The Coyote And The Pesky Deer Fly
Coyotes really don’t like biting flies. In fact I believe I can safely say that they truly hate horse flies and deer flies in particular.
Tag: antelope island
A Coyote, A Reflection And An Interpretive Error On My Part
Three months ago I posted some shots of a coyote intrigued by its own reflection in the Great Salt Lake. I rejected one photo I liked because of what I thought was a metal wire that ruined the image. I should have paid more attention…
A Tribute To The “Common Species”
Many bird photographers tend to largely ignore the most common species in their areas and I’m as guilty of that as anyone.
There seems to be a sort of “supply and demand” philosophy – the more common they are the less appealing they are as subjects. That’s too bad for at least a couple of reasons – familiar birds can be just as interesting and beautiful as many of the others and what’s “common” where we live and/or shoot is very often uncommon or even nonexistent for folks in other areas. This post is meant to make up to some degree for my own poor judgment at times in choosing subjects.
Hummingbird Respite
Snow, cold, fog, dreary skies, poor light and polluted air – that’s all we’ve had for many days and I’m sick of it! This morning I need a reprieve and hummingbirds will provide it..
Western Meadowlark In The Snow
In northern Utah, anticipating how long our Western Meadowlarks will stick around during winter is always a guessing game.
Some Very Odd-looking Pheasants
Ring-necked Pheasants are relatively common in my area and I normally see very little variation in plumage color in them – males look like males, females look like females and that’s about it. But twice I’ve photographed some very strange-looking birds.
Male American Kestrel In A Pastel Setting
I haven’t been able to get close to many male American Kestrels recently but at least I’m seeing a few of them now. They were alarmingly scarce all summer.
The Menacing Talons Of A Prairie Falcon
The formidable talons of the larger falcons always impress me and this female Prairie Falcon gave me a good look at her scythe-like weapons. From the size of her hugely bulging crop it’s obvious that they serve her well.
Rough-legged Hawk – Topside View, With Prey
It’s pretty unusual to be able to see prey in the talons with a topside view of a hawk in flight.
Male Harrier In Flight On A Four Layered Background
For me the background can sometimes be almost as important as the bird. In this case it’s probably because I identify so personally with what’s back there, even though it’s all out of focus. This place is where I cut my photographic teeth years ago.
Dark Morph Rough-legged Hawk
I’ve only had two reasonably good chances at the dark morph of the Rough-legged Hawk and one of them was a highly unexpected encounter two weeks ago.
Rough-legged Hawk Hunting Technique
Like some other buteos, depending on conditions the Rough-legged Hawk may hunt from the air using flapping/gliding flight or from an elevated perch but their tendency to hunt in flight goes up significantly with increasing wind speed. This makes sense because hovering in the wind requires less energy than flapping flight.
Juvenile Red-tail Scratching An Itch In Flight
Rough-legged Hawk Flying Into The Wind
Yesterday morning I was able to get my first decent Rough-legged Hawk images of the season. It’s a good thing too because this was the only cooperative bird I found all morning.
Chukar Calling On One Foot
Chukars continue to be one of my preferred subjects during the winter and spring due to their distinctive and colorful plumage and their often comical behavior. They are abundant on Antelope Island and even somewhat approachable there – at least in comparison to their skittish and wily ways elsewhere (hunters consider them to be among the most challenging of upland game species).
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A Coyote, A Reflection And An Interpretive Error On My Part
Three months ago I posted some shots of a coyote intrigued by its own reflection in the Great Salt Lake. I rejected one photo I liked because of what I thought was a metal wire that ruined the image. I should have paid more attention…
A Tribute To The “Common Species”
Many bird photographers tend to largely ignore the most common species in their areas and I’m as guilty of that as anyone.
There seems to be a sort of “supply and demand” philosophy – the more common they are the less appealing they are as subjects. That’s too bad for at least a couple of reasons – familiar birds can be just as interesting and beautiful as many of the others and what’s “common” where we live and/or shoot is very often uncommon or even nonexistent for folks in other areas. This post is meant to make up to some degree for my own poor judgment at times in choosing subjects.
Hummingbird Respite
Snow, cold, fog, dreary skies, poor light and polluted air – that’s all we’ve had for many days and I’m sick of it! This morning I need a reprieve and hummingbirds will provide it..
Western Meadowlark In The Snow
In northern Utah, anticipating how long our Western Meadowlarks will stick around during winter is always a guessing game.
Some Very Odd-looking Pheasants
Ring-necked Pheasants are relatively common in my area and I normally see very little variation in plumage color in them – males look like males, females look like females and that’s about it. But twice I’ve photographed some very strange-looking birds.
Male American Kestrel In A Pastel Setting
I haven’t been able to get close to many male American Kestrels recently but at least I’m seeing a few of them now. They were alarmingly scarce all summer.
The Menacing Talons Of A Prairie Falcon
The formidable talons of the larger falcons always impress me and this female Prairie Falcon gave me a good look at her scythe-like weapons. From the size of her hugely bulging crop it’s obvious that they serve her well.
Rough-legged Hawk – Topside View, With Prey
It’s pretty unusual to be able to see prey in the talons with a topside view of a hawk in flight.
Male Harrier In Flight On A Four Layered Background
For me the background can sometimes be almost as important as the bird. In this case it’s probably because I identify so personally with what’s back there, even though it’s all out of focus. This place is where I cut my photographic teeth years ago.
Dark Morph Rough-legged Hawk
I’ve only had two reasonably good chances at the dark morph of the Rough-legged Hawk and one of them was a highly unexpected encounter two weeks ago.
Rough-legged Hawk Hunting Technique
Like some other buteos, depending on conditions the Rough-legged Hawk may hunt from the air using flapping/gliding flight or from an elevated perch but their tendency to hunt in flight goes up significantly with increasing wind speed. This makes sense because hovering in the wind requires less energy than flapping flight.
Juvenile Red-tail Scratching An Itch In Flight
Rough-legged Hawk Flying Into The Wind
Yesterday morning I was able to get my first decent Rough-legged Hawk images of the season. It’s a good thing too because this was the only cooperative bird I found all morning.
Chukar Calling On One Foot
Chukars continue to be one of my preferred subjects during the winter and spring due to their distinctive and colorful plumage and their often comical behavior. They are abundant on Antelope Island and even somewhat approachable there – at least in comparison to their skittish and wily ways elsewhere (hunters consider them to be among the most challenging of upland game species).