Male Sandhill Crane Dancing For His Lady
Sandhill Cranes are impressive birds, weighing up to about 11 pounds, standing 4′ tall with a wing span of almost 6 1/2′. And their very loud and penetrating bugling call is something every nature lover should experience. These birds are perennially monogamous with pair bonds formed in the spring when they perform elaborate courtship dances. These dances, usually performed just after sunrise, are the primary mechanism in pair bond formation. I found this pair of cranes in late April along the Antelope Island causeway. It was early morning and the birds were sidelit so I didn’t get light in the eyes in some of these shots but I found the behavior (and the sounds) to be fascinating and I think the image quality is sufficient for documentary purposes. All images presented here are in the order they were taken. Techs for all of these images: f/9, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, shutter speed ranged from 1/400 to 1/800. Here the larger male in the back is approaching the female and calling loudly. That distinctive sound absolutely boomed across the shallow water. Then he begins to dance as he calls. He seemed to try to move in front of her as she walked to the left, in order to get her attention. He repeatedly jumped up into the air with his wings spread. Here he’s about a foot off the water surface though it’s difficult to tell because you can’t see his feet. Sometimes the female joins in the dancing but in this case…
Flaring Harrier
Just a single image today. I get my best Northern Harrier opportunities this time of year so I’ll likely be posting a few more shots of them over the next weeks. I hope you don’t tire of them… 1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This bird was coming in for a landing but changed its mind right after this shot was taken five days ago. There were two dead, frozen fish near this pond that some of the harriers would pick at occasionally. They’d been there for most of the week and it’s my presumption that they were there naturally as refuge managers haven’t yet done the fish kill to destroy the damaging and invasive carp. I like the flight angle of the bird, the fully flared tail, the Phragmites stems in the corner and the pond reflections in the background. Ron Note: Some of you likely noticed that my blog was down from yesterday afternoon until later this morning – “hardware problems” at Network Solutions. I’ve not been a happy camper… Note #2 (1/7/13 @ 6:30pm). I just now learned that one of the “fish” I mentioned above turned out to be a chicken that someone had obviously used to bait eagles and maybe harriers. Of the two “fish” I mentioned above, one was obviously a fish but from my vantage point I could only see pink flesh with the second one and assumed it to be another fish. Instead it was a damned chicken. …
Black-crowned Night Heron On Ice
Black-crowned Night Herons are the most widespread heron in the world, breeding on all continents except Antarctica and Australia. They’re relatively common in northern Utah, although it’s somewhat unusual for me to see them around here during winter. 1/1600, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light So two days ago I was surprised to find this juvenile still lurking around the wetlands of the Great Salt Lake. We’re in the middle of an inversion which means it’s very cold (I was shooting in temps of -10 degrees F yesterday morning) so most still water is frozen solid. This bird was standing on ice with a thin layer of snow on top. 1/1600, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light Juveniles look very different from adults. Instead of the basic black, white and gray colors of the adults these young birds are brown-streaked ventrally… 1/1250, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light and mostly solid brown dorsally. This orange-chrome eye color will turn bright red in the adult. 1/1000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light I didn’t realize it at first but this bird was in hunting mode. There’s a patch of open water just out of frame in front of the heron and the bird is watching it for fish activity. One time it made an incredibly fast move for a fish from this position but it missed. The heron didn’t stand any closer to the open water because the ice is…
Northern Harriers Banking In Flight
Images of birds banking in flight can be quite striking because the flight postures with wings fully extended and the tail spread (in order to catch as much air as possible for the turn) allow a good look at the entire underside or topside of the bird. But they’re very difficult shots to get because as soon as the bank begins the bird has abruptly changed direction which makes them difficult to track while maintaining focus. It’s easier when they’re further away but then you don’t get very good detail – the closer they are the more challenging the shot becomes. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I caught this adult female in a banking pose three days ago in the late afternoon (unusual for me, typically I only shoot in the early mornings). With the sun low on the horizon, this posture gave me good light on the underside of the harrier. Birds tend to keep their heads level as they bank which often allows the photographer to get good eye contact in spite of the steep angle of the body. 1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Even when I do manage to lock on to a banking bird, maintain focus and not clip any body parts, I usually only get one successful shot (if I’m lucky). But two days ago I got three of the same harrier in the same banking turn. This bird…
Image Thieves Burn My Butt!
Image thievery is a huge issue for me and virtually all other serious photographers who have websites or blogs. I just don’t understand why some folks think they have the right to steal the images of others. Social media sites like Facebook, Pinterest and tumblr are a big part of the problem (though it certainly exists elsewhere on the web). Each of these sites has policies in their terms of service that prohibit members from infringing on the intellectual property rights of others and allows them to disable the accounts of those who abuse the policy. For example, from the terms of service of Facebook: “If you repeatedly infringe other people’s intellectual property rights, we will disable your account when appropriate.” Social media sites also have online forms that allow legitimate copyright holders to file Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) take-down notices with those respective sites. Sadly, I’m coming to know these procedures well and some of those accounts have been disabled permanently because of repeated abuse. Below is just one example of how flagrant and egregious these violations can be. This image of a male American Kestrel is in my Feathered Photography image galleries (link to the photo). Every page and photo in those galleries contains this statement: “All images are the property of Ron Dudley and are protected under international copyright laws“. But last week I was alerted by someone who recognized my image on the Facebook page of someone else. Notice that my copyright has been removed and replaced by the logo of Alessandro Pinna. …
Does Anyone Know What’s Wrong With The Eye Of This Northern Harrier?
