![\"chukar-0221\"](\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/chukar-0221.jpg\" "\\"chukar-0221\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Canon 7D, 1\/1250, f\/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f\/4<\/em><\/p>\n But until recently the background has never included attractive flowers that I recall.\u00a0 What a treat it was to find this bird immediately after we got on the island just as the sun was peeking over the mountains to the east which made for some\u00a0some nice warm light and<\/em> for the bird to choose a perch with such a pleasant background.\u00a0 In this case the flowers are Black Mustard (named for the seed color – not the color of the flower, obviously – thanks for the flower ID Mia!).\u00a0\u00a0 I liked the calling pose in this full frame shot.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/a>Canon 7D, 1\/1000, f\/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f\/4 <\/em><\/p>\n And to make things even better this bird cooperated for quite a while – providing a variety of head turns and poses to take advantage of the light and the setting.<\/p>\n Chukars like to perch on, and call from, boulders.\u00a0 That can be a problem because most of the rocks on the north end of the island where\u00a0these birds are most accessible\u00a0are made of Tintic Quartzite, an almost white mineral that is very difficult to photograph without blowing out the whites.\u00a0 Warm early morning light helps to mitigate that issue but even then you have to be quite careful with exposure.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Canon 7D, 1\/1000, f\/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f\/4<\/em><\/p>\n After a while\u00a0the Chukar apparently tired of that boulder\u00a0and walked to the right edge of the rock…<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Canon 7D, 1\/1000, f\/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f\/4, <\/em><\/p>\n looked for a clear place to land on the\u00a0 ground (these birds are reluctant to fly, preferring to walk or run)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Canon 7D, 1\/800, f\/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f\/4<\/em><\/p>\n and\u00a0slowly disappeared into the dried grasses so common on the island.\u00a0\u00a0 I thought I’d seen the last of this bird.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Canon 7D, 1\/1250, f\/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f\/4<\/p>\n Not so!\u00a0 The same Chukar quickly hopped up onto an adjacent boulder and continued to pose and call.\u00a0 How considerate of him\/her to provide a new setting for me with the flowers even closer in the background and a little less out of focus – and a new perch too.\u00a0\u00a0 Just for variety…\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n