utah – Page 133 – Feathered Photography

Moose With A Snoot-full Of Porcupine Quills

This morning we came across this cow moose along the Mirror Lake Highway in Summit County. At first, while looking through our viewfinders, we weren’t sure what was “stuck” to her face. Turns out that this poor critter was the apparent loser in an encounter with a porcupine as she had at least 13 quills embedded in the bulbous part of her nose. She watched us carefully for a few minutes… and then began to lick her snout as if she was either trying to dislodge the quills or simply sooth the pain. At least she was able to eat with no apparent problem. Then she turned toward the road, crossed it right in front of us and went into the shade for a few seconds before ambling off. I’ve got to admit to feeling very badly for this poor animal. I’ve seen farm dogs and horses fall victim to the wrath of porcupines and it isn’t pretty. There was a road-killed porcupine a very short distance from where we found this moose and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was the same animal that tagged her. Ron

Juvenile Burrowing Owl In Flight

This morning was the first time we’ve been out photographing since our Montana trip. I’ll post more images from Big Sky Country soon but I thought I’d break it up a bit with a couple of photos from this morning. 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc The juvenile Burrowing Owls were quite active at just the right time – when the sun was still low but high enough to give me enough light and shutter speed that I didn’t have to crank up my ISO too far. I haven’t had a lot of luck with Burrowing Owls in full flight so I was quite pleased with this shot even though I had to add a bit of canvas to the image for composition. 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc These youngsters are beginning to show some signs of maturing by the development of more color on the breast. As you can see, this is one of the young birds that has been banded.It’s very entertaining to watch these juveniles. In the morning before it gets too hot they often fly from perch to nearby perch and when they’re on the ground they seem to enjoy manipulating objects like twigs and leaves and nibbling on flowers. They interact with each other with the enthusiasm of youth. The problem for the photographer is that when they’re on the ground it’s virtually impossible to get a clear shot of them through all the vegetation. I really enjoy these little guys. Ron

Rough-legged Hawk Hunting Voles

Out of pure habit I still look for Rough-legged Hawks whenever I pass one of their favorite perches, despite the fact that they’re now on their arctic and subarctic breeding grounds in northern Alaska and Canada. Last winter it seemed that these hawks were everywhere in northern Utah and it wasn’t unusual for me to see a dozen or more different birds in a morning of shooting. They’re a particularly handsome raptor and I love photographing them. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I found this one hunting voles along the Antelope Island causeway this past December. A moderate headwind slowed the bird down and made getting flight shots a little easier. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc When hunting they’re usually looking down which makes it difficult to get eye contact but occasionally you can catch them looking at you if you’re quick on the trigger. Here the wings are mostly horizontal but for me the tilt of the tail helps to compensate for that. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This eye/head angle is more typical of a hunting bird. The position of the left wing probably won’t appeal to many but there’s something about the curves of both wings that I liked. The sky color may seem a little funky but that’s the color it really was so I didn’t play with it. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Here the hawk has captured a baby vole. This surprised me a little…

A Plea For Respect For The Burrowing Owl

If there’s a group of birds on the face of the earth that is almost universally loved it seems to me that it would have to be owls. Many folks are captivated by them for their large forward-facing eyes, quizzical expressions, eerie vocalizations and the sense of mystery provided by their generally nocturnal habits. Others appreciate their many unique adaptations, such as silent flight and their ability to turn their heads 270 degrees. There’s just something about owls… 1/640, f/9, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc And for many of us Burrowing Owls are at the pinnacle of that adoration. Their comical antics, especially those of the juveniles, tug at our heartstrings and make us smile. And they’re more accessible to viewing than are most owls because they’re active during daylight and spend much of their time on the ground close to their burrows instead of being hidden high up in trees. The flip-side to all this is that Burrowing Owls are extremely vulnerable to unthinking human intrusion – especially while they’re nesting and caring for chicks or juveniles. 1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc In Utah the burrows of these owls are typically found among sagebrush, which they often use as perches during early morning. This allows the patient and ethical birder or photographer a good look at the birds without having to get too close in order to see through the vegetation usually found in the burrow area. It’s not unusual for Burrowing Owls to nest close to roads and when they do…

Western Kingbird Wing Flutter

This morning we decided to get out of our rut a little bit (actually, I tend to like ruts) and look for birds somewhere new so we headed to the high country of Morgan County. We figured it would be a nice respite from the heat, and it was. We saw some beautiful country and quite a few birds, though most of them were a challenge to get close to. One thing really surprised me. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such high concentrations of Black-headed Grosbeaks and Western Kingbirds anywhere. Both species were picking off bugs along the road and it was a delight to see so many of them. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This Western Kingbird was performing the “wing flutter” that kingbirds are so well-known for. It’s an aggressive behavior that is usually directed at other kingbirds, as was the case here. I liked the pose and the way the Scrub Oak framed the bird and helped to break up the blue sky background. Ron

