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<\/p>\nGray Partridges are very elusive.\u00a0 In all the years I’ve been returning to Montana I’ve never been able to get acceptable images of them until this last trip.\u00a0 Since most folks in North America never get an opportunity to see this species I thought I’d\u00a0post a few shots of them.\u00a0 Hunters and locals routinely call these birds Hungarian Partridges, or\u00a0“Huns” for short.\u00a0 Growing up, that’s the only name I knew them by.<\/p>\n
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\u00a01\/1250, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0It’s difficult to catch one of these birds standing still.\u00a0 Usually, whenever you’re anywhere near them, they’re running for cover…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n as this bird is.\u00a0 And\u00a0 believe me, they run fast!<\/p>\n Anyone who has ever unexpectedly flushed a group of these birds has had an experience they won’t soon forget.\u00a0 The squawking noise they make, combined with the racket from their buzz-saw wings as they erupt in front of you, can be extremely startling – an experience I’ve had many times.\u00a0 Gets the heart pounding, that’s for sure.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n This is a juvenile.\u00a0 I’ve cropped this image a little more than I like to but I preferred this pose over other shots of juvies I got.<\/p>\n This partridge has a short lifespan, high mortality rate and high reproductive capability.\u00a0 Females produce among the largest single hen clutches of any bird species (up to 20 eggs).\u00a0 And reproductively, this year must have been highly successful for them in nw Montana because I don’t recall having ever seen so many of them as I did this past trip.\u00a0\u00a0Which delights me – despite the\u00a0 fact that they’re an introduced species.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gray Partridges are very elusive.\u00a0 In all the years I’ve been returning to Montana I’ve never been able to get acceptable images of them until this last trip.\u00a0 Since most folks in North America never get an opportunity to see this species I thought I’d\u00a0post a few shots of them.\u00a0 Hunters and locals routinely call these birds Hungarian Partridges, or\u00a0“Huns” for short.\u00a0 Growing up, that’s the only name I knew them by. \u00a01\/1250, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc \u00a0It’s difficult to catch one of these birds standing still.\u00a0 Usually, whenever you’re anywhere near them, they’re running for cover… \u00a0\u00a01\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc as this bird is.\u00a0 And\u00a0 believe me, they run fast! Anyone who has ever unexpectedly flushed a group of these birds has had an experience they won’t soon forget.\u00a0 The squawking noise they make, combined with the racket from their buzz-saw wings as they erupt in front of you, can be extremely startling – an experience I’ve had many times.\u00a0 Gets the heart pounding, that’s for sure. \u00a0\u00a01\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc This is a juvenile.\u00a0 I’ve cropped this image a little more than I like to but I preferred this pose over other shots of juvies I got. This partridge has a short lifespan, high mortality rate and high reproductive capability.\u00a0 Females produce among the largest single hen clutches of any bird species (up to 20 eggs).\u00a0 And reproductively, this year must have been highly successful for them…<\/p>\n![\"gray](\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gray-partridge-3232-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"gray")
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