Just some funny images of birds for a Monday. These photos just beg for humorous captions.
This one could be “I swear I heard something rip” or “Boy, my skinny legs make my butt look fat”.
Ring-necked Duck attitude
This one could be “I told you get off MY pond!” or “Get outta my face, no paparazzi allowed!”.
Hiding female Ring-necked Pheasant
I think this female Ring-necked Pheasant thought if she crouched down that I couldn’t see her. I couldn’t come up with a great caption for this image, maybe you can? For any of them for that matter and the funnier the better!
Ring-necked Pheasant hen – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/1600, ISO 500, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, not baited
Just a simple high key image of a hen Ring-necked Pheasant this morning that was taken in January at Farmington Bay WMA in Davis County, Utah. The heavy layer of snow had made it difficult for the pheasants to forage and due to that they were out in the open more than normal.
Because of the amount of snow we have had here this winter in the Salt Lake Valley I have been able to take lots of high key images of birds and animals but I am looking forward to seeing some green now!
Male Ring-necked Pheasant running down a snow bank – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited or called in
Male Ring-necked Pheasants are far more colorful than the females and in snow they seem even more vividly colored. These upland game birds are foraging for food in the open right now because the deep snow has buried their food and I have been seeing them feeding along the road where the snow has been plowed or very close to vegetation where they can dig through the snow to find seeds from the plants.
Ring-necked Pheasant male – Nikon D300, f9, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 321mm, natural light, not baited or called in
One of my early childhood memories is of my grandfather using Ring-necked Pheasant feathers to make fishing flies, watching him tying the flies fascinated me. I didn’t know then how much patience that required.
I normally see far more female Ring-necked Pheasants than males so I am always happy when I am able to find a male in good light and out in the open.
Ring-necked Pheasant hen in snow – Nikon D300, f8, 1/2500, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited
I have been noticing more Ring-necked Pheasants than usual of late but that it mostly because the birds don’t blend well into the snow and we have had plenty of the white stuff fall the past few weeks. Yesterday I spotted this hen Ring-necked Pheasant very close to where I photographed a Great Blue Heron a few days ago but this hen was on top of the creek bank.
Female Ring-necked Pheasant – Nikon D300, f8, 1/2500, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited
The pheasant hens aren’t as colorful as the males but I find them every bit as appealing because of the intricate and cryptic feather patterns that they have. In this image the furrow in the snow behind the hen was created when another pheasant moved through the drift.
Ring-necked Pheasant hen lifting off – Nikon D300, f8, 1/2000, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited
In the frame above the female Ring-necked was lifting off, I love how I can see her right wingtip in the snow, how I can see the pattern her wingtip made in it, the fanned out tail and the wonderful pose.
I took loads of photos of this hen and I suspect I will post more of her in the future.
Male Ring-necked Pheasant in habitat – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/640, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited
Ring-necked Pheasants are colorful upland game birds that are native to Asia and were introduced into North America for recreational hunting purposes and now occur widespread across southern Canada and in many areas of the U.S. except for some of the southern states.
Their preferred habitats include fallow fields, hedgerows, mixed agricultural lands, wooded river bottoms and marshes. This male was photographed a few years ago at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area in northern Utah during the winter not long after a snow storm. I wish I hadn’t clipped the tail because I loved this wintry setting.
Upside down Chukar
Ring-necked Duck attitude
Hiding female Ring-necked Pheasant
