![\"northern](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/northern-harrier-5678-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIt has become tradition for me to\u00a0be out photographing birds on Christmas morning.<\/p>\n
None of my immediate family lives locally and\u00a0I love being in the field when I have “the place” mostly or completely to myself so\u00a0for me it feels perfectly natural and appropriate to be out there in nature on such a special day. Some of my fondest bird photography memories are from Christmas mornings.<\/p>\n
Each of the images below was taken on a past Christmas Day.<\/p>\n
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1\/1600, f\/5.6, ISO 500, Canon 7D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n As one might expect the challenges that time of year often\u00a0include weather and light. In 2010 Christmas morning was overcast and there was no snow on the ground to reflect what light existed so photographing this male Northern Harrier as it took off was tricky. It also wasn’t particularly cold so the birds weren’t\u00a0very “sticky” and I wasn’t quite as close to the bird as I’d have liked. But I still enjoy the eye contact and the takeoff posture with the raised tail and wingspread. And the memories from that morning are special to me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/1600, f\/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n Conditions were very different the prior year (2009). There was snow on the ground (as evidenced by the snow on top of this post), it was a clear, crisp bright morning and it was cold so this handsome male American Kestrel allowed me a close approach. I like the detail, the wonderful colors of the male, the look back he gave me and the fact that the bird is sharp from tip to tip.<\/p>\n Notice the selective fluffing of his chest and belly feathers. They were wet (probably from attempts at prey in the snow) and he was attempting to dry them out by lifting them and exposing them individually to the air.<\/p>\n As I type at 5:15 AM on this Christmas morning I’m still unsure if I’ll be going shooting this morning or not. We had fresh snow overnight and at the moment it’s a little foggy in my neighborhood which means the fog could be much worse\u00a0near the marshes of the Great Salt Lake. But if the fog clears and there’s any light at all you can rest assured that I’ll be out there. I love photographing birds in the snow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On another note: Most of my readers are aware that my daughter Shannon in Florida had a very serious TBI (traumatic brain injury) two months ago. Many of you have been\u00a0interested in\u00a0her progress so I thought I’d share with you a very special\u00a0call I had last night. I talked to Shannon on the phone for the first time since I left\u00a0Florida in early\u00a0November. Her sweet, generous personality has returned and her memory is improving. She has left the hospital and is now in a specialized rehab center where she looks forward to having her neck brace removed late next month. After that she should be able to\u00a0return home. It will be several months before her missing skull plate is replaced and her total recovery will be very slow but we’re hoping it will eventually be complete or nearly so. Today Shannon has her first “outing” since the accident – Christmas Dinner at a nice restaurant with her husband, son and mother. I hope she enjoys the hell out of it.<\/p>\n That surprise\u00a0phone call from Shannon last night\u00a0was the best Christmas\u00a0present I could have imagined. I\u00a0wish each and every one of my readers as much joy this Christmas morning as I feel in my heart right now. And may it continue throughout the New Year.<\/p>\n Merry Christmas everyone!<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It has become tradition for me to be out photographing birds on Christmas morning.<\/p>\n![\"american](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/american-kestrel-8315-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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