Miscellaneous – Page 22 – Feathered Photography

Western Grebes: A Bizarre Behavior Finally Explained

Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time observing Western Grebes (or their close relatives, Clark’s Grebes) has undoubtedly observed this curious behavior multiple times. But before I continue, a few words of explanation are in order. Grebes are unique to most other water birds in two ways that are related to this behavior: 1.) their legs are attached to their bodies at the rear, rather than underneath and 2.) the toes of grebes are lobed instead of webbed. Having legs attached at the rear allows for efficient swimming but causes extreme clumsiness while walking – they rarely venture on to land, but when they do they often fall down after just a few steps. This leg attachment position is so distinctive of grebes that the genus name of four of the North American grebe species is Podiceps (from “podicis” meaning anus or vent and “pes” meaning foot) – in other words, “anus foot”. (and yes, I’m having a hard time resisting a joke line or two with that phrase…) Recent experimental work with grebes has demonstrated that the lobes on the toes function much like the hydrofoil blades of a propeller. Ok, with that background, on to this strange behavioral quirk of the Western Grebe. Without warning, and for no apparent reason, they stick one of their legs out behind them. With those unusual feet it can look pretty silly. Sometimes they’ll do a simultaneous wing stretch, but rarely. Occasionally they’ll hold the foot high in the air for quite a while. That can look even sillier. Even the chicks do it….

Swainson’s Hawk Regurgitating Pellets

Western Montana has been awash in Swainson’s Hawks this summer. From the Canadian border (Glacier County) to the southern border with Idaho (Beaverhead County) I found them in significantly larger numbers than I have seen in previous summers. I hope this very unscientific observation is accurate and that it bodes them well as a species because their numbers have been declining to the point where they are listed as a Species of Special Concern in several western states. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 I found this handsome juvenile this past week along a county road in Beaverhead County. At first it was very relaxed and assumed this clenched fist pose that is so typical of many buteo species when they’re at ease and resting. 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 But soon it began to arch its neck and I recognized that it was about to attempt to expel a pellet. I had already taken my tc off in anticipation of take-off so I decided to leave it off because so often in the past I’ve missed the falling pellet as it dropped out of frame at the bottom. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 Then, with the nictitating membrane pulled over the eye, the bird began to retch. These few images showing pellet ejection may give the viewer the impression that it all happened very quickly. It didn’t. From beginning to end the whole process took over four minutes. During that time there were alternating periods of retching and resting and it didn’t look to be a…

At Long Last – The Red Crown Patch Of The Western Kingbird

Occasionally, even a mediocre shot can make my day. I’ve known about the red/orange crown patch of the Western Kingbird for some time now but until yesterday had never seen or photographed it. 1/1600, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc It normally lies concealed under the gray feathers on the top of the head and is rarely seen or photographed. Normally the crown patch is only revealed before or during an attack on another kingbird or a potential predator threatening its nest. 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4 The most common aggressive pose toward other kingbirds is called the wing flutter, where the wings are extended and rapidly fluttered in small arcs. But typically the crown patch is not exposed during a wing flutter unless an actual attack on the other kingbird is imminent. 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4 I’ve included this image and the next one to show how well the crown patch is concealed. Here, as this kingbird ejects and throws off a pellet, you have a good look at the top of the head with no suggestion of a red crown patch beneath the overlying crown plumage. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc And another kingbird, banking at takeoff, gives us a pretty good look at the top of the head with no hint of the patch. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But yesterday a gull made the mistake of landing on a perch very close to this kingbirds nest and it’s…

Western Grebes Dumping Their Chicks

I haven’t posted for a few days because I’ve been in Montana for most of the past week. I have many images from that trip and hopefully some of them will appear here in the near future. But for now I’d like to report on another grebe behavior I photographed recently. This time it will be the Western Grebe, rather than the Clark’s Grebes in two of my recent posts. The two species are very similar and most easily distinguished by differences in bill color (Clark’s is bright yellow to orange-yellow while the Western’s bill is yellow to dull olive colored) and coloration around the eye (Clark’s is white surrounding the eye while the Western is dark around the eye). Both species rarely fly except during migration. In fact for much of the year they are incapable of flight because their flight muscles atrophy soon after arriving at their breeding grounds. So it’s my working theory that this might explain part of the reason why these grebes do so much wing flapping and stretching while sitting on the surface of the water – to excercise their relatively unused wings. Note: In many of these images I was too close to the birds to get an aesthetically pleasing composition so in most cases the birds will be too tight in the frame. But I think they show well the behavior I’m describing. 1/2000, f/10, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This Western Grebe is in the middle of a wing-flap. They look so lithe and streamlined while…

Can’t We Go Any Faster Dad?

