Savannah Sparrow – Fearless Dragon Slayer
This little Savannah Sparrow was one of my most memorable birds on our recent Montana camping trip. It was a fearless and a relentless hunter.
Tag: hunting
Male Harrier Hunting In A Quartering Wind
The eight minutes I spent photographing this male Northern Harrier in flight were both exhilarating and frustrating to the extreme.
Red-tailed Hawk Hunting Voles
In January I spent a few days with this adult Red-tail as it was hunting voles from power poles in Tooele County. Those blasted poles and wires are a real problem for the photographer.
Red-tailed Hawk Taking Off After Prey
Two years ago this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk hunted the same area of Antelope Island for much of the summer.
Coyote – Sometimes The Prey Bites Back
Red-tailed Hawk “Pole Dancing”
Yesterday morning I had a great time photographing an adult Red-tailed Hawk in northern Utah County as it hunted rodents from power poles. The experience was both rewarding and frustrating as I’ll explain.
Barn Owl On A Snowy Slope
Earlier this week I spent 59 minutes with this Barn Owl (a male I believe). This is early in the encounter when he was still getting used to me.
Barn Owl Hunting With A Storm Approaching
Getting light in the eye of a Barn Owl in flight is often a challenge because of their deeply set eyes but when you throw in the dark foreboding skies of an approaching storm it becomes even more difficult.
Male Northern Harrier Hunting
The Northern Harrier is arguably my favorite subject and I tend to post images of them often. Their dramatic sexual dimorphism in plumage color almost makes it seem as if I’m photographing two different species when I compare adult males to females.
A Menacing Look From A Male Northern Harrier
When Northern Harriers choose to hunt along the edges of the dirt roads I frequent they sometimes give me interesting looks as they pass by. This is one of them.
Ferruginous Hawks Hunting From Power Poles
Ferruginous Hawks are our largest and most powerful buteo but they’re also secretive, wary of humans and often roost on the ground so they can be difficult to locate.
Fighting Harriers
The seriousness of confrontations between Northern Harriers varies with the situation. Conflicts over food, especially during harsh winters, can be intense and dramatic but they often seem to spar with each other just for the “fun” of it. I’ve often seen and occasionally photographed both extremes of aggressive behavior.
Perch-hunting Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawks in North America are “sit and wait predators” who do most of their hunting (60 – 80%) from elevated perches. Though they do hunt from the air, that is not their primary hunting style. In fact, availability of elevated perches is a key factor in determining their foraging distribution.
Antelope Island is largely treeless and without power poles so Red-tails tend to be found in specific locations on the island where elevated natural perches are available. One of their favorite foraging spots is an area where there are large outcroppings of Farmington Canyon Complex rocks jutting out from the side of a small mountain, which is where I found this bird hunting voles
“Hanging” Northern Harrier – Hunting Low and Slow
When hunting, Northern Harriers have a distinctive buoyant flight. They glide with wings held in a strong dihedral and have low wing loading which allows them to fly low and slow as they search for prey. When watching them hunt there are times I think they’re going to fall right out of the air.
Prairie Falcon – A Fascinating Hunting Strategy
Some of you may recall that last November I photographed an amazing encounter between a Prairie Falcon and a hapless Northern Shoveler along the causeway to Antelope Island. These are photos of that experience that I haven’t posted before.
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Male Harrier Hunting In A Quartering Wind
The eight minutes I spent photographing this male Northern Harrier in flight were both exhilarating and frustrating to the extreme.
Red-tailed Hawk Hunting Voles
In January I spent a few days with this adult Red-tail as it was hunting voles from power poles in Tooele County. Those blasted poles and wires are a real problem for the photographer.
Red-tailed Hawk Taking Off After Prey
Two years ago this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk hunted the same area of Antelope Island for much of the summer.
Coyote – Sometimes The Prey Bites Back
Red-tailed Hawk “Pole Dancing”
Yesterday morning I had a great time photographing an adult Red-tailed Hawk in northern Utah County as it hunted rodents from power poles. The experience was both rewarding and frustrating as I’ll explain.
Barn Owl On A Snowy Slope
Earlier this week I spent 59 minutes with this Barn Owl (a male I believe). This is early in the encounter when he was still getting used to me.
Barn Owl Hunting With A Storm Approaching
Getting light in the eye of a Barn Owl in flight is often a challenge because of their deeply set eyes but when you throw in the dark foreboding skies of an approaching storm it becomes even more difficult.
Male Northern Harrier Hunting
The Northern Harrier is arguably my favorite subject and I tend to post images of them often. Their dramatic sexual dimorphism in plumage color almost makes it seem as if I’m photographing two different species when I compare adult males to females.
A Menacing Look From A Male Northern Harrier
When Northern Harriers choose to hunt along the edges of the dirt roads I frequent they sometimes give me interesting looks as they pass by. This is one of them.
Ferruginous Hawks Hunting From Power Poles
Ferruginous Hawks are our largest and most powerful buteo but they’re also secretive, wary of humans and often roost on the ground so they can be difficult to locate.
Fighting Harriers
The seriousness of confrontations between Northern Harriers varies with the situation. Conflicts over food, especially during harsh winters, can be intense and dramatic but they often seem to spar with each other just for the “fun” of it. I’ve often seen and occasionally photographed both extremes of aggressive behavior.
Perch-hunting Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawks in North America are “sit and wait predators” who do most of their hunting (60 – 80%) from elevated perches. Though they do hunt from the air, that is not their primary hunting style. In fact, availability of elevated perches is a key factor in determining their foraging distribution.
Antelope Island is largely treeless and without power poles so Red-tails tend to be found in specific locations on the island where elevated natural perches are available. One of their favorite foraging spots is an area where there are large outcroppings of Farmington Canyon Complex rocks jutting out from the side of a small mountain, which is where I found this bird hunting voles
“Hanging” Northern Harrier – Hunting Low and Slow
When hunting, Northern Harriers have a distinctive buoyant flight. They glide with wings held in a strong dihedral and have low wing loading which allows them to fly low and slow as they search for prey. When watching them hunt there are times I think they’re going to fall right out of the air.
Prairie Falcon – A Fascinating Hunting Strategy
Some of you may recall that last November I photographed an amazing encounter between a Prairie Falcon and a hapless Northern Shoveler along the causeway to Antelope Island. These are photos of that experience that I haven’t posted before.