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 Spring time Chukar - Nikon D300, f13, 1/320, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light Some of the wildflowers have started to bloom on Antelope Island State Park, I have looked forward to them. I liked that this Chukar (Alectoris chukar) perched on a rock where a few of the wildflowers were visible. Mia More Chukar images           Yesterday I was focused on photographing this Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) that was perched on a boulder with the Great Salt Lake below it in the background. I had nice light, a lovely setting plus the bird seemed more interested in singing than my presence.  Western Meadowlark on a boulder - Nikon D300, f8, 1/1250, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light Western Meadowlarks are beautiful songsters and their call is one that makes me think of cool spring mornings and how much I enjoy my early morning journeys into the natural world. They are handsome birds too. As I focused this bird I noticed some movement at the bottom of my viewfinder, there was a large tan, out of focus blob that appeared to be moving towards the Meadowlark. It was a little confusing at first until I moved the viewfinder away from my eyes a bit and saw a Chukar (Alectoris chukar) moving up towards the same boulder the Meadowlark was singing from.  Chukar climbing down a boulder I - Nikon D300, f8, 1/1000, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 285mm, natural light The Chukar was so close that I had to very quickly back up my zoom to fit the whole bird in. It was about the same moment the Chukar noticed our presence and it started moving down the boulder towards the grasses instead of making the climb to the top.  Chukar climbing down a boulder II - Nikon D300, f8, 1/1000, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 285mm, natural light I didn’t have time to change my exposure compensation which had been set for the Meadowlark perched with the blue of the Great Salt Lake behind it and I knew that these images might be slightly over exposed. Fortunately I was able to reduce the exposure in ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) easily. I could tell I loved the background through my viewfinder, the large boulder was far enough away that I didn’t need to worry about it being in focus but it still showed the lovely colors and textures of the rock.  Chukar climbing down a boulder III - Nikon D300, f8, 1/1000, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 285mm, natural light The Chukar didn’t seem to be in a great hurry so I was able to get a series of images as it carefully made its way down the boulder. I liked that I could see the red legs, spurs and dark toenails in this frame.  Chukar climbing down a boulder IV - Nikon D300, f8, 1/1000, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 285mm, natural light As the bird moved closer to the ground I noticed how fresh it plumage was and the beautiful but subtle coloration along the back and wings.  Chukar climbing down a boulder V - Nikon D300, f8, 1/1250, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 285mm, natural light Had I not seen that moving, tan blob beyond my viewfinder I could have easily missed being able to create these Chukar images. Sure, I have hundreds (if not thousands) of Chukar images but I am always looking for different poses, light conditions and settings to photograph my subjects in and this worked out very well. Mia  More signs of spring…. There is a storm coming in soon that might bring snow to the valley but I don’t think the Chukars on Antelope Island care about that one bit. Their behavior indicates that the males are already acting territorial.  Chukar with the Wasatch Range in the background - Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/640, ISO 640, +1.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light Looking at the Chukar (Alectoris chukar) above one wouldn’t think that they are aggressive. They seem fairly docile foraging for seeds in the grasses or perched on a rock calling. But during breeding season they can be fierce, aggressive and downright mean. I am not happy with the quality of the images below because there was just too much vegetation in the way to get clear views of the fighting but despite that I wanted to share them. Hopefully I will get another ring-side seat one day soon where I can get great views of the sparring match.  Chukars fighting We came upon these Chukars after the battle had already started, in this image you can see two males in the center having a go at it. The bird in the right hand side of the middle has the other birds throat feathers in its bill and is tugging on them. It may have the skin of the bird in its bill too. The other two birds just seemed to observe the fighting.  Chukars fighting In this image one of the males has pinned the other down on the ground. I sure wish all the grasses hadn’t been in the way.  Chukars fighting This image shows the winner of the round standing more erect than the loser, the loser is looking at the other bird with its bill slightly open.  Chukars fighting The two birds that were watching the fighting may be females, the males usually do not just defend the nesting territory, they also chase intruding males away from them. These three birds were on the closer side of the rabbitbrush and another birds can just be barely made out on the other side of it.  Chukars fighting It didn’t take long for the dominant male to kick the other male to the dirt. He also has some of the losers feathers in his bill. I’d love to spend more time with sparring Chukars, hopefully out in the open where I can get sharper images with far fewer distracting elements but I am still thrilled to have seen and photographed this action today. Mia More Chukar images  Lately I have been seeing more Chukars (Alectoris chukar) than I have through the winter when the Rough-legged Hawks were in the area in large numbers. Rough-legged Hawks primarily eat Lemmings on their breeding grounds and vole when they are not but they will also eat rabbits, ground squirrels and birds year round. So perhaps with fewer Roughies the Chukars feel safer to forage more out in the open. I thought I would share a few older images along with some taken this past week.  Chukar walking through Sagebrush - Nikon D200, f7.1, 1/125, ISO 320, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 333mm, natural light Chukars are not native to North America, they were introduced as game birds and in some areas they have thrived, one of those locations is Antelope Island State Park in northern Utah. Chukars in the western United States can be found in various habitats including wide open grassland prairies, steep slopes up to 8,200 feet in elevation, brushy canyons, hillsides with loose rocks and boulders and in amongst low bushes and on the island I often spot them in Sagebrush. I simply adore the spicy, astringent aroma of Sagebrush.  