I’ll preface this post with an apology for the cutesy title. I usually avoid them at all costs but in this case I just couldn’t help myself… (I’m making the assumption that the adult bird here is the male because of its straight bill but it’s a subtle distinction and I could be wrong). For the last few days we’ve been having a great time with Clark’s and Western Grebes and their chicks. Both sexes of both species brood their chicks on their backs (back brooding) from almost the moment they hatch until they are quite large. I’ve seen up to three chicks of about this size on the back of a single adult, although by the time they get this size the other parent often shares the burden. 1/1600, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc When I first saw this image of a Clark’s Grebe and its chick on my screen I assumed it was simply another case of the youngster having just jumped onto the back of the adult (as evidenced by the position of the feet and the direction of the water splash). But now I’m quite convinced that the adult was actually allowing the youngster to act as an outboard motor of sorts as the chick seems to be providing the propulsion as the parent relaxes. If so, and I think it is, in all the time I’ve spent watching these birds this is the first time I’ve noticed such interesting behavior. I offer this image as further evidence of my theory…

“Rushing” Western Grebes

The ritualized displays and courtship ceremonies of Western Grebes are among the most complex known in the bird world. One of them is called the “rushing ceremony” which includes 5 distinct phases – only one of which is actually referred to as “rushing”. Yesterday I finally was able to photograph this most dramatic part of the display and believe me it’s been a long time coming. Mia and I were photographing a pair of these grebes with chicks and though we both were aware of another small group of grebes a little further away I was concentrating so intently on those chicks that I didn’t notice what Mia noticed – that the behavior of two of those birds had suddenly changed. She said “they’re going to do something” so all I had time to do was quickly aim my lens at these birds and fire away. Without Mia I’d have missed the entire sequence. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc When rushing, the two birds (usually a mated pair but two males may also do it to attract females) lunge forward and rise completely out of the water. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc As their legs and feet start to churn at incredible speeds their bodies begin to become more vertical… 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc until the birds are almost completely vertical to the water and their feet are slapping the surface so fast (16-20 steps per second) that the slapping and splashing noise is loud and can be heard a great distance away. The…

Curlew Peekaboo Take-off

When Long-billed Curlews take off they have a little trick they use to get airborne quickly. This is our largest North American shorebird and in addition to their extremely long bill they have very long legs. Since this is a grassland species it would often be very difficult to get a running start at take-off through the tall vegetation so they use their long legs to full advantage by crouching so low that their belly often touches the ground and then they spring into the air by quickly straightening those very long legs (jumping). This can be problematic for the photographer wishing to get take-off shots because this is a large bird and they explode into the air so quickly that you tend to either cut off part of the bird or lose focus on the subject at the most critical point of the take-off. But knowing and anticipating their behavior can give you a better chance at a quality shot or two. These three images from yesterday on Antelope Island are sequential in a quick burst at take-off. The first two are of crappy quality but I include them to illustrate my point. Here the curlew has crouched as low as it can get prior to take-off. I temporarily lost sharp focus on the head because of the foreground vegetation and because of camera movement as I moved my aim upwards in an attempt to get the entire bird in the frame as it lifted off. In the second shot of the burst, focus has locked onto the bird again as…

Grebe Panic

These aren’t great images technically but I thought they documented a fascinating phenomenon well enough. Yesterday there were thousands of these grebes at the first bridge along the Antelope Island causeway. They were actively feeding at the current boundary where the water coming under the bridge met the still water in the north arm of the Great Salt Lake so they were bunched up in incredibly thick masses. Several species of gulls were also present. Each time a gull would pass over the grebes, those directly underneath the gulls would panic and dive into the very shallow water in front of the gull which would create quite the stir in the water. Those grebes just a few inches to either side didn’t react which created a dramatic visual phenomenon as the frothy splash moved in front of and directly beneath the gull. Those times the gulls flew along the length of the mass of grebes the “splash” would travel exactly the same speed as the gull for perhaps 75 yards. This was one of the few times when shooting birds that I wish I’d practiced more with the video capabilities of my Canon 7D. That would be a video that I’d like to see many times as it was quite the spectacle to watch. Ron

Black-necked Stilt Stretching and Preening

The Black-necked Stilt is an elegant study in contrasts with its white breast and shiny black wings accentuated by extremely long, bright red legs. They’re often found feeding near American Avocets and I’ve routinely been able to get preening and stretching images of avocets but the stilts have been less cooperative with me. Typically they’ll actively feed when I’m near but they always seem to fly off to do their self-maintenance. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc However, this bird apparently decided that flying off was too much effort and it unexpectedly began a series of stretches. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I was able to photograph a variety of interesting poses but by this time the sun was relatively high and so some of the best shots are missing light in the eye. Stilts often pull their leg up over the wing when scratching the head. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Because these birds are usually wading in water when I’m photographing them the extreme length of their legs is not always evident but catch one in a pose like this and it becomes quite apparent. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I like the water splash and pose in this shot. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Here the stilt has finished stretching for the moment and is contemplating its next move… 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc which turned…

