Antelope Island
Of the eight major islands in the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island is the largest at 15 miles long and 4.5 miles wide. Frary Peak reaches an elevation of 6596 feet. The island has an intriguing history, interesting geology and free roaming herds of bison, bighorn sheep, mule deer and pronghorn, in addition to a variety of smaller mammal species and plentiful birds. It is one of my very favorite photography locations – especially for birds. In this blog post I will present an overview of the island and some of its wildlife. My next post will deal specifically with bird photography on the island. The north end of Antelope Island at sunrise as seen from the causeway access road There is a 7 mile long causeway road that provides the only access to the island, which is actually a peninsula when the Great Salt Lake water levels are low. It’s common to see a variety of wildlife along this causeway including coyotes sprinting at the first sight of an early morning vehicle, American Kestrels, Northern Harriers, Burrowing Owls, Common Ravens and a variety of waterfowl and shorebirds where the water comes closer to the causeway. Approaching the north end of Antelope Island As you get closer to the island the water comes right up to the causeway’s edge and typically there’s hordes of waterfowl and shorebirds very close to the road. In the photo above, several shoreline levels of ancient Lake Bonneville can be seen where wave action eroded “benches” in the sides of the…
Bald Eagles in Utah
Every winter hundreds of Bald Eagles migrate south from Canada and Alaska and winter in Utah. They do so because of our relatively mild winters and they are able to find sufficient food here. Typically they begin arriving in November and leave in March when the ice begins to melt. They can be found in many areas of the state but a large percentage of them winter on the wetlands surrounding the Great Salt Lake where there are a number of bird refuges and other suitable areas to accommodate them. Adult Bald Eagle in flight Each year I spend many hours at some of the Great Salt Lake wetlands photographing eagles. What attracts them to some of the refuges is fish – lots of fish, especially carp. Carp are a nuissance for wildlife managers because they root in the mud of the shallow impoundments which makes the water cloudy and unable to transmit light to the bottom. This disrupts the healthy growth of desirable plant species needed by birds so some refuges “poison” the carp, usually in mid-winter, with rotenone – a non-toxic chemical that forms a film on fish gills preventing oxygen transfer from the water to the blood which kills the carp. Then it’s feast time for the eagles. Bald Eagles and gulls on the ice It’s common to see several hundred Bald Eagles from one spot. One refuge counted 408 eagles. I’ve personally seen 150 – 200 birds on several occasions. Immature Bald Eagle with carp This is why they’re here – fish! Specifically, carp. Lots of carp…
Weather Loach in Utah – Another Invasive Species
On December 12, 2007 I photographed this Common Goldeneye with a fish at Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area. At the time I didn’t pay much attention to what kind of fish it might be and then just kind of forgot about it. Male Common Goldeneye with unidentified (at the time) fish The moment of capture Then, on October 2, 2008, I took some photos of a Snowy Egret fishing, also at Farmington. Finally, I became curious about the unusual fish – noticing the atypical elongated almost eel-like body in particular. I made some casual inquiries of refuge personnel about fish species present there but didn’t get anything definitive that would match this fish. More time went by, then I finally showed Justina Parsons-Bernstein some of the photos and asked her about the fish. She is the Director of The Great Salt Lake Nature Center at Farmington Bay WMA and she was also curious as to what species of fish it was so she sent some of my images to a vertebrate specialist with the state of Utah. He keyed it out as a Weather Loach. It turns out that the Weather Loach or Dojo Loach as it is also known (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) is quite a remarkable fish. The name Weather Loach comes from the fact that it is highly sensitive to minor changes in barometric pressure and when it perceives such a change its behaviour becomes erratic, active and animated. Humans have kept them captive as a weather indicator for centuries. They are a very hardy species, capable of surviving poor conditions by swallowing atmospheric…
The Frustrations of Unnatural Perches
Most bird photographers prefer their subjects to be on natural perches. We are, after all, nature photographers. The definition of just what is “natural” becomes a slippery slope for sure but for my purposes I’ll define a natural perch by exclusion – it does not include buildings, telephone poles and wires, chunks of concrete, signs, or most anything else that is obviously man-made. Now for my exceptions. Some objects that are man-made and have a “rustic” quality are often acceptable. Weathered fence posts, old barns and rusty barbed wire would be examples. One of the major frustrations of bird photographers is to be able to finally get close to a beautiful subject in good light but the bird has chosen an ugly or inappropriate (for us) man-made perch. It is typically very difficult to approach many bird species close enough to get excellent detailed photos, even with big expensive lenses. So it can be aggravating in the extreme to finally get close enough but the bird has chosen an unappealing perch. Some folks choose to largely avoid this problem by shooting at “setups” where the bird has been unnaturally lured into an artificial situation by provided food with attractive perches arranged close by. To many of us this is not nature photography but more like studio or zoo photography. Good bird photography ain’t easy. If it were it wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying when I do finally get the shot I’m after – even though the pursuit has often been frustrating. Below are some of the situations where I’ve been frustrated by these unattractive, unnatural perches. Most bird photographers know…
Northern Harriers Fight to Survive Harsh Winters
