Barn Swallow
I’ve always had a “thing” for Barn Swallows. I’m sure it goes back to my childhood on the family farm in Montana where they nested in huge numbers on and in all of the many old barns, granaries and outbuildings. As a kid I spent many hours watching their graceful flight with their long forked tail and pointed wings being quite distinctive. Another thing (besides the fond memories) that I’m indebted to them for is that the species indirectly led to the beginning of the conservation movement in the United States. The destruction of Barn Swallows for the millinery trade (those long tail feathers were apparently considered very attractive on the hat of a lady) during the 1800’s led to George Bird Grinnell’s article in Forest and Stream in 1886 that prompted the founding of the first Audubon Society. Hooray for Barn Swallows ! I think the way they’ve adapted to man is fascinating. They’re now the most abundant and widely distributed swallow in the world and originally they nested almost exclusively in caves but with the advent of human structures that has changed dramatically. They have almost completely converted to nesting in or on man-made structures like bridges, culverts and the eaves of buildings. In fact, in modern times any Barn Swallows found nesting on natural sites create quite a stir among birders and are often reported with much interest. 1/640, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light But I must admit that I also enjoy them in natural settings. I found this bird at Bear River MBR where…
Ravenous Yellow-headed Blackbird Fledgling
I was photographing adult male blackbirds when suddenly this very recently fledged youngster popped up in the cattails right in front of me. At first I thought it was just curious about me and my big truck but that turned out not to be the case.
Rough-legged Hawk With A Peculiar Hunting Technique
I’ve spent many hours watching Rough-legged Hawks hunt. Nearly always they hunt from the air or from elevated perches but several years ago this bird showed me a technique I had never seen before and haven’t since. All of these images are presented in the order they were taken. Techs for these shots were: 1/2000 – 1/3200, f/8. ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I found the hawk on the ground and as I approached it in my pickup it didn’t fly off as I expected it would. Here it’s looking at me but most of the time it was scanning the grasses in the vicinity – obviously hunting for voles from the ground. It would lift off but only fly a few feet before it landed again. In this first lift-off it had vegetation in its talons. I’ve seen them do this before – it’s almost like they’re reluctant to let go of the plant material after they’ve missed the prey. The hawk landed again… And intensely scanned the surrounding area for prey. Then another take-off… and it flew within inches of the ground… before it pounced on a vole and swallowed it. Then it continued to hunt in the same manner. Another take-off… and another. There’s blood on the right foot from the last vole. The hawk repeatedly did the same thing – take…
Flaming Gorge Osprey
The Osprey is a species that I’ve only had a handful of opportunities with but last spring I found a cooperative nesting pair at Flaming Gorge. In my mind this is a true miracle species because it has arisen Phoenix-like from the ashes of its own demise. During the 1950s-1970s their populations crashed dramatically, largely due to the effects of DDT and other persistent pesticides in the environment which caused severe eggshell-thinning and poor hatching success. But when those chemicals were banned the Osprey made a miraculous comeback and today their numbers are approaching historical highs. Part of the reason for that success has been the widespread use of artificial nesting sites. In some areas of North America, 90-95% of all nesting pairs choose these artificial sites over natural ones. The nest of this mated pair was on a pole installed for that purpose close to Flaming Gorge Reservoir. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, cloned out a piece of nest platform, not baited, set up or called in This is most likely the male of the pair (less conspicuous breast band) bringing a small fish in to the incubating female on the nest platform. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I believe this to be the female coming into the nest. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, canvas added, natural light, not baited, set up or called in When the male would bring its mate a fish…
Anticipating An American Avocet Behavior