Loggerhead Shrike Take-offs

One of my current projects is take-off shots of Loggerhead Shrikes and I’m finding it to be unexpectedly difficult to get the quality I want. Take-offs of small birds are challenging by definition but I have quite a few that I like of other species so I’m a bit surprised that I’m struggling so with the shrikes. This past week I’ve had at least some success and these two are the best of the lot so far. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc On Tuesday morning this shrike gave me nice eye contact as it launched from its perch and I had good light and a clean background but I’m a bit surprised that the wings aren’t sharper. I doubt that it’s motion blur at 1/3200 and I was far enough away from the bird that I thought f/6.3 would give me more depth of field than this. Live and learn… 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Two mornings later I was photographing this shrike perched when an insect that interested it flew overhead. The bird has its eye on the bug as it’s taking off. This has been the best year on Antelope Island for Loggerhead Shrikes that I can remember as they seem to have had very good success so far in raising their broods. And with the plethora of huge orb-weaver spiders just coming on, things should only get better out there for shrikes. They love to eat those nasty looking spiders and feed them to their chicks. Which should mean more practice for me…

Western Grebes – Aggressive Speed Demons

I’ve spent a lot of time over the years watching and photographing the behaviors of Western Grebes and I’ve been impressed by both their aggressive tendencies toward other birds and by their incredible acceleration and speed in “running” across the water at those same birds. In my experience that aggression is most often directed toward other grebes in defense of mates, chicks or feeding areas but they are also aggressive toward a variety of other species and are suspected of stabbing them with their bill from under water. BNA reports Mallards and Red-necked Grebes found dead from stab wounds to the abdomen that were probably administered by Western Grebes. I’ve found photographing them as they dash across the water to be very challenging because of their speed and the unpredictable nature of the behavior – it usually comes with little or no warning and direction is difficult to anticipate. 1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4 Though these birds appear slim while sitting on the water, in reality they are fairly chunky and at the end of one of these “runs” their wide body throws up quite a wide wake as they begin to slow down and settle back into the water – much like a speedboat after the engine has been cut. 1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This grebe is early in the acceleration stage with its “bow” still raised high. 1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc And then another wake as it begins to settle into the water. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500,…

Fledgling Loggerhead Shrike Learning The Ropes

Yesterday we came across this Loggerhead Shrike fledgling perched high and pretty in the early morning light. 1/500, f/8, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc A few minutes after this shot was taken the bird flew off so we decided to look for more opportunities elsewhere and left the area. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Just before we quit shooting for the day we decided to look for the fledgling again in the same area as before. We found two of them this time – one flew off almost immediately but this one allowed us some close observations for about 25 minutes. By this time of the morning the bird was side-lit in most situations but we got to see some interesting behaviors. Typical of youngsters this one was curious about its surroundings and spent quite a bit of time exploring the greasewood bush it was in. Here it is about to half hop/half fly to the twigs in the upper left of the frame. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Several times it picked off one of the drier greasewood buds and played with it for a while. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But a parent coming in with food always got the full attention of the fledgling. In this image one of the adults is delivering a grasshopper to the begging young bird – you can just see the top of the parents head at the bottom of the frame as it works its way…

Eared Grebes In Utah

Eared Grebes are the most abundant grebe on the planet and immediately after the breeding season most of the population on this continent migrates to either Mono Lake, California or the Great Salt Lake in my back yard where they feed on brine shrimp and brine flies. 1/800, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Most of the grebes that I see are on the Great Salt Lake where it’s difficult to get quite close enough to them for photography purposes but occasionally I’ve seen them on smaller ponds where they’re attracted by insect hatches. 1/400, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc The eye of this species is incredibly red, almost unbelievably so. Just to be clear, I’ve not applied any saturation to these photos. 1/800, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc These birds are tireless feeders and divers. In scientific studies it’s estimated that they consume between 8,000 and 70,000 brine shrimp per day. That’s a lot of diving! 1/1600, f/8, ISO 500, 400 f/4, 1.4 tc When there’s an insect hatch they feed on the surface and as they scurry from bug to bug they’re very difficult to follow because of their quick turns and amazing swimming speed – it can be almost as challenging for the photographer as photographing small birds in flight. Here the grebe has spotted a floating midge on the left… 1/1600, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc approaches the midge very quickly… 1/1600, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4…

Clumsy Prairie Falcon

This young Prairie Falcon had apparently been hunting ducks near the edge of the Great Salt Lake and got some of its belly feathers wet so it landed on a rock near the lake for some rest and preening. It posed for me for over 12 minutes which I appreciated but the light was low and variable due to the ever-changing thickness of the clouds. 1/800, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc At first the falcon was fairly wary of me because I was quite close. 1/800, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But after a few minutes it settled into its preening again. 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4 But this was a juvenile bird and not quite so suave and sure of its movements as an adult would be and suddenly it slipped on its perch and would have fallen backwards if it hadn’t caught itself with its wings and climbed back up on the rock. Even though I didn’t get much light in the eye I still got lucky on this shot. I’d been shooting this bird with my tc attached and at a relatively slow shutter speed and the falcon pretty much filled the frame. Just before I took this image I removed my tc and ratcheted up my ISO to get more shutter speed for a possible take-off shot. If I hadn’t done that the wings would likely have been soft from motion blur and I’d have cut off parts of the bird with the tc attached. …

