Birds – Page 259 – Feathered Photography

Great Horned Owl Framed By Tamarisk

Typically when I find a Great Horned Owl in a natural setting it’s so deeply buried in the tree or foliage that it can barely be seen. This is a deliberate behavior, at least in part to avoid mobbing birds of many species. Crows, for example, will invariably mob an exposed GHO, pursuing it from tree to tree and calling out to other crows to recruit them to join in. 1/800, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This owl, and one other, perched in the tamarisk for about a week but on most days they were virtually impossible to see unless you knew where to look. But on two cold, early mornings I found one of them in this spot where it was exposed to the warming rays of the sun. Its breast and belly feathers are wet, as are the drooping ear tufts. These birds sleep during much of the day but their slumber is light and alert as evidenced by their ear tuft (“horn”) movements in response to any slight sound, even with eyes closed – a behavior that’s interesting to observe if you’re lucky enough to be sufficiently close to a sleeping owl. Ron

Sandhill Crane Take-off Sequence

On a beautiful spring morning in May of 2011 we found a small group of Sandhill Cranes on a pond as we approached Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. We were some of the first folks on the access road and our careful approach made two of the birds a little nervous so they decided to vacate the area. I believe they were a mated pair. I got my pickup stopped and my lens aimed just after the first bird began to take off. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I believe this to be the slightly larger male who took off first. The unconventional composition is meant to highlight the water splashes behind the bird. If you’ve never heard the distinctive, penetrating and very loud bugling calls (also called “trumpeting”) of this species you’re really missing something. As is typical of these cranes, these two were calling during lift off and just looking at these images has that haunting sound bouncing around in my head. These cranes have an unusual throat anatomy that allows them to make such resonating sounds. The trachea extends and coils down the long neck and well into the sternum. This unique anatomy “expands the amplitude and alters the pitch of the voice by the addition of harmonies”. Until these birds are 9-10 months old they can produce only a series of trilled whistles and peeps but as they mature their tracheas elongate and coil intrasternally which allows them to develop the adult voice. If you’re curious about their call, check out both the “unison call” and…

Barn Owls On Unnatural Perches

It’s been a while since I’ve seen any Barn Owls out and about and I’m thinking they won’t be flying again during daytime until at least next winter so I decided to bid them adieu for the present with one last post for the season. I generally prefer my avian subjects on natural perches but Ingrid Tayler’s affection for birds on man-made perches in the urban landscape is beginning to instill in me a little more flexibility. Perhaps it isn’t too late for some new tricks from this old dog… 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited set up or called in At Farmington Bay WMA there are numerous signs posted directing hunters to where they can hunt and where they cannot and those signs are favorite resting spots for hunting raptors. When I come across an owl on one of these signs I’ll typically drive on by unless there’s a possibility for take-off shots but I made an exception for this one despite the less than ideal light. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited set up or called in Another favorite perch is this kestrel nesting box at the top of a hill. From this elevated vantage point the birds can hunt visually over a large area without expending the energy required for flight – a significant advantage in the depths of a long, cold winter when calories are at a premium. This owl looks like it might be wary of me and about to fly, but it isn’t. It was calmly…

Short-eared Owl Tattoo – A Work In Progress

Something a little different from me this time… In the past I’ve had a wide variety of requests for use of my images, including such disparate projects as prints, magazine and book publications, non-profit scientific and educational organizations (which I nearly always allow without a fee), fancy rubber stamps, uses by painters and other artists as subjects for their work, an image to be lacquered into the top of the communal dining table of a new fire station in Temecula, California and several of my Northern Harrier (a type of hawk) images have been used in the AV8B Harrier (jump-jet) pilot training software at the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake, California. But a few weeks ago I got something new for me – a request to use one of my avian images for a very large, “photo – realistic” tattoo. Jenna, from New Zealand, contacted me and requested to use this image of a female Short-eared Owl in flight (with brood patch visible on the belly) as the basis for the tattoo. Her tattoo artist, Matt Jordan of Ship Shape Tattoo, Orewa, New Zealand, needed a high-resolution version of the image in order to get enough detail to make the very large tattoo photo-realistic. Even though this shot was taken in extremely low light and doesn’t have quite as much detail as most of my photos, in the end there was enough. Matt Jordan is apparently very talented and in high demand so it took Jenna several months to get the project started. It’s a long, drawn out and painful process. Jenna’s first session with Matt lasted for 6…

Black-billed Magpie Iridescence

Black-billed Magpies are loud, flashy and conspicuous black and white birds. And they’re a challenge to photograph well because of the exposure difficulty – getting detail in the blacks without “blowing out” the whites. I probably discard a higher proportion of shots of this species than I do any other. But if you work hard at it (with a little luck thrown into the mix) you can get some pretty spectacular shots that have detail in the blacks and whites and their showy iridescence. The actual plumage of these birds is truly black and white, with no other colors. But in the right light the feather structure (and other factors) on the tail and wings of these birds bends the light much like a prism and produces a variety of colors, predominantly blues and greens. When I’m photographing magpies, one of my goals is usually to capture some of that iridescence. 1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light Three days ago I found this magpie perched on a snow-covered boulder on Antelope Island. As you can see the whites are well-exposed but there’s not a lot of detail in the blacks. This is the type of magpie image that I normally wouldn’t do much with except for purposes such as this post (my high shutter speeds were due to the snow and the fact that I was attempting take-off shots). 1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light This is the same bird on the same perch but the image was taken…