Chukar in grasses - Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/2500, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light Chukars cluck like chickens so there are occasions when I hear them coming before I see them. With their pale buffy, tan and grey coloration they can blend in very easily with their habitat, even the black stripes on their flanks can be mistaken for shadows in the grasses.  Chukar wing flap - Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light I often call Chukars “Rock Hoppers” because in the spring I see them hopping from the ground on to the tops of rocks and boulders to call. Other times the Chukars on top of the rocks appear to be sentinel birds, there to warn the other foraging birds of danger from predators. Even on the top of rocks and boulders they can be hard to spot, thankfully I have excellent long distance vision which usually serves me well because frequently I see birds long before anyone else.  Chukar on snowy hilltop - Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/1600, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light These birds do stand out well against snow and blue bird skies, though it is not often that I find them in those conditions. I am very fond of the series of images I took along with the frame above, the Chukar looks vibrant against the snow covered rocks and the clear blue of the sky.  Chukar on the rocks - Nikon D300, f8, 1/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light The grasses have begun to push green shoots from the ground here and the Chukars are calling more often from the tops of the rocks and I have witnessed a few skirmishes between the males. They will be nesting before too long. Mia More Chukar images 
I’ve been asked on occasion how I have achieved very smooth backgrounds in my bird images, at times people have even asked if I have used a set up with a fake background such as painted canvas or plywood board hung behind an area where the birds are located. The reason they are called “set ups” is that it usually means that the birds have been baited or called in using repetitive sound recordings; or both, to entice or manipulate the subject into an area that has been artificially arranged to appear natural, sometimes the background is natural and other times people do use created backgrounds. Usually the background has a very smooth blur to it. Often the branch, stump, rock or other features that the birds are enticed to perch on have been selected from a natural area, removed and brought into the set up. I don’t do set up shots, bait or call birds in using recordings because of my personal wildlife ethics but I can get the creamy smooth backgrounds often seen in set up shots while photographing in natural locations by knowing the location well, knowing the distance between the subject and the background features and selecting an aperture that will work the best for getting the degree of background blur desired. I often find birds perched on the foreground rocky outcropping shown above when I am out in the field photographing on Antelope Island State Park in Utah. The rocks have lovely colors, texture and character, except for the whitewash of course but even that is natural although unappealing to some. Usually when I am photographing a bird on these rocks I am a bit closer and positioned slightly further to the east which is on the right side of this frame. I took this image specifically to show what was in the background of this setting and by using an aperture of f22 I have closely; or nearly perfectly, shown what the human eye would see of this scene which includes details, the texture of the rocks and variations in the topography of the hillside to the north.
In this duplicated photo I have outlined in red the general area that is normally behind these rocks when I am positioned further to the right to get a better angle of light on the subject. The “bokeh” of my lens and my choice of aperture will blur or smooth out the background behind the birds images posted below. There is no bokeh on these landscape images. What is Bokeh?
*Mirror Reflex lenses may be far less expensive than quality prime or zoom lenses but the bokeh of mirror reflex lenses is very unappealing and distracting in my opinion.
This male American Kestrel was photographed on the rocky outcropping (just to the right of the red frame on the highest point in the image above) and it has a very smooth bokeh, in fact it would be extremely difficult to guess that there is a grassy slope behind the falcon. If I had photographed this at f22 some of the details, textures and topography would have been visible in the distance but since I used f6.3 and kept just the bird and the rock within my field of focus I have a silky smooth background.
This Chukar was photographed yesterday on the same rock as the American Kestrel on a different day with low light, the Chukar is slightly larger than the falcon so I need just a bit more depth of field which is why I used f7.1. Again the background is nicely blurred. I can understand why some viewers might think this was a set up shot. The grassy slope in the background is probably a mile or so away, if the background features were much closer I would not be able to get the same featureless bokeh.
So what happens when the background features are closer? In the image above the Chukar was on a rock with wild Black Mustard in the background, the mustard plants were far enough away that the bokeh blurred them but they are still recognizable as plant material. I would not call this a featureless bokeh and most viewers would not mistake it for a set up shot. Do I prefer the featureless background bokeh over the one where the features are blurred but still recognizable? No, I love them both and appreciate each one individually. For me; I want to be out in the field soaking in the wildness, observing birds doing what they do when they want to do it. I love the journey to the location. I want to absorb the peaceful feeling I get when I am immersed in the sounds, sights and smells and I want to learn as much as I can about my subject’s natural behavior and habitat. I relax behind the viewfinder and get a thrill when the action starts to happen. I’d miss out on all of that if I were to do set up shots so I’ll just keep on doing what I’ve been doing because it is my preference. And if that means I spends hours, days or even weeks waiting for the images I want out in the wild I just can’t think of a better way to spend my time! Mia For a depth of field and bokeh comparison of two Eagle images see this post: Bald Eagle and depth of field  |
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