vole – Page 9 – Feathered Photography

Rough-legged Hawk With A Peculiar Hunting Technique

I’ve spent many hours watching Rough-legged Hawks hunt. Nearly always they hunt from the air or from elevated perches but several years ago this bird showed me a technique I had never seen before and haven’t since. All of these images are presented in the order they were taken. Techs for these shots were: 1/2000 – 1/3200, f/8. ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I found the hawk on the ground and as I approached it in my pickup it didn’t fly off as I expected it would. Here it’s looking at me but most of the time it was scanning the grasses in the vicinity – obviously hunting for voles from the ground. It would lift off but only fly a few feet before it landed again. In this first lift-off it had vegetation in its talons. I’ve seen them do this before – it’s almost like they’re reluctant to let go of the plant material after they’ve missed the prey. The hawk landed again… And intensely scanned the surrounding area for prey. Then another take-off… and it flew within inches of the ground… before it pounced on a vole and swallowed it. Then it continued to hunt in the same manner. Another take-off… and another. There’s blood on the right foot from the last vole. The hawk repeatedly did the same thing – take…

How Important Is Direct Eye Contact?

I’m hoping to get some feedback from my viewers on this one. Almost from day one with my bird photography I’ve labored under the impression that good eye contact with my subject is vital, almost essential, for a strong image. But that’s a premise I’m beginning to question to some degree. I don’t think there’s any question that a good look at the eye almost always makes for a stronger image. Direct eye contact is often even better. But no image is perfect – they all have strengths and weaknesses and I’m wondering if I sometimes put too much importance on eye contact over other desirable traits of an image. Below are three images of male Northern Harriers. Each has strengths and weaknesses. My previous impulse would have been to shun the last two shots because of a poor look at the eye, even though they have other strengths the first image does not. Now I’m not so sure… 1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in In this photo the bird has an interesting wing position and it’s nicely separated from the horizon below. And I have great eye contact but the bird is “only flying” and there’s nothing else interesting going on. And besides, it could be said that looking at the photographer isn’t really a “natural behavior” anyway… Note: If you’re wondering what the brown is at top right, the background is water, not sky, and the brown at top and bottom are land. I could clone or…

Barn Owl Hunting Adaptations And Techniques

One more Barn Owl post and then I’ll give them a rest for a while. Lately I’ve spent a lot of time watching these birds hunt and I’ve become intrigued by the process and their adaptations for doing so. Hunting over deep snow presents unique challenges because their prey (typically voles) spends most of their time in tunnels under the surface, so the owls are often hunting by sound alone. According to Birds of North America Online (out of Cornell) Barn Owls hunt prey by sound more effectively than any other animal ever tested (I’m unsure if this statement takes into account the use of sonar by cetaceans and ultrasonic sounds by bats but BNA seldom gets things like this wrong). 1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in They fly low and slow over the surface while watching and listening but with this much snow they usually locate the voles only by sound. Notice that they can tuck their legs up into their ventral feathers so far that only the feet are visible. It’s amazing that they can do so because… 1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in as you can see in this “butt shot” those legs are incredibly long. This is an adaptation for grasping prey through deep vegetation or snow. Their claws (nails) are unusually long and sharp and the middle nail has a pectinate inner edge, most likely an adaptation for grasping prey…

A Vole Makes A Coyote Pay a Price For Its Meal

Yesterday morning I witnessed quite the little drama on Antelope Island. Two of them, really. This post will attempt to document what I saw. I lost sharp focus on a couple of these shots and some of the action was far away but I hope the images I include here will give you a feeling for all the excitement that unfolded. Going north on the ranch road we spotted four coyotes. Three of them crossed the road and walked slowly west while one of them left the area. At first I didn’t think they were in hunting mode, rather that they had a destination in mind. But this one detected a vole under the 6″ deep snow. From its body language it was obvious that it was able to hear the vole, even through all that snow. I’ve deliberately cropped this image to include the second coyote in the background. Notice in this shot, and the next two, that the background coyote is intensely watching something in front of and above it (there’s a relatively high mountain in that direction). Coyote #1 begins a pounce toward the source of the sound. The next image in the burst. It lands in the snow but apparently missed the vole. It stopped to listen again for a few seconds then pounced one more time. With its nose buried, it pushed through the snow like a snowplow for several feet. I believe that it was following the scent of the…