Lark Sparrow

I’ve never had much luck with Lark Sparrows but this spring my fortunes with them have improved. It seems to be a banner year for them on Antelope Island and some of them even cooperate occasionally. In fact, most of the images in this post are of the same bird. It was so intent on its singing and territory declaration that it flew from perch to perch for quite a while and gave us some close looks. 1/1600, f/10, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc These are large, long-tailed sparrows with a distinctive chestnut, black and white facial pattern that gives them a harlequin look. The sparrow is perched on a dried sunflower with significant depth so I went to f/10 for this shot to try to get as many of the seed heads as sharp as possible. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc In this shot the same sparrow is changing its position on a sagebrush perch and I was able to catch it with a wing and tail position that I like. I do wish there were no sage leaves behind the head though. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc After it settled its position on the sage it gave me some nice eye contact. 1/3200, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I’ve said before on this blog how much I enjoy sage perches but they’re not without their problems for the photographer. Dead twigs from last years growth often stick up above the…

Curlew Peekaboo Take-off

When Long-billed Curlews take off they have a little trick they use to get airborne quickly. This is our largest North American shorebird and in addition to their extremely long bill they have very long legs. Since this is a grassland species it would often be very difficult to get a running start at take-off through the tall vegetation so they use their long legs to full advantage by crouching so low that their belly often touches the ground and then they spring into the air by quickly straightening those very long legs (jumping). This can be problematic for the photographer wishing to get take-off shots because this is a large bird and they explode into the air so quickly that you tend to either cut off part of the bird or lose focus on the subject at the most critical point of the take-off. But knowing and anticipating their behavior can give you a better chance at a quality shot or two. These three images from yesterday on Antelope Island are sequential in a quick burst at take-off. The first two are of crappy quality but I include them to illustrate my point. Here the curlew has crouched as low as it can get prior to take-off. I temporarily lost sharp focus on the head because of the foreground vegetation and because of camera movement as I moved my aim upwards in an attempt to get the entire bird in the frame as it lifted off. In the second shot of the burst, focus has locked onto the bird again as…

Barn Owl In Flight

Despite the simple gray background this is one of my favorite shots of a Barn Owl in flight. 1/2000, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Getting a catch light in a Barn Owl in flight is no easy task due to their reluctance to fly in good light and their deeply set eyes. This is one of my few shots where the early morning sun was low enough and its angle on the bird’s eye was just right to provide not only light in the eye but a good strong catch light. The presence or absence of a catch light can make or break an image and I’m very glad I got one here. Ron

Fighting Curlews And This Photographer’s Rookie Mistake

Occasionally I’ll make a post that illustrates a mistake I’ve made as a photographer in the hope that it will help me to learn from my error and possibly even enlighten some of my viewers who may be bird photographers. Well, last week I made a doozy of a mistake! I had been photographing a pair of Long-billed Curlews on Antelope Island and as per usual for me I was using my 500 f/4 with attached 1.4 tc, which when combined with the crop factor of my Canon 7D gives me an effective focal length of 1120mm. Suddenly a second male unexpectedly flew in to challenge the original male and immediately all hell broke loose. The action was incredibly quick with wings, legs, long bills and tails flailing in every direction and it turns out that I was simply too close to the birds with my lens and tc combination to prevent clipping body parts in most of my images of the fight. I remember thinking I should take off the tc but I was afraid that by the time I had done so the action would be over. That was a mistake – the altercation lasted for several minutes and I had plenty of time to switch. I decided to post some of the series anyway because the tightness on the birds gives an intimate look at some of the details of the squabble but I’ll be the first to admit that I’d trade those details in a heartbeat for having not clipped and cut off body parts. There were no preliminaries. The battle began immediately after…

The Swainson’s Hawks Are Finally Back

This morning we headed north once again in quest of Golden Eagles. We found a few but they were too far away for decent photographs. The consolation prize was this cooperative Swainson’s Hawk – our first of the season which delighted us. In fact there were two of them, hanging out in the same general area. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4 This bird was particularly fond of a couple of telephone poles in northern Box Elder County. Here it is returning to the pole after leaving it for a short and unsuccessful hunting foray. I’m not particularly happy with the wire and insulator but I liked the landing pose. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4 Sometimes this hawk perched on the top of the pole but one time it landed on the second wire strung below the first one. Here it is taking off from that position with the pole directly out of frame to the left. I like the dynamics of the take-off in contrast to the greater concentration demanded during landing. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4 I got a few shots of the hawk in full flight with legs tucked away cleanly. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4 Another take-off and for this one I had to clone out a small bit of the wire at lower left. Cloning is something I don’t like to do but I do succumb to the temptation occasionally in certain situations. A judgement call… 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4 I was…

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