The Timelessness of a Buffalo Chip Perch

The American Bison is a relative newcomer to North America, having migrated from Eurasia over the Bering Straight about 10,000 years ago. As is common knowledge they once roamed in massive herds across most of the continent until commercial hunting and slaughter reduced their numbers to a few hundred by the end of the 19th century. 1/500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Today a herd of approximately 500 animals roams free on Antelope Island and that many large animals produce a lot of poop – commonly referred to as “buffalo chips”. Those chips are all over the island – like small dark islands in a sea of prairie grasses and tiny flowers and they’re tempting perches for a variety of bird species like Horned Larks and Meadowlarks. But this past week I was able to catch some larger birds using them as perches. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc In the spring some of the shorebirds and wading birds come up from the shore of the Great Salt Lake to higher ground on the island for their breeding activities – Long-billed Curlews among them. It seems that the added height of only a couple of inches provided by the chip is enough to significantly improve their view of the landscape for potential predators and also to help them keep an eye on other curlews in the area – there’s a lot of fighting and mating activities going on this time of year. To some viewers such a perch may have no aesthetic draw but I’m…

Caspian Tern In Undignified Flight Pose

This one’s just for fun. Occasionally I just need a little “silly” in my world… 1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I had been trying all morning to catch a Caspian or Forster’s Tern with a fish as it emerged from the water when this Caspian decided to give a vigorous shake in flight to rid itself of a huge water load. This was a difficult exposure and I wish I’d had just a bit more shutter speed for the action but liked the goofy flight posture and flying water. Ron

The Return of Long-billed Curlews and Rhyncokinesis

Each day for the past several weeks while on our way out to the island either Mia or I will say to the other “I wonder if we’ll see or hear the curlews this morning”. For both of us the return of the curlews is a sure sign that true spring has finally arrived. And each morning we’ve been disappointed. Until yesterday! We first heard them while waiting for some magpies to return to their nest and then looked up and saw several flying toward us. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4 This bird is one of them – a truly unremarkable photograph except for its significance to us. It’s almost like this bird (and its companion) were flying over us to personally announce their return to us. The curlews are back – finally! 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc It wasn’t long before we were able to find several curlews foraging on the ground and they even let us get close. This one is busy preening in the morning sun. 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Rhyncokinesis (rhynco – upper beak or bill, kinesis – movement or motion) is the ability of some birds to bend or flex their upper bill. Only cranes, shorebirds, swifts and hummingbirds are known to be capable of doing so. The bill is made of a protein called keratin (like hair or fingernails) and it’s quite a remarkable feat to be able to control its shape to some degree. Notice in the photo above that the shapes…

Northern Harrier Vomiting

No great photography today but some interesting behavior. I’ve often seen and photographed various bird species hacking up a pellet but this was my first experience with one vomiting. 1/500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc When I first got this Northern Harrier in my viewfinder I thought it was acting slightly odd – it seemed lethargic, reluctant to fly and its head was hanging low. Then it suddenly vomited. 1/500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc The vomitus was thick, mucus-like and stringy and I’m quite sure no pellet was expelled. I had an email discussion about this behavior with a friend (thanks once again Ingrid) and sent her these photos. They were forwarded to the Cascades Raptor Center who said that this behavior is something they’ve not seen before and that it isn’t “normal”. When this bird had finished vomiting it stayed perched (very unusual) as I drove through a gate perhaps 25′ to the right of the bird. I drove down the road to let it recover in peace and when I returned about a half hour later it was gone. Ron

A Wonderful Antelope Island Morning – Including A Long-tailed Duck

It’s been a frustrating photography week for both Mia and I for a variety of reasons but it’s primarily been because the weather and light have seriously sucked – big time!. So when yesterday’s dawn showed promise we headed for the island with high hopes but low expectations because there haven’t been many bird opportunities out there recently. We were in for some pleasant surprises. I’ll present these images in the order they were taken to give a feel for the morning. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc We had barely made it onto the causeway before this Rough-legged hawk began to entertain us. We watched as it ate a vole and then it immediately walked about two feet to its left and picked something else up with its foot. At first I assumed it was another vole, either alive or from a food cache. But in looking at close-ups of some of the photos I’m pretty sure it’s only a rock with old brine fly larvae cases and small twigs frozen to it. Then this hawk did something strange – it transferred the “rock” to its beak and deliberately flung it a good distance – here it’s flying through the air Then the bird walked over, picked up the rock in its left foot and flew off with it. My curiosity is killing me as to just what was going on. Obviously this isn’t a great shot but I was fascinated by the behavior. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Next this Northern Harrier gave us…

Just A Shot That I Like… #20 – American Kestrel With Moxie

I hope you’ll bear with me but for this post I decided to go whimsical. This image isn’t particularly strong technically but it always brings a smile to my face and I thought others might enjoy it. 1/1250, f/10, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This plastic owl sits atop a weather station transmitter at Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area. The obvious purpose of the owl is to scare birds away from the transmitter. You can see how well it works with kestrels. American Kestrels are just about the only species of bird that I’ve seen dare to perch on top of this phony Great Horned Owl. I’ve always admired these courageous little falcons for their pluck and wondered, only slightly in jest, if they might have a bit of a Napoleon complex. Truly a bird with cojones – both sexes. Ron

Category: Miscellaneous