![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/american-kestrel-3383-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"american-kestrel-3383-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nA lucky find in a mostly birdless landscape.<\/p>\n
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1\/800, f\/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Only minutes after sunrise yesterday on Antelope Island I had a brief glimpse of an adult American Kestrel delivering food to one of its youngsters – at least that’s how I interpreted the behavior from a distance. After turning my pickup around I found one of the kestrels perched on this distant greasewood bush. After stopping my pickup he gave me less than a second with him, enough time for me to get off three quick shots, before he took off. In the low light with such a slow shutter speed this was the sharpest of the three.<\/p>\n I didn’t think my photos of him would hold much promise but I ended up liking them, in part because the bird, the bush and a sliver of the upper background are bathed in beautiful soft light against the rest of the background that was still in shade and dark. I like that contrast. I was lucky because for that brief moment his head was turned to put light on his face and provide a catch light in his eye. And the greasewood fits nicely in the frame without cutting anything off on either side.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Most bird activity on Antelope Island has come to a screeching halt (I wish I could say the same for the pesky deer flies.) It should tell aficionados of the island something when I say that I didn’t see, or hear, a single magpie on the island yesterday. I don’t recall that happening before.<\/p>\n But I’m still glad I got out yesterday, even though I didn’t find many birds. It’s supposed to be 104\u00b0 today so I’ll be staying home and hunkered down in the AC.<\/p>\n I’m not a fan of weekend crowds anyway.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A lucky find in a mostly birdless landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n