![\"killdeer](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/killdeer-1604-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFire and ice on the first day of spring – a setting that’s just a little bit different for this Killdeer.<\/p>\n
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1\/1250, f\/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n A few days ago Bear River MBR performed some controlled burns to deal with the invasive and spreading phragmites which left behind some patchy scorched earth habitat. Within a very short time it will turn green and recover but right now those areas are black and appear lifeless. Yesterday I caught this Killdeer foraging in the area and when it paused on a patch of ground frost I thought the contrast between the ice, the blackened grasses and the surviving greenery made for a rather unique setting for the bird in early morning light.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As I was reviewing my other images from yesterday I found one of them that temporarily\u00a0threw\u00a0my brain\u00a0for a loop so I decided to include it here for a little fun and variety.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Later in the morning this adult female (I know her sex for behavioral reasons)\u00a0Red-tailed Hawk took off in my direction as she lifted off from a power pole. The instant I saw the image my mind was confused by something about the right wing and where it attaches to the body. Please look at the image and see if it confuses your eye in any way.<\/p>\n The wing’s point of attachment appeared to be at the top of the back instead of at the shoulder, which would also make the\u00a0right wing significantly longer than the\u00a0left wing.\u00a0I had to come back to the image several times before I figured out what was really going on.<\/p>\n My visual confusion was caused by the shadow of an overhead wire that runs along the\u00a0leading edge of the wing and then up over the back and lower neck, which makes it appear (to my eye at least)\u00a0that the wing\u00a0is abnormally long and\u00a0is attached at the top of the back. Notice that the angle of\u00a0the shadow of another wire on the wooden beam matches the angle of the shadow on the bird perfectly. The left side of the flared reddish tail further confused my perception because at first it appeared to be an extension of the oddly shaped and sized wing. It almost looks like a bad\u00a0toupee up there…<\/p>\n As we all know the effects of optical illusions can be highly variable on different people – some aren’t fooled at all, some are fooled at first but eventually figure it out and others have difficulty seeing what’s really going on even after it’s been pointed out to them. I’m\u00a0curious to\u00a0know if\u00a0anyone else had the same problem with this image\u00a0as I did.<\/p>\n Or perhaps it’s only me. Sometimes I’m easily fooled…<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fire and ice on the first day of spring – a setting that’s just a little bit different for this Killdeer.<\/p>\n![\"red-tailed](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/red-tailed-hawk-2060-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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