I’ve mentioned before how very reluctant Chukars are to fly. They much prefer to scurry away through the grasses whenever they feel insecure or threatened.
And that reluctance also applies when they’re ready to leave an elevated perch. They’ll nearly always find a way to scramble down a big rock rather than fly from it like most other birds would. That tendency was demonstrated to me twice yesterday morning on Antelope Island.
Early last Sunday morning was a good time for Chukars on Antelope Island. It was too early for the weekend crowds who were mostly still home snoozing away, the light was great and the Chukars cooperative.
I’ve never been able to get a Chukar in flight or taking off, largely because they’re so hesitant to fly. Even when they’re perched on an elevated rock they usually just hop to the ground when they’re ready to leave. And when they do fly, typical of most upland game birds, they fly very fast, low to the ground and away from you which makes for an almost impossible target. But I got one yesterday morning, taking off. 1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 500, 100-400 @260mm, natural light This bird was acting as a sentry (also called a sentinel) for a small group of other Chukars nearby. It’s observation perch of choice was a sign post that was high enough that it had to actually fly when it decided to leave. I was too close to this bird for my 500mm lens so I quickly grabbed my 100-400 zoom lens and when it looked like it might be thinking of taking off I zoomed back far enough to give the Chukar enough room to fly into. I had plenty of light for a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the wings of even this buzz-saw flier (those relatively short wings on such a chunky bird really have to churn to get it airborne) and was lucky enough to catch the wings in a position I like. A more appealing perch would have been nice but I’m pleased with the way most everything else turned out. Ron
Our Chukars are generally easier to approach in the spring and early summer than they are the rest of the year. Right now, pair bonds are being formed and the birds seem more concerned with others of their own kind than they are about me and my pickup.
Sometimes a change of position of just a few inches can have a fairly dramatic affect on the overall “feel” of an image. That was the case with this Antelope Island Chukar. 1600, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light I found the bird on a rock ledge and slightly above me which gave an almost eye-level perspective that I like. Occasionally it would call, as they’re very prone to do. 1600, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light But then it began to walk a short distance to my right (I’m always surprised that the bottoms of their feet are yellow)… 1600, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light which brought the snow-covered hillside in the background into play. At first there was a mix of snow and blue sky back there… 2000, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light but then I deliberately raised my window a couple of inches (as usual I was shooting from my pickup) to take the blue sky out of the picture. And the bird obliged me by calling once again. Most of the snow is finally gone from the island now. Even the roads to the Frary Peak trailhead and White Rock Bay are open – they’ve been closed for months due to snow. Hopefully that’s a sign that the curlews and Willets (and other spring birds) won’t be far behind. Hope so – it’s been a long dry spell on the island. Ron
Chukars typically forage in small flocks and when they do one of them often sits on an elevated perch and serves as a sentry while the others are looking for food. 1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light This bird chose a pile of snow that had been pushed up high by a snow plow along the edge of a road. 1/3200, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light When the rest of the flock wandered off it decided it was time to look for a safe way down from its lofty perch. 1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light When they do so they’re very deliberate about it. This bird investigated several pathways down before settling on this direction. It’s quite a ways down so “he” was pretty careful about it. 1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm, natural light Most birds would at least open their wings to soften the landing. Not Chukars. I’ve often been impressed by how far they’re willing to free-fall without using their wings. I sometimes refer to Chukars as “rock-hoppers” – guess I’ll have to add “snow-hoppers” to the list. Since I was using my 100-400mm zoom lens for this sequence I wish I’d had time to back off a bit on the focal length for the jump, but I didn’t. Consequently I had to add some canvas for composition. It’s harder to get them in mid-air, sharp and composed well than it looks. Ron
Two days ago we had great fun with Chukars on Antelope Island. The afternoon before had been relatively warm, melting the top layer of snow which then froze into a thin crust on top of the snow during the night. Our timing was perfect as we found a large covey of Chukars flitting between sagebrush and rabbitbrush for cover just as the morning sun was beginning to soften the hard crust. As you view these photos, keep in mind that most of the sequences were shot in bursts of 8 frames per second. The action was pretty fast. When these birds were walking, the crust would support their weight but they just couldn’t resist the impulse to run. And when they did… the crust, which had only become soft in the last few minutes, would usually give way… leaving a very surprised bird stuck in the snow. The bird would then pull out of the snow. This one almost looks like it’s looking around to see if any of its buddies saw its silly maneuver. Usually they seemed to know that they needed to walk instead of run, which they did for a few steps but then they nearly always tried to run again. It was hilarious to watch and it happened repeatedly. This was one of those few times that I wish I’d been prepared to shoot video but I think the still shots still give a pretty good sense of what was happening. Another…
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