A Couple Of Intereresting Coyote Hunting Techniques

New Year’s morning on Antelope Island was a cloudy, low-light affair. It turned mostly sunny as we left for home in late morning and on the causeway we passed flocks of birders on their way to the island for their first day of birding in the New Year. I couldn’t help but notice the irony – us photographers who needed good light didn’t get any and the birders who don’t, did… But despite the low light I was able to photograph two coyote hunting techniques that I thought were interesting. 1/800, f/8, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 150 mm, natural light This coyote was on the edge of a large hill overlooking the frozen shoreline of the Great Salt Lake far below. I was very close to the animal but it was so intent on scanning the marshy area below for prey that it simply ignored me. At one point it stood on its hind legs with its front legs on a large, snow-covered boulder to give it an even more elevated view of the hunting grounds down below. I hoped that it would look back at me but it never did, though I think this pose, with just enough of the muzzle in view to show the direction the coyote was looking, well illustrates the hunting behavior. I was pleasantly surprised with one element of this photo. I was much too close to this coyote to use my 500mm lens so I had grabbed my other 7D with the 100-400 attached and backed the zoom down to 150mm. …

Northern Harriers Hunting

It’s getting to be what I call “harrier time” here in northern Utah so I thought I’d do a significant post on the species. For me, watching these birds hunt is absolutely mesmerizing and I could do it for hours. And I have – many, many times. But before I get into hunting I’d like to cover some basics on telling the sexes and ages apart. Sexual dimorphism in harriers is exceptional among birds of prey – telling adult males from adult females is easy because their colors are so dramatically different. But because juveniles of either sex strongly resemble adult females, that distinction becomes very tricky and causes a lot of confusion. So, here’s a primer: Adult males – gray above, mostly white below, black wing tips, lemon-yellow eyes Adult females – brown above, buffy with brown streaks below, lemon-yellow eyes (but in my experience, the eyes of adult females tend to be less bright than those of adult males) Juvenile of both sexes – similar to adult female but darker chocolate-brown above and strongly rufous (reddish) below Juvenile male – pale, greenish-yellow eyes Juvenile female – dark, chocolate-brown eyes All sexes and ages have the unique facial disc (ruff) characteristic of harriers. It’s not as prominent as it is in many owls but it can clearly be seen in this image. Its function is the same as it is in owls – to direct sound to the ears. Most hawks hunt almost exclusively by sight but because of their excellent hearing, thanks largely to the facial disc, harriers depend at least…

Delivering Food For A Family Of Short-eared Owls

I try not to play favorites when it comes to bird subjects for my photography but Short-eared Owls would have to be near the top of any such list I might make. I’ve had some luck with them here in Utah but my favorite area to photograph them is in southwest Montana. This series is from the summer of 2010 in Beaverhead County. I spent several days watching and photographing a male owl hunt voles and then bring them in for his family (female and two chicks) at the nest at the base of a sagebrush. I thought it might be interesting for some to see a full series of shots (of those I kept) as the male approached the nest with a vole. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 800, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, shot from pickup window, natural light Like me, this male was a creature of habit. I would watch him hunting far off in the distance and when he was successful he would always repeat the same pattern. He would bring the vole in to the vicinity of the nest and then land on one of two favorite perches for a short time before delivering the vole to his family. This small sagebrush was one of those favorite perches – the other was a metal post. Here, he is in the process of landing and you can see the dark vole in his left foot. He always carried the vole to the perch in his left foot (as I’ve documented here) and always transferred…

Getting Close To The American Kestrel

One of the first lessons bird photographers learn (often to their great frustration) is that you must get close to your subject in order to get good detail. Very close. Even if you’re shooting with a long, expensive lens. And getting close usually ain’t easy! Large crops rob detail. I’m of the opinion that cropping away any more than about 50% of the image generally does unacceptable damage to image quality. Some species are relatively easy to approach – around here American Robins, Mourning Doves and House Finches come to mind. Other species have a reputation of being particularly skittish and at the top of that list for many photographers is the American Kestrel – a strikingly beautiful little falcon that is found throughout most of North America. For many years I’ve posted bird images on an internet avian critique forum and whenever I’d post a shot of a kestrel I’d invariably get comments that went something like this: “How in the world did you ever get this close to a kestrel? I always see them perched up high on poles or wires and whenever I even begin to get close they fly away”. Well, here’s the secret – photograph them when it’s cold. Very cold! That means in the depths of winter. It also means in the early mornings on those days when it’s coldest of all. I’ve found that many species of birds are more reluctant to fly in the cold but that tendency seems to be magnified with the kestrel. I’m not sure why but as a photographer I’m more than happy to…

Red-tailed Hawk Rejecting Intestines Of Prey

Many raptors will methodically and deliberately remove the intestinal tract of their prey before consuming it, a behavior that I’ve photographed several times with different species. In my research I’ve never been able to find out exactly why this is done – there are multiple theories but apparently no definitive answers. Maybe they tend to reject them because they “taste bad”, or because they “harbor harmful bacteria” or because they are filled with contents that are of “low food value”. Perhaps it’s a combination of factors. Recently, to add to the confusion, I’ve come up with my own working theory. The intestines of vertebrates, particularly mammals such as the rodents that many of these raptors regularly prey on, tend to be infested with a variety of parasites – including worms such as intestinal roundworms, flukes and tapeworms. The life cycles of many of these parasites are convoluted and complex but some of them lay thousands of eggs into the hosts intestinal contents every day. Eating those contents could have unpleasant consequences for predators so it seems logical to me that selection pressure might preserve such a behavior. 1/1000. f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in While I was in SW Montana a few weeks ago this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk flew to a nearby post with a vole and started to eat it. It began by opening the vole and then removing and swallowing several desirable morsels. Here you see an errant feather floating away in the breeze. 1/1000. f/5.6, ISO 640, 500…