One-footed Merganser In A Hurry

I live near a local fishing pond that attracts a few fish-eating birds, particularly in the late winter and early spring. For the last few days there’s been a pair of Common Mergansers on the pond and yesterday morning I was finally able to get relatively close to them for a few minutes. The pond was still about half covered with ice but it’s melting fast. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light Most of the time there wasn’t much action with the cormorants but once, when this bird apparently thought its companion might have caught a fish, it rushed over to investigate. It wasn’t until this morning when I began culling and processing the images that I noticed that it was missing its left foot. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light Since they use their webbed feet to help propel them along the surface of the water this bird could really scoot for having only one foot. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light This image shows the missing foot best. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light This shot, and the next two, are of the other merganser. As you can see it had some kind of fishing lure/hook stuck in its lower mandible. It doesn’t look like a typical lure so perhaps it’s what’s left of a fish that it had tried to swallow when the hook and/or line got stuck in its bill. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500…

Coots Don’t Like Redheads

Last spring I witnessed quite the little drama between an American Coot and a mated pair of Redheads. I’m going to be a little anthropomorphic here with my narrative (and even my title) – sorry, just can’t resist. The Redheads seemed to be minding their own business but this coot took exception when they came too close to its nest. Here the coot is apparently looking away from the ducks but the Redheads seems to know that something’s potentially up. And it was. I’m always amazed at how fast the reactions of birds are. The Redhead almost seemed to know the attack was in progress before it actually was. You’ll notice that the coot is no closer to him in this second shot than it was in the previous one. The Redhead seems to be trying to use some of the reeds to avoid the approaching coot. The attack continues… and continues… until both birds sense that it’s over and begin to settle back down into the water. The male Redhead reacts with what seems like a celebratory wing-flap that it survived the attack without any damage… and then swims off contentedly with his lady. But the coot isn’t taking any chances and lays low in the water while facing the retreating ducks with a threat pose. I was pleased to get this sequence without clipping any birds and keeping multiple subjects sharp in the frame – not easy to do…

Terns – After The Dive

Terns tend to be graceful and highly maneuverable flyers and those skills are very much on display when they’re fishing. 1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light I found this Forster’s Tern fishing at Bear River MBR last June and decided I’d attempt to photograph it coming out of the water after a dive – easier said than done. And to catch it with a fish would be a bonus. This species is known for feeding on “small” fish but this one is ridiculous – hardly worth the bother. If you look very carefully you can see the miniscule fish behind the upper part of the bill. I’ve cropped this shot unconventionally in order to include the “splash” behind the bird. These birds fish relentlessly. Their quarry is small, as is their success rate. In one Forster’s Tern study, 1538 dives produced 369 fish for a success rate of 24%. 1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light The fish is more easily seen in this next shot. When they come off the surface they usually shake excess water out of their feathers in mid-air. I caught this tern just before the shake, where it has twisted its wings in order to get good action for the upcoming shake. I missed the shake with this bird but… 1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light I did manage to capture it on another day with this Caspian Tern. I didn’t have enough shutter speed to get the quick movements particularly sharp but…

Some Random Recent Images

I have an appointment early this morning so I don’t have time for a detailed, organized post so I thought I’d present a little potpourri from the last few weeks. Though none of these images are spectacular, there’s something about each one of them that appealed to me in some way. Common Ravens are a hugely challenging subject for me because of their uncooperative behavior and the difficulty of getting detail in the blacks. For some reason, these birds really seem to eat a lot of snow, which this one had been doing just before take-off. I do wish the head were slightly sharper but I like the remnants of the snow-eating behavior and how cleanly the bird is presented against the background which is the Great Salt Lake with the snow-covered shoreline at bottom right. Finding water that isn’t ice-covered around here isn’t easy, for me or for the critters, but I think that’s the only reason this Muskrat came as close to me as it did. I found this one at a pond close to my home. Ok, not a classic wing position for sure but the aerodynamic profile of this fast flying Prairie Falcon still appealed to me. I also like the eye contact and crisp detail in flight. Life is tough for Coyotes right now as they live in a stark white world of deep snow which makes survival difficult. Many of them wear an almost perpetual snow mask from pushing their faces through the snow as they try to follow…

Snow-hoppin’ Chukar

Chukars typically forage in small flocks and when they do one of them often sits on an elevated perch and serves as a sentry while the others are looking for food. 1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light This bird chose a pile of snow that had been pushed up high by a snow plow along the edge of a road. 1/3200, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light When the rest of the flock wandered off it decided it was time to look for a safe way down from its lofty perch. 1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light When they do so they’re very deliberate about it. This bird investigated several pathways down before settling on this direction. It’s quite a ways down so “he” was pretty careful about it. 1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light Most birds would at least open their wings to soften the landing. Not Chukars. I’ve often been impressed by how far they’re willing to free-fall without using their wings. I sometimes refer to Chukars as “rock-hoppers” – guess I’ll have to add “snow-hoppers” to the list. Since I was using my 100-400mm zoom lens for this sequence I wish I’d had time to back off a bit on the focal length for the jump, but I didn’t. Consequently I had to add some canvas for composition. It’s harder to get them in mid-air, sharp and composed well than it looks. Ron

