![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/western-meadowlark-6116-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"western-meadowlark-6116-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nPlus some unexpected excitement on Antelope Island yesterday morning.<\/p>\n
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1\/5000, 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 For me it’s close to obligatory to post a photo of a meadowlark singing every early spring. But this year, even when they’re singing on territory with hormones gushing, the seem spookier than usual so most of my attempts at photographing them have been in vain.<\/p>\n Until yesterday morning on Antelope Island when this meadowlark decided ‘he’ would rather continue singing than fly away from me. It took some creative driving to get a good shooting angle on him but I got a few reasonably good shots.<\/p>\n His impulse to sing was so strong he…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, 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 continued with his serenade, even after he took off. He launched toward me, he was side lit and there’s no light in his eye but it isn’t every day that I photograph a bird singing in flight.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After I photographed the meadowlark, birds on the island seemed unusually quiet for a while, which might have been partially related to…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n the incredible racket made by this helicopter from the Utah Department of Public Safety as it flew low over the north end of the island. It took off from the Administration Building right in front of me and then flew fairly low over and around the back of Buffalo Point, and then came back and flew over the north end of the island before disappearing from my view.<\/p>\n I’d be a little surprised if it was there for a run-of-the-mill law enforcement issue so I had to wonder if it was somehow related to the mysterious, unidentified balloon<\/a><\/span><\/span> that was spotted flying over Utah yesterday. The balloon raised enough concern that fighter jets were scrambled to check it out, NORAD was involved and the incident made national news. That seems unlikely to be the reason for the chopper on the island because I believe the balloon was spotted a little later in the day but, who knows.<\/p>\n There were a couple of other photographers closer to Buffalo Point than I was so maybe they know what was going on. I wish I did. But then sometimes I tend to be nosier than I should be.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Plus some unexpected excitement on Antelope Island yesterday morning. (3 photos)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/western-meadowlark-6194-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"western-meadowlark-6194-ron-dudley\\"")
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