![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/sage-thrasher-5511-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"sage-thrasher-5511-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nFive species, only four of which are birds.<\/p>\n
Due to ongoing problems with my primary birding lens most of these photos were taken with my smaller ‘backup’ lens so image quality isn’t quite up to par in several of them. But for me at least each photo holds some interest.<\/p>\n
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1\/640, f\/8, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f\/4.5-5.6L IS II USM + 1.4 tc @ 560mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Five days ago on Antelope Island. The first Sage Thrasher I’ve photographed this year. As I drove around a curve in the road this bird was perched very close just outside my drivers side window so I was quite surprised when it didn’t spook. It’s probably a good thing I was using my smaller lens because I’d have been too close for my big gun.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f\/4.5-5.6L IS II USM + 1.4 tc @ 338mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Later that same morning. I seldom post photos of birds on sign posts when the sign is this prominent but I get a kick out of bison signs on the island and to my mind they can only be enhanced by the presence of birds. Perhaps this Western Meadowlark singing on territory thought he was a bison and was celebrating his delusion..<\/p>\n Even the campground outhouse in the background doesn’t completely ruin the photo for me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, f\/6.3\/ ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Six days ago at Bear River MBR. This photo of a singing Marsh Wren is one of the few reasonably sharp shots I’ve managed to get with my malfunctioning 500mm f\/4 lens.<\/p>\n As a bird photographer and nature lover I have mixed feelings about invasive phragmites but I think their plumes this time of year can make gorgeous perches for birds, which is one of the reasons I like the photo.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/3200, f\/8, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f\/4.5-5.6L IS II USM + 1.4 tc @ 504mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Four days ago in a remote area of Box Elder County. I’d seen this Yellow-bellied Marmot on top of this cliff on previous trips to the area but this time there was an adult Red-tailed Hawk perched just a few feet below the large rodent’s favorite lookout.<\/p>\n Because of their size adult marmots are probably borderline prey for red-tails (Cornell doesn’t even mention them as potential red-tail prey) but this one wasn’t taking any chances. The marmot kept its eyes glued to the hawk for at least three minutes before instantly disappearing as soon as the red-tail raised its wings to take off.<\/p>\n I’d estimate that the marmot was about 6-8′ above and behind the hawk so even with my smaller lens I didn’t have enough depth of field to get both of them sharp. But even with the marmot being soft it sure stands out better than that incredibly cryptic hawk against the similarly colored rocks.<\/p>\n The first time I looked at this photo I actually had a bit of a hard time even seeing the red-tail.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Five species, only four of which are birds.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/western-meadowlark-5498-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"western-meadowlark-5498-ron-dudley\\"")
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