Short-eared Owl In Flight, With Prey

I’ve been frustrated by this species in flight in Utah for years, though I’ve had some luck with Montana birds. 1/3200. f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Finally, last summer, I found a mated pair on Antelope Island who were busy trying to keep track of and feed at least four juveniles spread out over several acres. Occasionally one of the parents would fly by relatively close as it returned with a vole for the youngsters. In larger versions of this image there’s a catch light in the eye of the vole but it’s impossible to see at this size. Ron

Swainson’s Hawk Regurgitating Pellets

Western Montana has been awash in Swainson’s Hawks this summer. From the Canadian border (Glacier County) to the southern border with Idaho (Beaverhead County) I found them in significantly larger numbers than I have seen in previous summers. I hope this very unscientific observation is accurate and that it bodes them well as a species because their numbers have been declining to the point where they are listed as a Species of Special Concern in several western states. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 I found this handsome juvenile this past week along a county road in Beaverhead County. At first it was very relaxed and assumed this clenched fist pose that is so typical of many buteo species when they’re at ease and resting. 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 But soon it began to arch its neck and I recognized that it was about to attempt to expel a pellet. I had already taken my tc off in anticipation of take-off so I decided to leave it off because so often in the past I’ve missed the falling pellet as it dropped out of frame at the bottom. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 Then, with the nictitating membrane pulled over the eye, the bird began to retch. These few images showing pellet ejection may give the viewer the impression that it all happened very quickly. It didn’t. From beginning to end the whole process took over four minutes. During that time there were alternating periods of retching and resting and it didn’t look to be a…

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…

Short-eared Owls In Flight

These three images are of a mated pair of Short-eared Owls taken two years ago at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Montana. 1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 800, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This is the male delivering a vole to his family. As you can see from my techs I had to max out my settings (especially on the last two images) to try to get enough shutter speed for flight shots. Each of these photos was taken on different mornings but the light was consistently a challenge while we were there. 1/800, f/5.6, ISO 800, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This is the elusive female. I got very few shots of her because she spent most of the time on the nest with her two chicks and I rarely saw her fly. 1/800, f/5.6, ISO 800, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Another look at the male. There’s a good reason for the timing of this post – we’re at Red Rock right now (I prepared this post before leaving and post-dated publication) and anticipation of this trip had me thinking about these wonderful owls again. We’d have to be pretty lucky to find cooperative owls again but if not there should be plenty of other birds to work with. The biggest challenge on this trip is likely to be light. Red Rocks is right on the continental divide and early summer weather up there is volatile and often down-right scary – especially when you’re pulling a camping trailer over 30 miles of dirt roads! These trips are…

American Kestrel Eating A Vole (graphic)

A couple of months ago I came across this female American Kestrel along the causeway to Antelope Island. She had captured a vole and was in the process of eating it while perched on a road sign. The images I’ve presented here aren’t pretty and won’t appeal to everyone but as I’ve said many times before I’m fascinated by behaviors. 1//1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc She had already decapitated the vole and was in the process of disemboweling it when I found her. Kestrels routinely discard the intestines and she had previously removed the small intestine (portions of which can be seen near the underside of the tail). Here she is dropping the coiled mass of the large intestine. As she attempted to eat the vole the large intestine was right in front of her on the perch and she apparently found its presence right under her face as she dined to be offensive and distracting so she repeatedly tried to drop it over the edge of the sign to get rid of it. Three times she picked it up and dropped it but each time it landed on the edge of the wooden post without going over the edge. 1//1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 t Finally, on the third attempt, she succeeded in dropping it over the edge, but just barely. 1//2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 t Now with her dining table cleaned up she was able to attend to the rest of her meal. There…

Just A Shot That I Like… #26 – Rough-legged Hawk In Flight With Prey

I’ve been lucky in the past to get some nice shots of Short-eared Owls in flight carrying prey but my luck with hawks in the same situation has been abysmal. Whenever the opportunity does present itself it’s usually when the hawk has taken off away from me so all I get is another butt shot with the head and eye hidden. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc These birds typically want to take off into the wind and on this day the wind direction was just right so that the hawk didn’t fly away from me as it lifted off. So I got good light, an acceptable wing position and even a nice look at the vole with its eye visible. Ron

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