Anticipating behaviors is often crucial for nature photographers and that’s particularly true when your subject is a lightning-fast bird. Most of us don’t need any more images where the wings have been cut off in the frame or the bird is soft due to lack of shutter speed or poor focus tracking of the bird at take-off. The American Avocet in breeding plumage is an especially lovely subject with its long recurved bill, bluish legs, cinnamon head and neck and the black and white chevron pattern on its back. But you don’t see many quality flight or take-off images of the species, partially because their flight tendencies are fast and erratic. Like many birds, avocets routinely perform single wing and leg stretches. These stretches occur when the bird is at rest and at ease. They stretch like this in the water… and on land. But this single-wing/leg stretch is not an indicator of nervousness or a precursor of take-off. Neither of the birds in these two images did so immediately after the stretch. 1/1000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, a sliver of canvas added for composition But when you see this two-winged wing stretch, expect imminent take-off. A few seconds later this bird did just that but it took off away from me and I deleted the images. Another two-wing stretch. And almost immediately after the wings came down… the bird took off. It’s not a good shot because of the angle of take-off but it illustrates my point. Here’s what Birds…
Black-billed Magpies Constructing Their Nest
This post is largely about behavior. The image quality ranges from good to mediocre but I think each photo contributes something to a better understanding of magpies. Black-billed Magpies begin nest-building as early as January and these particular birds have been at it for several weeks now. Actually, in this case it’s more a “remodel” than it is “new construction” since this nest has been used for at least the last three years. All of these photos have been taken this week, which accounts for the relatively bright snow and ice background in some of the shots. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light One of the first things you may notice is the fact that sometimes these Black-billed Magpies don’t seem to have black bills. Part of nest construction involves mud gathering and the drying mud on the bill can significantly alter the appearance of the bill. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light Both sexes contribute to nest construction and they’re quite industrious in their efforts. The size of the twigs they bring in is often impressive. 1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light The nest is buried deep in a greasewood bush at about eye level for me. Typically a bird bringing in construction material will land on a nearby perch and look over the nest for a few moments – seeming to plan placement of the twig and an approach path through the myriad of vertical greasewood stems that present significant obstacles to proper placement of such an unwieldy…
Barn Owl In Flight Among The Phragmites
It’s funny sometimes, what inspires my next blog post. In this case it was an unexpected and very kind and thoughtful email from one of my readers who is a huge fan of Barn Owls in natural settings. Thank you for the inspiration, Donna!
Magpie Nesting Season Has Begun
I’ve spent the last two mornings photographing Black-billed Magpies in the midst of nest construction. These birds often re-use old nests and this is at least the third year they have used the same one. Even when “recycling” the nest like this, weeks of work go in to refurbishing it – they bring in a completely new lining of grass, mud, rootlets and even bison fur. And they add an amazing number of new twigs to the basic structure. These are industrious birds! I’ve said before that this species is my most challenging avian photographic subject and that fact has been reinforced this week. There are several reasons for that, including: the deep black and bright white combination is hugely difficult to expose properly that aggravatingly long tail makes composition difficult and it is very easy to clip or cut off in action shots they close their nictitating membrane more than any other bird I’ve photographed and when they do its color is a blue-white which is almost shockingly apparent against the black head when they take off from an elevated perch they typically flap once and then fold their wings tightly against the body at exactly the moment when it’s easiest to get them in flight, resulting in what I call a “torpedo-bird” flight posture that is less than desirable the dark eye set against a black head makes it very difficult to get a good catch light in the eye In the last two days I’ve taken over 1200 shots of these magpies and about 95% of them were garbage, largely due…
Image Thieves Prompt A Change To “Feathered Photography”
I’m sorry to say that rampant copyright infringement and outright image thievery have forced me to make an unwanted change to my blog.
Juvenile Burrowing Owl Posing Up A Storm
The antics of Burrowing Owls are always entertaining but “personality” simply oozes out of the juveniles. 1/400, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This youngster had recently fledged and had begun to do a little exploring. On this early morning I found it on this perch just after sunrise. Thus was further away from the burrow than I’d seen any of the juveniles up to that point. 1/400, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Within just a few minutes it gave me a variety of interesting poses – first an enthusiastic yawn… 1/500, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in and then long and drawn out wing stretch with left foot extended… 1/500, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in which concluded with the wing down and partially hidden behind the rock. Soon after this shot was taken the bird flew back to the comfort and security of the burrow and the rest of its family. Ron