Favorite Locations – Page 114 – Feathered Photography

The Last Of The Hummingbirds

Last night a local birder reported a Black-chinned Hummingbird in his back yard here in the Salt Lake Valley and I was quite surprised to hear about it. I haven’t seen a hummingbird for several weeks and I thought that by now, with our significantly colder weather of late, they’d have all moved on for warmer climes. That particular bird must be a hardy one. Or lost…

But the news reminded me that before the snow flies I planned on posting a few more images of the hummers I photographed on Antelope Island several weeks ago.

Lazuli Buntings In The San Rafael Swell

Appropriately named after the blue gemstone lapis lazuli, the Lazuli Bunting is one of our most colorful western birds. The persistent and conspicuous song of the male throughout the breeding season has been likened to an “acoustic barcode” that is unique to that individual bird.

Three Burrowing Owls and More Challenges With Depth Of Field

I’d been photographing a family of these birds for several weeks but typical of the species they were usually on the ground with obstructing vegetation in front of them or buried too deeply in the sagebrush. But as I approached them on this early August morning (in my pickup, from the road) there were two juveniles and one adult perched high on the sagebrush in nice warm light and there was a clean, pleasing background. My little heart went pit-a-pat at the opportunity but then I had to deal with the harsh reality of depth of field.

Comparing Adult and Juvenile Meadowlarks – Plus A Bit Of A Laugh

Yesterday morning I photographed a juvenile Western Meadowlark on Antelope Island. I have few images of them at that stage of development so I couldn’t help comparing some of the differences between adult and juvenile.

Some Good News On The Kestrel Front

Several weeks ago I reported here about the alarming decline of the American Kestrel in most of North America. That decline has been apparent to me locally (Utah) as I’m seeing and photographing far fewer of them than in the past. Other more scientific and reliable sources report similar declines in many areas of the continent.

But apparently there are pockets of habitat where kestrels are still thriving and one of them is the Centennial Valley of southwest Montana.

Prairie Falcon – A Fascinating Hunting Strategy

Some of you may recall that last November I photographed an amazing encounter between a Prairie Falcon and a hapless Northern Shoveler along the causeway to Antelope Island. These are photos of that experience that I haven’t posted before.

A Serendipitous “Buffalo Bird” And A Bison Cow And Calf

Many in the birding world don’t like Brown-headed Cowbirds much, for reasons that have been bandied about for years. But I have no problem with them, especially when one of them quite unexpectedly pops up into one of my images in a rather dramatic way.

The Roughies Are Coming!

Early this morning, before leaving to look for birds on Antelope Island, I saw a Facebook post by my friend, bird aficionado and artist extraordinaire Bryce Robinson. It was a simple post, saying simply ” “I felt a change in the air today. The Roughies are coming…” and it was illustrated with one of his fine drawings – a portrait of a Rough-legged Hawk. The “change in the air” that Bryce was referring to was our first nippy cold morning after a long, hot summer and such changes always bring thoughts to mind of the return of the Rough-legged Hawk.

Then I spent the morning on the island looking in vain for birds (it’s very slow out there right now) so as I drove around my mind wandered regularly to thoughts of Roughies – inspired by Bryce’s post and the chilly temps (51 degrees on the causeway).

A Red-tailed Hawk And Red Lichen

Mia and I have been visiting the Centennial Valley for about five years now (usually 3-4 times every summer) and at least once each trip, as we passed this lichen-covered rock next to the road, I would mention to her how much I would like to photograph a raptor on one of these red rocks. There’s just something about my fondness for each, the lichen covered rocks and birds of prey, that has made that kind of photograph a personal goal. But it never happened for some reason. The birds of prey just don’t seem to perch on them, preferring instead the fence posts, utility poles and trees that are usually a little too far away from the road. It’s been an unfulfilled goal for a long time.

But all that changed last week.

Red-tailed Hawk Versus Northern Harrier – Aerial Confrontation

Northern Harriers are well-known for aggressive behavior toward larger raptors intruding on their territory but seldom chase off raptor species smaller than themselves. This interesting behavioral quirk apparently results from the ability of harriers to steal food from smaller raptors. It’s easier to pilfer prey from a smaller species than it is to catch it yourself so harriers let them hang around.

Plumage Development Stages Of Male Mountain Bluebirds

While photographing a juvenile male Mountain Bluebird in Montana last week I was struck by the interesting variation in color and patterns of the adult male in breeding plumage as compared to those of the juvenile male. I thought some viewers might be interested in a photographic comparison of some of their development stages.

A Montana Coyote On The Prowl

One afternoon on our latest Montana trip we decided to do a little “sploring” (as we call it) and investigate some country new to us so we spent several hours cruising the back roads on the south side of the Centennial Mountains. We found a beautiful mountain valley very close to the continental divide that provided a variety of habitats but few birds.

But it did give me my best photographic opportunity ever with a Montana coyote.

Cedar Waxwing In My Face

On Wednesday morning we stopped on a gravel road overlooking a lake with a steep drop off to my left where we scoped the trees growing from the bottom of the slope for birds. There was a small clump of berry bushes growing within a few feet of my pickup which we mostly ignored, figuring we were too close to them for any birds to be there.

Suddenly this Cedar Waxwing swooped in and landed right in our faces to feast on the berries.

Some Recent Shots To Break A Bird Photographer’s Heart

Occasionally I just have to vent about some of my photography frustrations.

Every nature photographer has them. Landscape photogs spend countless hours waiting for just the right light and dramatic clouds which often never materialize, those specializing in wildlife (especially mammals) often cannot even find their subjects, macro nature photographers have to deal with slight breezes that can ruin their shots and those who focus on flowers have a limited season.

But bird photographers may have the most challenging subjects of all (perhaps my bias is creeping in here, but I doubt it).

Cliff Swallow In Flight

For years I tried to photograph swallows in flight, usually without much strategy – just shooting them wherever I might find them. That typically meant while they were freely flying overhead or buzzing the surface of a pond or stream as they picked off insects and it always meant failure on my part. They’re just too fast, too small and too maneuverable for my autofocus and reflexes.

Then one day I decided to change strategies…

Category: Favorite Locations