The Dusky Grouse And The Good Samaritan
Remembering to call this species the “Dusky Grouse” is going to be a challenge for me. For years they’ve been called Blue Grouse, with two recognized sub-species – Dusky Grouse and Sooty Grouse. But based on recent mitochondrial DNA studies the two sub-species of Blue Grouse are now recognized as separate species. Apparently the common name “Blue Grouse” will no longer be used. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light I came across this male a couple of days ago while high in the Wasatch Mountains on Francis Peak along Skyline Drive. I was driving up a steep, narrow road and just as I stopped to photograph the bird a hunter in a pickup came down the road right in front of us. If he had continued forward the bird would have spooked but when he spotted it and noticed our long lenses pointed at the grouse he very considerately stopped for several minutes so that we could get our shots. When we had our images I motioned for him to continue, which he did and yes – the bird flew off. I talked to him for a minute or so and thanked him for his kind deed. In the past I’ve taken the occasional pot shot at hunters on this blog. But the considerate act of this sportsman reminds me once again to avoid stereotypes – that the unethical, inconsiderate and/or unsportsmanlike behavior of a few renegade hunters should not reflect on the entire group – just as similar behaviors of relatively small numbers of nature photographers should…
Anticipating The Return Of Rough-legged Hawks
Rough-legged Hawks are a true arctic species, spending about 7 months of the year on their breeding grounds in the arctic or sub-arctic tundra or taiga of Alaska or Canada. Then they migrate south and winter in most of the lower 48 states, with the exception of the SE region and parts of California and Arizona. I love it when they’re here as I find them to be exceedingly handsome birds and I really enjoy photographing them. And yes, I’m already looking forward to their return. Every time I’m in their favorite haunts I can’t help looking for them on some of their preferred perches, even this time of year. So, feeling a little nostalgic for them on a Saturday night, I thought I’d do a post on the species. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Normally I’m not terribly fond of the Tintic Quartzite rocks on Antelope Island as perches because they’re so bright that they tend to blow out the whites but as you can see by the shadows the sun was still very low when this shot was taken so I got pretty good detail on most of the perch. And besides, I like the rounded, weathered look of this particular boulder. I do wish the out of focus sunflower heads in the foreground weren’t there but for me they’re not an image killer. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This is one of…
Red-tailed Hawk Banking At Take-off
This morning I’m off on a new adventure, looking for birds (raptors in particular) in a spectacular area I’ve never visited before so I only have time for a short post. In past years I haven’t had great luck with Red-tailed Hawks, even though they’re one of the most common raptors in Utah. They always seemed to be perched on telephone poles, which makes for an unattractive perch and unacceptably high angle. Even at take-off I’d generally only get blue sky backgrounds which I don’t find particularly interesting. But in the last couple of months my fortunes with the species have changed. 1/2500, f 7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Yesterday morning this juvenile was sitting on an elevated perch and facing away from me, which didn’t give me high hopes for a take-off shot. But it spotted potential prey over its shoulder so when it launched it turned back toward me in the process. I liked the result. The yellows in the background are sunflowers and blooming rabbitbrush. I removed a portion of the unattractive perch in the lower right corner of the frame. Cloning is something I nearly always avoid doing but in this case I made an exception. I mention it in the interest of full disclosure. I’ll make another post soon that will also feature this bird but it will have an interesting “twist” from my usual fare. Ron
Getting Close To The American Kestrel
One of the first lessons bird photographers learn (often to their great frustration) is that you must get close to your subject in order to get good detail. Very close. Even if you’re shooting with a long, expensive lens. And getting close usually ain’t easy! Large crops rob detail. I’m of the opinion that cropping away any more than about 50% of the image generally does unacceptable damage to image quality. Some species are relatively easy to approach – around here American Robins, Mourning Doves and House Finches come to mind. Other species have a reputation of being particularly skittish and at the top of that list for many photographers is the American Kestrel – a strikingly beautiful little falcon that is found throughout most of North America. For many years I’ve posted bird images on an internet avian critique forum and whenever I’d post a shot of a kestrel I’d invariably get comments that went something like this: “How in the world did you ever get this close to a kestrel? I always see them perched up high on poles or wires and whenever I even begin to get close they fly away”. Well, here’s the secret – photograph them when it’s cold. Very cold! That means in the depths of winter. It also means in the early mornings on those days when it’s coldest of all. I’ve found that many species of birds are more reluctant to fly in the cold but that tendency seems to be magnified with the kestrel. I’m not sure why but as a photographer I’m more than happy to…
Red-tailed Hawk Rejecting Intestines Of Prey
Many raptors will methodically and deliberately remove the intestinal tract of their prey before consuming it, a behavior that I’ve photographed several times with different species. In my research I’ve never been able to find out exactly why this is done – there are multiple theories but apparently no definitive answers. Maybe they tend to reject them because they “taste bad”, or because they “harbor harmful bacteria” or because they are filled with contents that are of “low food value”. Perhaps it’s a combination of factors. Recently, to add to the confusion, I’ve come up with my own working theory. The intestines of vertebrates, particularly mammals such as the rodents that many of these raptors regularly prey on, tend to be infested with a variety of parasites – including worms such as intestinal roundworms, flukes and tapeworms. The life cycles of many of these parasites are convoluted and complex but some of them lay thousands of eggs into the hosts intestinal contents every day. Eating those contents could have unpleasant consequences for predators so it seems logical to me that selection pressure might preserve such a behavior. 1/1000. f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in While I was in SW Montana a few weeks ago this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk flew to a nearby post with a vole and started to eat it. It began by opening the vole and then removing and swallowing several desirable morsels. Here you see an errant feather floating away in the breeze. 1/1000. f/5.6, ISO 640, 500…