I often enjoy elements of incongruity in my images, particularly birds in unexpected settings. Chukars prefer steep, rocky, mountainous and dry terrain so in my experience with them it is atypical to catch them in a photograph with a body of water in the background. When it’s hot, as it is now, these birds drink large amounts of water but of course the Great Salt Lake is much too saline for them to drink from. So they spend nearly all their time higher up on the rocky slopes and drink from the fresh water springs in the area. 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc However, there is one thing that draws them to the shore of the lake this time of year – brine flies. Chukars are almost exclusively vegetarians and eat mostly leaves and seeds although they’ll consume insects “occasionally”. But apparently they can’t resist the bounty of hordes of brine flies found along the shore of the lake during July and August (I’ve posted a shot here of a Chukar gorging on these flies) . I found this bird and several others along the shoreline yesterday. While I didn’t actually observe them consuming flies this time I’m confident that it was the flies that attracted them to the shore. Ron
Obviously I’m not posting this shot for its image quality – it’s distinctly lacking in same. But what an experience we had with these Chukars this morning. We could see them fighting as we approached because they would occasionally jump up above the thick grasses while clawing and biting at each other in the air. I was amazed both by how vicious these fights were and by the incredible speed of these plump, roly-poly birds. 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc We watched several of them fighting for perhaps 5 minutes but very few of my shots turned out because of the fast and furious action in low light and especially because my focus kept locking onto the foreground grasses. But this image should give you a flavor for what it was like and for what my latest photographic goal is – to find some fighting Chukars in better light and out in the open. I’m gonna work on it! Ron
During spring and early summer Chukars habitually call from large rock perches but in winter they’re secretive, elusive and very difficult to approach. On the rare occasions I can get close to the species this time of year they’re buried in the vegetation and I can’t get a clear shot. 1/800, f/8, ISO 800, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But I found this bird on a nice boulder perch last month on one of the first very cold mornings of the winter. The sun had just come up over the Wasatch Mountains and this Chukar was determined to absorb some heat from the warming rays so it hardly moved a feather for the several minutes I was able to keep it in frame. At times like this they fluff up their insulating feathers and always remind me of the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Or perhaps the bird simply swallowed a softball, ya think? Full disclosure – I cloned out a couple of bird droppings on the rock which is something I seldom do but in this case they were quite conspicuous and distracting. Ron
The Chukar is a type of partridge that was introduced to Antelope Island many years ago and they thrive there. They’re originally native to Asia and are a popular game bird, though their range in North America is restricted because they thrive only in areas of low rainfall and humidity. 1/2500, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I found this one last winter on a boulder just after a fresh snow fall. Though the white part of the background may look like clouds it is actually a snowy hillside with blue sky above. I like the soft colors, coy pose, rocky perch and the snow in the setting with the blue sky up top. Some may miss seeing the feet but that’s a trade-off I’ll gladly make to catch this handsome bird in the snow. Ron
I know, my title sounds like a recipe title or an entree from a fancy restaurant. Couldn’t resist… I’ve been photographing Chukars on Antelope Island for several years now and I’m often pleasantly surprised by the lovely backgrounds the island provides. Since these birds like to perch on the boulders that are common on the island they are often separated from their backgrounds by enough distance to provide a pleasing out of focus backdrop of earth tones from the dried grasses. Canon 7D, 1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4 But until recently the background has never included attractive flowers that I recall. What a treat it was to find this bird immediately after we got on the island just as the sun was peeking over the mountains to the east which made for some some nice warm light and for the bird to choose a perch with such a pleasant background. In this case the flowers are Black Mustard (named for the seed color – not the color of the flower, obviously – thanks for the flower ID Mia!). I liked the calling pose in this full frame shot. Canon 7D, 1/1000, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4 And to make things even better this bird cooperated for quite a while – providing a variety of head turns and poses to take advantage of the light and the setting. Chukars like to perch on, and call from, boulders. That can be a problem because most of the rocks on the north end of the island where these…
The Chukar, also known as the Chukar Partridge, is a species first introduced into North America from India in 1893. Since then they have flourished, particularly in the Great Basin of the American west where the largely feed on the seeds and leaves of cheat grass. Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake provides perfect habitat for them and they abound there. Chukar calling In the springtime there are times when the hillsides sound like the island has been overrun by domestic chickens from the calling of the Chukars. Preening on a rock perch Chukars are very prone to perch on rocks – especially in the spring. While there they call to other birds and preen. Sentinel birds of a flock also prefer elevated perches while on lookout, which of course is ideal for the bird photographer. Parent with chicks And here’s one of the reasons there’s so many Chukars on Antelope Island – the breed prodigiously. Clutch size can be up to 21 eggs! Chukar covey on boulder In late summer and fall Chukars often congregate in large groups. These coveys tend to consist of adults and their offspring but several family groups may mix together. Preparing to jump off the rock Like some other upland game birds, Chukars are often reluctant to fly. They will typically jump down from their perch and scurry through the vegetation to hide. They are very fast runners and easily outrun a human on foot. Rock hopping I’m often tempted to call these birds “rockhoppers” because of their tendency…