Short-eared Owl Perch-hunting

A couple of weeks ago I posted two shots of this Short-eared Owl perched on this frost-covered rabbitbrush. In those images the bird was reacting to me which isn’t really a natural behavior. A direct look toward the viewer from those strikingly colorful eyes is certainly riveting but more natural behaviors also appeal to me. 1/500, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 t c, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Short-eared Owls hunt primarily “on the wing” – they’re typically not “sit and wait” hunters like many other raptors. But this bird noticed what was probably a vole at the base of the rabbitbrush and its reaction to it was obvious. It stared intently down for some time which resulted in a natural pose that I like. Ron

An Interesting Observation About Falcon Behavior

I’ve noticed an apparent behavioral quirk in some of the falcon species I’ve photographed and it’s tweaked my curiosity a bit. I’ve seen it most often in Prairie Falcons but that’s most likely because I get more opportunities with that species than I do any other of the large falcons. More often than not the Prairie Falcon holds its wings up or out (or both) for a few moments before it takes off. Sometimes the posture is maintained for quite a while. This is one of the better shots I have of it. Most of the photos to follow have reduced image quality but I include them to document the behavior. This bird held the posture for so long that I filled my buffer twice before it actually took off. Most often I’ve seen it prior to take-off from an elevated perch like this one but it also happens occasionally when they take off from the ground. Another Prairie Falcon showing the posture. I don’t see it nearly as often with the American Kestrel as I do with larger falcons. Perhaps that has to do with the relative ease of take-off for this diminutive falcon. I get few opportunities with Merlins but I’ve noticed it occasionally with this species also. I’m not sure if Peregrine Falcons do it. Usually when I’ve been close enough to photograph peregrines they’ve been on prey on the ground and they may be less likely to show the behavior when taking off from a…

Too Cold For Meadowlarks?

I’m used to seeing Western Meadowlarks all winter long. True, their numbers go down as some of them migrate south but there always seems to be a resident population of them here in northern Utah and I typically photograph them year-round. Not so this winter. 1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light (techs were set for take-off) This is the last meadowlark I photographed, taken on 28 December, 2012 and it’s been weeks since I’ve even seen one. Though they’re a permanent resident in my area we’re right on the border between their “permanent resident” and “breeding resident” ranges – see map if you’re interested. I suspect they’ve all vamoosed for warmer climes because of our recent extremes of cold and snow. If that’s the case, this is one more species I’ll add to my list of birds whose return I’ll anticipate as harbingers of spring. Ron

Juvenile Burrowing Owl Parallaxing

Parallax is the effect where the position or direction of an object appears to differ when viewed from different positions. When an observer moves, the apparent relative motion of several stationary objects against a background gives hints about their relative distance which the brain can interpret to provide absolute depth information. As you can imagine this can be very helpful to birds for flight and for judging prey position. The movement required comes automatically during flight but it can also be provided while perched by exaggerated movements of the head in all three dimensions. Tipping the head also provides cues by changing the relative position of the eyes to the object being viewed. Learning to interpret this information takes practice so many juvenile birds do just that, owls in particular. Techs for the following images – most were taken at 1/640 or 1/800, f/9, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in. All images presented in the order they were taken. Several years ago I spent a lot of time over several weeks photographing a family of Burrowing Owls along the causeway to Antelope Island. Their burrow was very close to the road and they became almost completely acclimated to traffic so I was able to observe and photograph many interesting behaviors of both juveniles and adults from my pickup. Here, this juvenile is simply ignoring me (for the sake of convenience I’ll refer to this bird as a male though I have no idea what sex it…

The Incredibly Long-legged Black-necked Stilt

The Black-necked Stilt is one of the more easily recognized birds in North America. With its shiny black wings and back opposed by the whites of the breast and underparts and its long, bright red legs it is unlikely to be confused with any other species within its range. 1/1000, f/11, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light But in my experience most observers are unfamiliar with the differences between males and females. Though the sexes are similar it’s relatively easy to tell them apart when they’re in breeding plumage. The back and scapulars of the male are a solid, shiny black while the female has a noticeable brown tone in those areas. The legs of the female are also shorter than those of the male. 1/1250, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light The iris of both sexes is red though it is more brightly colored in the male. Here the pupil is dilated to a relatively large size so the colored iris doesn’t take up much of the eye. I’ve found that in photos it can be difficult to get the eye color to show so it often appears solid black. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light But perhaps the most unique feature of the Black-necked Stilt is those incredibly long, ruby-red legs. Their legs are longer in proportion to their bodies than any other bird except flamingos, accounting for one of their common names – daddy longlegs. Stilts have partially webbed feet…

Category: Birds