It’s very cold here in northern Utah (8 degrees F. as I type) and there’s lots of snow on the ground – ideal conditions for photographing hunting Northern Harriers. And yesterday morning everything was covered with a thick layer of hoar-frost which turned the marshes into a frosty fairyland. I was able to get lots of shots of this particular bird and in the field I didn’t even notice that there was anything unusual about it. Most of the images were flight shots and there just isn’t time pay attention to detail when you’re concentrating so hard on keeping the bird in the frame and in focus. But when I got home and started reviewing my images I was taken aback. Something’s definitely going on with the right eye of this bird. At first I thought it might be just the closed nictitating membrane but I have dozens of shots of this bird and the eye is the same in all of them. It’s definitely not a normal membrane, if it’s the membrane at all. A better look at the right eye. This is probably the sharpest, most detailed image I was able to get of the bird. An extreme crop of the previous image to show the best detail I could manage. To my untrained eye it looks like there may be some kind of fungal growth in and around the eye that may have discolored the eye ring and nictitating membrane and closed the membrane permanently, but that’s only a guess….
A Couple Of Intereresting Coyote Hunting Techniques
New Year’s morning on Antelope Island was a cloudy, low-light affair. It turned mostly sunny as we left for home in late morning and on the causeway we passed flocks of birders on their way to the island for their first day of birding in the New Year. I couldn’t help but notice the irony – us photographers who needed good light didn’t get any and the birders who don’t, did… But despite the low light I was able to photograph two coyote hunting techniques that I thought were interesting. 1/800, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 150 mm, natural light This coyote was on the edge of a large hill overlooking the frozen shoreline of the Great Salt Lake far below. I was very close to the animal but it was so intent on scanning the marshy area below for prey that it simply ignored me. At one point it stood on its hind legs with its front legs on a large, snow-covered boulder to give it an even more elevated view of the hunting grounds down below. I hoped that it would look back at me but it never did, though I think this pose, with just enough of the muzzle in view to show the direction the coyote was looking, well illustrates the hunting behavior. I was pleasantly surprised with one element of this photo. I was much too close to this coyote to use my 500mm lens so I had grabbed my other 7D with the 100-400 attached and backed the zoom down to 150mm. …
Just a Shot That I Like…#28 – Male American Kestrel In Warm Light
For the New Year I’ve decided to resurrect my “Just A Shot That I Like” feature. For some reason I stopped using it and I’m not really sure why. There are times when I want to post just a single image and this feature seems ideal for those situations. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Two days ago I found this handsome male American Kestrel posing on rabbitbrush just as the sun was coming up over the mountains. I like the warm, early morning light and the pose. Best wishes and a happy and prosperous New Year to you all! Ron
Lickety-split Chukar
We haven’t seen many Chukars recently but yesterday we found a small covey feeding at the base of several rabbitbrush on the north end of Antelope Island. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light Most of them were pretty skittish but the sentry bird was standing watch on top of a snow-covered boulder as the rest of the birds slowly wandered away. The sentry posed for us for several minutes. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light It called out to the rest of the flock twice. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light Chukars are often reluctant to fly and prefer to scurry on the ground to safety. In an instant the bird accelerated up the rock… 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light and down the other side. It was really moving. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light In this last decent shot I got in the series, the bird appears to be sledding on top of the snow as much as it is running through it. I really enjoy photographing Chukars in the snow this time of year. For much of the fall and early winter these birds are pretty scruffy looking but now their plumage appears bright and fresh again. Ron
Loggerhead Shrike Attempting To Impale A Grasshopper
Shrikes are well-known for impaling their prey on sharp projections like thorns or barbed wire as a means of food storage – they’re called “butcher birds” for good reason. I suspect the behavior to do so is innate but to become skilled at it takes practice. This past summer I found this Loggerhead Shrike on a fence on the Montana farm where I grew up. It had already captured the grasshopper when I arrived on the scene. First, my standard disclaimer for behavioral sequences. This bird was strongly sidelit so I seldom got a catch light and the light was harsh. To compensate, I did more processing with these images than I normally do because my intent is to show the behavior as well as possible, even though image quality suffered from the processing. Almost immediately I could see that the shrike was going to attempt to impale the grasshopper on the barb just below and in front of the beak of the bird. Impaling prey apparently isn’t an easy task. From all the contortions the bird went through… I’d assume that part of the problem was the awkward angle the shrike was at… to get proper leverage to complete the task. At one point the bird nearly fell off the fence. After a few moments the shrike gave up, turned its back on me with the grasshopper between its legs (and a gob of grasshopper on its bill) and seemed to contemplate what…