to do is drive around the fields near Eagleson and Fallowfield. I have gone there several times and each time found Snowy.
Good luck!
Not going anywhere, sleet and ice on the ground. But 19° sounds toasty to your temp. Suppose to get more wintery mix this afternoon. Watching a pretty Cardinal out my window.
I’m jealous of your cardinal, Jo.
Hello Ron. Very annoying for women to read about how easy it is for men to pee outside when they need to….and don’t get me (or us) started about how few womens restrooms there are compared to mens in some venues. Sorry to be off topic but this can be a pressing issue for some of us….particularly as we get older….Maybe envious is a better word…
Frances, male plumbing has its advantages…
+37 at 7 am in southern Arizona. That’s darn cold to some of us desert dwellers. A perfect time to sip coffee and read your blog. Thank you.
Wow, that’s pretty cold for your area Mary.
+19 this morning with wind so “cold” tho not sub-zero like yesterday with bone chilling windchill – at least that round was short lived! I’m sure it’s not done with us yet! February can be brutal here as you well know!
Like the vertical shot of the crow. Hawk is always wellcome and glad it got breakfast.. 😉
Judy, it was 7° for most of the time I was on the island yesterday and there was a pretty stiff breeze so I hated to even step out of the pickup to pee… 🙂 But with all the coffee I’d had, there was no choice. At least not a practical one.
“Priorities”……… 😉
Exactly. Come hell or high water (pun intended) I’m having my coffee.
Zero right now, in Eagle county, CO. We’ve experienced full Jan and Feb at -11 to reach 0 as a high of the day. I wish you the best over your birding mornings when you decide to get out. Wouldn’t you prefer to redo some older posts when it gets this cold? Those have always interesting, and a bit more safe.
Thanks, Deb. I do “rerun” older posts occasionally but I try not to overdo it.
Really like that vertical composition. For a nightmare exposure scenario you didn’t do too badly. And yes, we will not go down the rabbit hole of male plumbing, although I couldn’t help laughing my head off with an evil female snark at my spouse hollering and cussing about the cold effect on the “jewels”.
” I couldn’t help laughing my head off with an evil female snark at my spouse hollering and cussing about the cold effect on the “jewels””
Granny Pat, I have recent experience with that effect.
3 degrees up here at 6:10 AM. By the end of the week, 40 degrees is going to feel like spring!!!
You’re right, Sue. “Spring” is relative…