![\"red-tailed](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/red-tailed-hawk-7345-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAs a bird photographer my attitude toward excrement-stained perches has evolved, especially when it involves raptors.<\/p>\n
Many birds of prey hunt from elevated perches which become stained\u00a0by the uric acid component\u00a0of their excrement.\u00a0 Uric acid is not very soluble in water so it tends to remain on the perch and stain it white where it is often referred to as “whitewash”.<\/p>\n
Whitewash can be a challenge for the photographer both technically and aesthetically.\u00a0 Its stark whiteness\u00a0often presents an exposure\u00a0problem and the idea of “poop” in an image just doesn’t appeal to some folks.\u00a0 When I first started photographing raptors I wasn’t\u00a0much of a fan of whitewash in my images but I’m learning to live with it and even appreciate it for what it is and what it represents.<\/p>\n
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1\/2500, f\/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n These huge boulders (you can only see a\u00a0small portion of their actual size)\u00a0on Antelope Island are heavily stained with whitewash, indicating that they have been habitual perches for large birds for\u00a0years. I suspect that this Red-tailed Hawk has spent many, many hours hunting from this perch. I now see whitewash-stained rocks (and other perches) as an integral part of a healthy, natural\u00a0environment rather than something to\u00a0be avoided in my images.\u00a0 In fact, when I visit a wild area and scan for raptors\u00a0I’m always relieved to see whitewash-stained rocks\u00a0as an indicator of healthy bird populations.<\/p>\n This morning I’ll be attending an event hosted by Hawkwatch International where I\u00a0expect to\u00a0learn more about the current status of western raptors and some of the\u00a0threats to their survival.\u00a0 Sadly, I\u00a0suspect I’ll be\u00a0alarmed by what I hear as I’m seeing many anecdotal signs of stress in our western raptor populations.<\/p>\n It should be interesting to get the “real poop” from experts about what’s\u00a0actually going on and what we all may or may not be able to do to\u00a0alleviate the situation.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As a bird photographer my attitude toward excrement-stained perches has evolved, especially when it involves raptors.<\/p>\n