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…
Western Meadowlarks In Snow
Yesterday was a glorious day on the island with about 6″ of fresh snow and wonderful light. It was simply delightful. The Western Meadowlarks seemed to be a little “stickier” than usual, perhaps because of all the snow. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light This one was half buried in the snow but I liked all the convolutions in the snowy setting. 1/3200, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light This meadowlark was the most cooperative bird of the morning as it posed for me for over 6 minutes on top of some rabbitbrush. 1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light It never did turn around to show that bright yellow breast but it did give me some nice head turns to make up for it. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light Meadowlarks are well-known for a behavior called “tail flashing”, something they often do during territorial disputes. During tail flashing the tail is nervously (and very quickly) snapped open and closed, better revealing the white outer tail feathers. The bird was cooperating so well that I made it my goal to try to catch the tail spread to show those white feathers, which turned out to be much easier said than done. It happens so quickly that you just have to fire a burst and hope for the best. I took 208 shots of this bird (at least half of them were attempts to get the open tail) and only got…
Parahawking
If you’re a regular reader of this blog you know that I’ve had some reservations about falconry in the past. After extensive discussion here, with input from falconers, I no longer have many of those concerns. Last night Mark Runnels (one of the falconers involved in that discussion) sent me the link to a video clip that has simply fascinated me and I just had to share it. Like many others I sometimes fantasize about flight, especially as I watch a raptor soaring on the updrafts. The feeling of freedom and the ever-changing spectacular views that would come with three-dimensional mobility would be such an incredible rush. And if it could be done in silence (without engine noise) so that the only sound would be that of the air rushing by, so much the better. I’ve often watched raptors playing “tag” with each other on the air currents and wondered what it would be like to join them. Well, this must be pretty close to that experience. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Link below. Parahawking Thanks once again, Mark. Ron
Great Blue Herons On Snow and Ice
Christmas Morning at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge was nothing short of spectacular. We had great light, wonderfully clear blue skies and lots of birds. And it was cold – as low as 6 degrees F. Perfect! On this trip (which included the Promontory Point area) we saw a plethora of raptors – Bald and Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, American Kestrels, Short-eared Owls, a Prairie Falcon and one Barn Owl hunting in daylight because of the cold. And I’ve never seen as many Great Blue Herons in one relatively small area as I did on that morning. Just before I stopped to take this photo there were over 100 of them on the ice of the canal to the right and along the far bank in less than 1/3 mile – which led to a topic of conversation. Mia is from Florida and we discussed how seeing Great Blue Herons on snow and ice seems incongruous to many folks from warmer climates. That conversation was the inspiration for this post. 1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f/4, natural light As is typical for western herons, these birds were difficult to approach (in some areas like Florida one can almost walk up and touch them at times). This juvenile was fishing in a patch of flowing water surrounded by ice and snow. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f/4, natural light Then the same bird flew off and then came back to land within a few feet of where it had been fishing – almost like it was…
A Pied-billed Grebe Attempts To Dismember A Frog
Pied-billed Grebes are opportunistic feeders, taking large crustaceans (especially crayfish), fish, insects and other invertebrates. They also consume a lot of frogs when they’re available. When the prey is too large to swallow whole (frogs and crayfish especially) they grasp the appendages with their beak and shake it vigorously until the limbs break off. I’ve also seen adults tear off bits of the body trunk of frogs to feed to their chicks. This bird is a juvenile, still learning the finer points of consuming prey. This stage of plumage development is referred to as the “stripe-head stage”, for obvious reasons. Adults lose those stripes. The frog it has captured is probably one of the first amphibians the bird has had to deal with without assistance from a parent and that inexperience seemed obvious as the young bird dealt with the frog. I’ve presented all the photos in this series in the order they were taken. As you can see, the young frog hasn’t yet fully metamorphosed into an adult and retains the tadpole tail. The grebe would repeatedly grasp a limb (it tried all 5 of them several times)… and then shake the frog violently in an apparent attempt to tear the appendage off like it has seen its parents do so many times before. Here it’s working on the left front leg. Other times the bird would grasp the body and shake. Hard! At times the grebe would appear to rest and “think” about its…
Christmas Birds At Farmington Bay
Christmas Day is one of our favorite times to photograph birds. My daughter lives in Florida so I normally don’t get to spend time with family and for me bird photography is the next-best thing. Besides, we usually have splendid isolation when we’re “out there” while everyone else is at home celebrating the holiday in a more traditional way. A win/win situation for all. This post is dedicated to “Christmas Birds” – photos I’ve taken on Christmas Day in recent years. I often think of these birds as extra-special Christmas presents. 1/1600, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, called in or set up This beautiful male American Kestrel is perched on a short but thick wooden pole at Farmington Bay. The pole has been a favorite perch for kestrels and eagles for years but now an ugly bat box has been placed near the top of the pole, ruining it for photographic purposes. I’m all for bats but I sure wish the box had been placed a few inches lower on the pole. 1/400, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, called in or set up Two years ago, this Common Merganser hung around a Farmington Bay pond for much of the winter. I seldom saw it actively fishing. Instead, it would just wait around until one of the many Pied-billed Grebes caught a fish and then steal it away from them – very entertaining to watch. 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4,…
Song Sparrow In A Frosty Wonderland
It’s my natural tendency to avoid public displays of sentiment (another character flaw…) but recently I’ve been reflecting on just how much I enjoy blogging and interacting with my readers. Even though I’ve never actually met most of you, I can’t help but feel that we have become “friends” on some level. And this time of year especially, I think of my friends. Friends usually share at least some common interests and for us it seems to be a mix of birds, nature and/or photography. Many of you are more knowledgeable in those areas than I am and have graciously shared your expertise and experiences with me and others. For that I am grateful. So I wanted to wish each of you the very best this holiday season. I hope you’re with family and loved ones and that your experiences over the next few days will add to your cherished memories down the road. I wish you a safe and joyous holiday season! Ron About the image: The bird is a Song Sparrow, plucking seeds from a hoar frost covered stem on a very cold and magical early morning on the refuge wetlands. You can see frost falling near the tail from the feeding activity.