Magpie Hip-shot – An Interesting Experiment
Photographing birds as they take off is tricky but with a little luck and perseverance it can be done. Landing shots are much more difficult and often require creative innovation.
Category: Behaviors
Sandhill Crane Threat Displays
I photographed a variety of Sandhill Crane behaviors several weeks ago in Wayne County, Utah but among the most interesting was the aggressive displays of the males.
Chukars – Fighting Takes Its Toll
Springtime fights between male Chukars can be vicious affairs that sometimes leave the participants looking like they’ve stepped on a land mine.
Mated Pairs Of Sandhill Cranes In Flight
Sandhill Cranes are exceedingly graceful in flight, especially when it’s a mated pair flying in tight formation. Pair-bonded cranes often seem to enjoy flying as close to each other as possible.
Mating Red-tailed Hawks
Yesterday was the first time I’ve been able to photograph mating buteos in the wild.
Singing Male Marsh Wren
For me, male Marsh Wrens in springtime epitomize the word “frenzied” as they flit from cattail to cattail defending nesting territory, attracting and mating with multiple females and building many “dummy” nests. And their singing is almost constant.
Unusual Sandhill Crane Behavior
Most of the Sandhill Crane behaviors I observed last week were typical for the species but one was quite unusual.
The Value (and rewards) Of Reporting Banded Birds
Two weeks ago I reported a banded Tundra Swan I photographed at Salt Creek WMA. It wasn’t long before I received some interesting information back about that bird from the North American Bird Banding Program.
Avocet Mating Rituals
Mating behaviors of American Avocets are complex, ritualized, predictable and quite fascinating.
Goofy Western Meadowlark
This was the strangest behavior I’ve ever seen from a meadowlark, though it was difficult to capture photographically.
Mating Canada Geese
These large geese are very impressive up close, especially during their mating rituals.
It Must Be Spring – Magpies Are Beginning Nest-building
Around here Black-billed Magpies are among the first species to begin nest-building activities. It tickles my fancy to see another sign of spring after this miserable winter.
Red-naped Sapsucker With Prey
Preening And The Uropygial (preen) Gland
Though I regularly watch birds as they preen it’s not often that I’m able to actually see the preen (uropygial) gland.
Western Meadowlark – The Scars Of Battle
The song of the meadowlark often stirs fond memories and thoughts of peaceful and melodious spring mornings. But for birds that song represents the tension of competition for territories and females – anything but tranquility.
-
Sandhill Crane Threat Displays
I photographed a variety of Sandhill Crane behaviors several weeks ago in Wayne County, Utah but among the most interesting was the aggressive displays of the males.
Chukars – Fighting Takes Its Toll
Springtime fights between male Chukars can be vicious affairs that sometimes leave the participants looking like they’ve stepped on a land mine.
Mated Pairs Of Sandhill Cranes In Flight
Sandhill Cranes are exceedingly graceful in flight, especially when it’s a mated pair flying in tight formation. Pair-bonded cranes often seem to enjoy flying as close to each other as possible.
Mating Red-tailed Hawks
Yesterday was the first time I’ve been able to photograph mating buteos in the wild.
Singing Male Marsh Wren
For me, male Marsh Wrens in springtime epitomize the word “frenzied” as they flit from cattail to cattail defending nesting territory, attracting and mating with multiple females and building many “dummy” nests. And their singing is almost constant.
Unusual Sandhill Crane Behavior
Most of the Sandhill Crane behaviors I observed last week were typical for the species but one was quite unusual.
The Value (and rewards) Of Reporting Banded Birds
Two weeks ago I reported a banded Tundra Swan I photographed at Salt Creek WMA. It wasn’t long before I received some interesting information back about that bird from the North American Bird Banding Program.
Avocet Mating Rituals
Mating behaviors of American Avocets are complex, ritualized, predictable and quite fascinating.
Goofy Western Meadowlark
This was the strangest behavior I’ve ever seen from a meadowlark, though it was difficult to capture photographically.
Mating Canada Geese
These large geese are very impressive up close, especially during their mating rituals.
It Must Be Spring – Magpies Are Beginning Nest-building
Around here Black-billed Magpies are among the first species to begin nest-building activities. It tickles my fancy to see another sign of spring after this miserable winter.
Red-naped Sapsucker With Prey
Preening And The Uropygial (preen) Gland
Though I regularly watch birds as they preen it’s not often that I’m able to actually see the preen (uropygial) gland.
Western Meadowlark – The Scars Of Battle
The song of the meadowlark often stirs fond memories and thoughts of peaceful and melodious spring mornings. But for birds that song represents the tension of competition for territories and females – anything but tranquility.