Antelope Island – Page 49 – Feathered Photography

A Tough Subject – Mourning Dove In Flight

Mourning Doves one of the most difficult of all species I’ve ever attempted to photograph in flight. Their flight is fast and erratic and their take-off speed impressive (most observers are aware of the whistling noise made by their incredibly fast wing beats as they take off and land). All this makes for an aggravatingly difficult bird to photograph in flight – whether at take-off or in full flight. Until yesterday morning I still didn’t have a Mourning Dove flight shot.

A Wren By Any Other Name…

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not particularly skilled in identifying some of the songbirds. This wren is a case in point. I’m unsure if it’s a Rock Wren or a House Wren.

So, a little help from my friends?…

Loggerhead Shrikes – A Color Change I Don’t Understand

I’m confused about a color change I’m seeing in Loggerhead Shrikes. 1600, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, image taken 4/26/13 on Antelope Island For most of the year the adults I see have a white or pale ventral surface (belly, breast and sides) which is exactly as described in the field guides and other resources I have access to. 2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, natural light, image taken 7/3/13 on Antelope Island But beginning in about early July there’s a fairly dramatic change that is not addressed in my field guides. That white plumage turns significantly darker and an almost black area on the upper breast appears. This is about the time they’re fledging chicks around here and when I first noticed this several years ago I wondered if the birds were simply becoming “dirty” as they scurried around trying to feed and care for those very demanding youngsters. But now I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. All of the adult Loggerhead Shrikes I see go through this change to some degree or another. 3200, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, image taken 7/14/13 on Antelope Island Here’s another (pretty silly looking) example. This is also the time of year when these birds are molting so I wondered if I was somehow seeing black skin (some birds do have black skin) through very skimpy plumage that time of year and I was somehow mistaking it for black feathers. But as you can see in this preening, molting adult, their skin…

Enveloped By Shrikes!

These young birds loved clamoring around on the hood of my pickup. They would look at their reflections, pick at smashed bugs and just generally act like inquisitive kids. It wasn’t unusual to hear a bird clicking about on my roof at the same time one of its siblings was on my hood.

A Sage Thrasher Kinda Morning

On average I probably only have good opportunities with the elusive Sage Thrasher two or three times per year. This year the last day of June was one of them..

Fledgling Loggerhead Shrike Begging For Food

I photographed a family of very cooperative Loggerhead Shrikes last week on Antelope Island. The young birds had already fledged and were very actively exploring their world, strengthening their wing muscles by flying from perch to perch and testing a variety of objects for their potential food value.

And they were gutsy! Several times a juvenile landed on the tailgate of my pickup as you can see here.

Horned Lark On Mullein

For the past several weeks Antelope Island has been awash in the glorious yellows of moth mullein. It doesn’t cover the entire island but there are areas where entire hillsides have been festooned in mullein yellow.

A Shrike, A Deer Fly And A Feathered Photography Update

I thought this image was particularly interesting for several reasons.

This juvenile had been enthusiastically begging for food when a deer fly (I believe) unexpectedly appeared on the scene. A split second prior to this shot the bird had its wings out, its beak open and was squawking to be fed but the focus of its attention changed immediately when the biting insect appeared.

My Favorite Shrike Flight Shot

I spent some more time with my favorite Loggerhead Shrike family yesterday morning and was able to get this image of a juvenile soon after lift-off. This may be my favorite shrike flight shot so far.

Juvenile Loggerhead Shrike Take-off

Many of the young Loggerhead Shrikes on Antelope Island have now fledged and are learning the ropes. They’re ornery, fun, fierce and fearless. Twice I’ve had one almost fly into my open pickup window, another one very nearly landed on my lens hood sticking out a window and yet another landed on the pickup itself.

Sage Thrasher Attitude Adjustment

Three days ago I had some more fun with Sage Thrashers on Antelope Island. I don’t know why little things like this interest and amuse me. But they do.

Long-billed Curlew And Fledgling

Long-billed Curlews spend most of the late spring and early summer at mid-elevations on Antelope Island while nesting and raising their chicks but by this time of year they begin to bring the youngsters down to the shoreline. That’s where I photographed this lone adult with a single youngster yesterday morning.

The Sage Thrasher And The Wasp

The best fun of the morning was provided by this wasp as it unexpectedly intruded on the personal space of the thrasher. The gaze of the bird locked on to the wasp like radar.

Chukar Free Fall

No great photography this morning but this Chukar just might bring a smile to your face.

Sage Thrasher On Rabbitbrush

Though there’s a fair number of Sage Thrashers on Antelope Island they’ve been a difficult quarry for me. Originally called the Mountain Mockingbird, this smallest of the thrasher species is known to be particularly elusive, frequently running on the ground rather than taking flight and their wandering habits during migration have caused them to be poorly studied.

Category: Antelope Island