Typically life is good for the hundreds of Northern Harriers who spend fall and winter in the marshes and prairies surrounding the Great Salt Lake after spending breeding season up north. Here their diet consists almost exclusively of microtine voles (small rodents resembling mice). These voles are incredibly abundant and relatively easy prey. It’s quite unusual to see a harrier even attempt to catch a songbird or anything else for that matter. Harrier hunting voles near the Great Salt Lake However the easy life takes a major turn for the worse during unusually harsh winters with intense cold and deep snow packs. During these times the voles spend most of their time underground eating roots and dried vegetation which means the primary source of food for harriers is suddenly unavailable just when they most need nourishment for warmth. And since most songbirds (their fall-back food source) have either migrated south or have already succumbed to the many American Kestrels in the region, simple survival for the harriers is suddenly very precarious. Now, out of desperation, harriers begin to go for larger prey – ducks and coots for example. Harrier on a duck kill frozen into the ice They aren’t able to take these prey often and when they do they can’t eat them quickly like they can a vole. The result is intense aggression – fighting fiercely over food. Typically I see very little true aggression(other than territorial squabbles) between harriers but all that changes when food becomes scarce. A relatively large prey item will provide multiple…
American Avocet Feeding on Fish
I’ve spent many, many hours watching and photographing feeding avocets and have never once seen one eat a fish or even attempt to catch one that I was aware of. Until yesterday. American Avocet feeding on fish at Bear River MBR While at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge I photographed this avocet catching, manipulating and finally swallowing a fish. I know that this behavior is not unheard of as Birds of North America Online (BNA) states that this species sometimes eats fish and my friend Dave Sparks once posted an avocet with a fish on an online critique forum. However, for me it was something new and unique and worthy of a post here. Ron
Loggerhead Shrike Impaling Prey, revisited
Recently on this blog I posted images of a juvenile Loggerhead Shrike impaling a dragonfly on thorns and said I hoped to get more documentation of the behavior but it would likely have to wait until next years nesting season. I was wrong. I witnessed and photographed this behavior again just three days ago. This time the shrike was also a juvenile but the prey was a large spider. Juvenile shrike with spider What happened after the capture was interesting for me. The bird didn’t simply impale the prey and leave it (as a cache or food store) as might be expected of an adult. Instead, it attempted to impale the spider on different thorns multiple times, like it was practicing – learning how to do it (keep in mind, the bird is a juvenile). In fact, at one point the shrike even seemed to be “studying” its work, as you will see (I’m sure that’s anthropomorphic of me). Sometimes they don’t actually impale the prey, instead they wedge it into crevices or between forked branches/twigs. This shrike tried to do both with the spider. After what I believe was four attempts at impaling/wedging the spider on some thorny branches someone had placed in a campground fire pit, the bird had apparently had enough practice and simply ate the prey in several pieces. Some of the images below aren’t of the best quality but I think they do document what I saw. As far as I could tell, the spider was dead through this whole process. Attempting to impale…
Red-winged Blackbird With a Crossed Bill
This morning while out photographing birds at a local wildlife refuge I came across this Red-winged Blackbird with a strongly crossed bill, which of course is not typical of the species. I’ve seen a few mildly crossed bills in this and other species in the past but never one quite this pronounced in a species where it isn’t “normal”. Red-winged Blackbird with a crossed bill, perched on curley dock There are species of birds in North America that have crossed bills as a species trait – the Red Crossbill and the White-winged Crossbill. Their crossed bills are an adaptation for extracting seeds from cones. Seeing this RWBB with a crossed bill naturally got me thinking about evolution. Variations occur throughout nature since each individual inherits a different combination of genes from its parents. This particular variation would likely be selected against in RWBB’s and would not persist since they do not typically pry seeds from cones. However, one can see how this same variation in the ancestors of todays crossbills would be the genetic fuel for the crossed bill trait they all exhibit today. Ron
Great Horned Owls on the Farm
For perhaps twenty years now there has been at least one pair of nesting Great Horned Owls on the farm where I grew up near Cut Bank, Montana. They were never there when I was a kid but they’ve sure taken to it since. This farm still seems like home to me and I return to it at least once every year for a visit with family and of course to check up on the owls. It’s the perfect place for these birds as it’s isolated, there are many old barns and granaries for the owls to find sanctuary and mice, voles and the ubiquitous Richardson’s Ground Squirrels (gophers) are everywhere. Both the owls and I love the place! Great Horned Owl in a barn cutout Most often I prefer my birds on natural perches but there’s just something about owls and old barn wood that appeals to me. I think owls, particularly Barn Owls and Great Horned Owls, often just seem to “fit” in many rustic settings. In the image above, I like the warm tones of the bird contrasting with the cooler tones of the black background and some of the wood. Juvenile (no “horns” yet) in warm, early morning light The youngster above was sitting in an east facing cutout in an old granary just as the sun came up. The effect of the warm light on both bird and wood is fairly dramatic (no saturation added). This juvenile is wet from the dew, thus the “spikiness” on the top of the head. They look very different from the…
American Kestrels Rejecting Intestinal Tract of Prey
Several times I have photographed American Kestrels discarding the intestinal tract of their prey. The prey has always been a vole or mouse when I’ve seen it happen, though it may occur with small birds also. I was surprised by this behavior. Every time I’ve seen it happen has been during our harsh winters when I would assume every last morsel of food would be significant for their survival. Below is a series of photos where a female American Kestrel demonstrates the behavior with a vole kill. Female kestrel begins to pull small intestine out of a vole And deliberately drops it The cecum? is discarded: the intestine is still attached to the body and hanging down the side of the post She pulls more intestine out of the vole Breaks it loose from the body And deliberately drops it to the ground Finally, she pulls out the last of the small intestine, which she also dropped I know of others who have seen similar behaviors in other raptors – a variety of hawks and Osprey. Several theories to explain it have been mentioned by bird photographers and others who have seen my photographs. Among them: “These organs are filled with potentially harmful bacteria”. Then how are many raptors, owls for example, able to consume their prey whole without harmful effect? “These organs are filled with food of low value to the kestrel (vegetative matter). Why fill up on carbs when it’s protein you need? Begs the question – Would they also discard intestines of insectivorous birds? I don’t know……