Winter Barn Owls In Flight
Normally it’s very difficult to find Barn Owls hunting in daylight but an extremely cold winter a few years ago caused some of them around here to continue hunting into mid-morning. They were looking for voles in the wetlands and it was fascinating to watch and photograph them as they effortlessly cruised over the phragmites and grasses, occasionally turning abruptly and diving for prey. 1/2000, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in It was very cold and frosty with lots of moisture in the air which turned the sky background a color that appeals to me. 1/2000, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Sometimes they were low enough to get the Phragmites in the setting. Phragmites is a scourge to wetland managers but I’ve always liked it for backgrounds. When the owls would fly west I would often get light on the entire bird. 1/2000, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in But when they flew east they were sidelit. I like both effects. 1/3200, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Partly because of their deeply set eyes it’s a challenge to get catch lights in Barn Owls. But here the bird was hovering over prey and looking down at it so because of the behavior you wouldn’t expect to get…
Lens Caddy – An Invaluable Tool For Photographing From A Vehicle
The perennial problem for those of us with long, heavy and very expensive lenses who shoot from our vehicles is how to stow our gear where it is readily and instantly available for use but also protected from crashing to the floor when you hit the brakes for an unexpected photographic opportunity or run into rough, washboardy roads that bounce your camera and lens all around. Many of us have 5 – 10 thousand dollars (or more) tied up in just one camera and lens combination and that investment must be protected. But if your gear is safely tucked inside a padded case you’re guaranteed to miss many wonderful shots as your subject (birds or wildlife) scoots away while you’re retrieving your camera and lens. For me the perfect solution to that dilemma is my homemade “lens caddy”. I’ve been using it for years now so it’s a little beat up (though I did give it a new paint job and replaced the felt recently) but for my purposes it’s invaluable. I made it in my wood shop. It’s secured to the seat console by extensions on the bottom that fit very tightly into the cup holders. Felt pads protect both camera and lens where they meet the wood, though the pads up front for the lens are probably unnecessary because I have a protective lens coat on my lens. The lens plate fits tightly and securely into the slot on top of the caddy. Here you see the camera and lens in place. When I need it everything simply lifts out in one…
Important Notice To My Google Feedburner Subscribers
Google Feedburner will cease to exist on October 20, 2012. My Feedburner subscriber list has already dropped to zero so I’m not sure for how long you will continue to get email updates on my blog from Google Feedburner. There are two solutions for subscribers. You are able to subscribe to my blog under the “comment” section of each post. By clicking the box next to “Notify me of new posts by email” you will receive an email update each time I publish a new blog post. This option requires that you post a comment. Or you may subscribe without leaving a comment by using “Subscribe to My Blog via Email” in the upper right hand corner of each blog post. Simply type in your email address and click “subscribe”. These options may be preferrable over Google Feedburner anyway because with this service your email update will arrive almost immediately. Feedburner was much slower. You may recieve duplicate emails for a day or two but soon after you sign up again I’ll deactivate your Feedburner subscription. If you would like to continue following my Feathered Photography blog via email updates, please switch soon. This was an unexpected bump in the road. I apologize for the inconvenience. Ron
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk Honing Its Hunting Skills
For the past few weeks I’ve been working a pair of juvenile Red-tailed Hawks with varying degrees of success. Mostly they’re just toying with me – staying just out of range or on the wrong side of the road in poor light. But on two mornings the lighter colored of the two birds put on quite a show. It chose to do its “sit and wait” hunting from a series of dark rocks close to the road and didn’t seem to care that I was there. And close. 1/2000. f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited The rocks are on the side of a small mountain with vole-laden prairie grass between me and the hawk so the bird would perch on them and then take off for prey it spotted – often in my general direction. The prey is presumable nearly always voles though these young birds are usually unsuccessful. It did catch and eat a small snake once but the action was buried in the grasses. I’ve yet to see it actually catch a vole and that makes me feel sympathy for the hawk but on the other hand all these attempts at prey have given me some nice photo ops. 1/2000. f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited Usually the setting had grass and/or rocks in the background and often it was close enough to the hawk to make focus-lock difficult but here the background was a little further away. On both days by the time the bird cooperated the sun was high enough that the…
Escaped Falconry Bird – Peregrine Falcon
Early this morning, just as the sun was coming up over the Wasatch Mountains, we came across this adult Peregrine Falcon, with prey, along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park. It is apparently another escaped falconry bird as it had obvious falconry anklets above its feet, though the actual jesses had been removed. 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This first image was taken where we first found it – along the edge of the causeway and next to the Great Salt Lake shoreline. A few seconds after this shot was taken the bird took off. 1/800, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But seven minutes later, as we proceeded along the causeway, we found the bird perched on this highway post. 1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This shot was taken as the falcon took off from the post. You’ll notice that the leather falconry anklets, sans jesses, are apparent in each of the above three images. 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc And the last time we saw the bird it had landed far away on the large boulders lining the east side of the Antelope Island Marina. We’ve reported this sighting to the Utah Division of Natural Resources and they’ve told us that they will follow up on it. I’ve always admired the sport of falconry on several levels. Falconers generally have a deep devotion and personal attachment to their birds that I respect and they and their organizations have done a lot for raptor conservation…