Winter

The pale male Coyote and his injured mate

By Mia McPherson, on February 19th, 2013%

Injured female Coyote – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/3200, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited or called in

Yesterday I spotted a Coyote on Antelope Island, it was down a slope near a herd of Pronghorn and not in the best of light. I noticed almost right away that the Coyote was limping rather badly. I can’t guess as to how the Coyote sustained its injury but I hope that it will be okay.

Then I saw a second paler Coyote that had just crossed the road to the other side and realized that I had photographed this pair recently and that this was the female to the pale male I wrote about here. The female did not have an injured leg when I photographed them at the end of January.

Pale male Coyote on a rock - Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/3200, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited or called in

There was another car in the area and two people jumped out to photograph the pale male Coyote on the west side of the road which unsettled the Pronghorn herd. It is easy to see when that happens because they raise the light patches of hair on their rear ends. The female Coyote wasn’t bothering them at all as she struggled to walk in the snow, the Pronghorns were much more concerned about the people. The Coyotes were separated because of the road and also because the female wasn’t going to get close to the couple who had gotten out of their vehicle. The female Coyote then laid down in the snow and rested.

The pale male stood on a rock some times gazing towards where the female laid down and at other times just looked around.

Male Coyote eating something while laying in the snow - Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/3200, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited or called in

After the couple got back in their vehicle and left the male Coyote found what appeared to be a section of bones from the wing of a large bird behind the rock on the right side of this frame and it gnawed on those bones.

Male Coyote - Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/3200, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited or called in

After the pale male Coyote was done gnawing on the bones it stood back up and looked around.

Keeping a watchful eye - Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/3200, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited or called in

He was keeping an eye on his mate. As he slowly started to make his way up the hill we left because we didn’t want to keep them separated because of our presence. I’m sure the female will catch back up to the pale male or that he will circle back to rejoin her.

It is the policy of the park to allow nature to take its course so I didn’t report the injured Coyote to the park rangers, that is a policy I believe in and stand behind even when seeing an injury in an animal that tugs at my heart. And it does.

She may just have something lodged in the pad of her foot, I am just not sure. I’ll be looking for this pair of Coyotes in the future though.

Mia

More Coyote images

My monthly post is up at BirdingIsFun.com, this month it is about why the California Gull is Utah’s State Bird, mosey on over to check it out!

I love Chukars in snow!

By Mia McPherson, on January 21st, 2013%

Fluffed up Chukar in snow

These Chukar images were taken last Friday and this bird is the same one in my post titled “Some fun with birds from yesterday“, I wanted to share more photos of it. Snow was still falling lightly when I started taking these pictures and a few flakes of it still show on the Chukar’s plumage.

Alert Chukar in snow

I’m not sure why the Chukar went on alert but it seemed to be trying to stop itself from calling out. There were probably more Chukars in the area but I couldn’t spot them.

Chukar running down a snow-covered rock

Shortly after the Chukar went on alert it moved to another spot on the snow-covered rock.

Chukar and flying snow

I like how this image shows snow flying near the Chukar’s foot as it hurried down the r0ck.

Chukar slowly walking in snow

Then the Chukar slowed down, whatever danger it sensed was obviously gone. And there are still snow flakes on the bird.

Chukar with one foot raised

The Chukar stopped and appeared calm enough to raise one foot and look around, mostly at the two big lenses pointed at it. I really love the smooth background these pictures have because the bird stands out so well from it.

Chukar scratching

I think those tiny snow flakes caused the bird to scratch vigorously for a few seconds but it could have been something else too. I do wish the Chukar’s eye had been open when I took this image.

Chukar in the snow

The Chukar went back to a relaxed pose for a few minutes then took off flying very quickly. I don’t know if a predator flew over or if the Chukar might have spotted a Coyote and decided to leave but I am glad that it gave us ample time to photograph it before it left.

Mia

*All images taken with a Nikon D300 at f6.3, shutter speeds of 1/1600 to 1/2000, +0.7 EV with a Nikkor 200-400mm VR lens plus a 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited.

More Chukar images

Ring-necked Pheasant males in the snow

By Mia McPherson, on January 17th, 2013%

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

Two days ago I posted a female Ring-necked Pheasant in the snow and mentioned that there were males nearby, this is one of the males.

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.

Mia

More Ring-necked Pheasant images

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron – A Winter Treat

By Mia McPherson, on January 6th, 2013%

Young Black-crowned Night Heron on ice – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

I’ve mentioned before that Great Blue Herons stay in the Salt Lake Valley over winter even though the temperatures get very cold and so do some of the Black-crowned Night Herons. I had just mentioned that I hadn’t been seeing the Black-crowned Night Herons when I saw this juvenile flying over the Phragmites near a pond at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area and then it landed on the ice close to some open water.

Alert juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 357mm, natural light

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons look quite different from the adults in plumage but they have the same general shape. Aren’t those orange eyes brilliant in morning light? And like the American Coot images I posted yesterday from the same session, they both have big feet.

Immature Black-crowned Night Heron – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

I don’t see the Black-crowned Night Herons as often in the winter as I do other times of the year so this young bird was a lovely treat.

Mia

More Black-crowned Night Heron images

A Winter Inversion along with -10 degrees Fahrenheit

By Mia McPherson, on January 5th, 2013%

A few of my non-Utahn friends have asked me what an inversion is after I have mentioned it, this image might help to show what an inversion can look like.

Tooele County, Utah – Inversion at sunrise

Inversions here in the Salt Lake City area happen during mid-winter. It is not pretty and it can be very unhealthy. I took this photo this morning as we headed to North and South Willow Canyons in Tooele County, Utah to look for birds to photograph. If you squint your eyes and look just to the right of the sun you can see the Oquirrh mountain range which is all but hidden in the haze.

From Wikipedia:

One of the most significant weather events in Salt Lake City occurs in mid-winter, when temperature inversions sometimes form, resulting in cold and extremely foggy, hazy weather in the city while the surrounding mountains enjoy warmer temperatures and sunshine. Temperature inversions are extremely unhealthy and can occur weeks at a time, and are most pronounced in the heart of winter, although may occur in other seasons to a lesser extent. Humidity is only high enough and temperatures cold enough for fog to occur in the heart of winter, although haze and smog can be found year-round. Inversions occur when strong areas of high pressure park themselves over the Great Basin. It usually takes a cold front to force out or break down the high pressure. Consequently, inversions are very rare in spring and fall, when the atmosphere usually takes on a progressive pattern, with fronts moving through frequently.

It was very cold this morning when I took this image at -10 degrees Fahrenheit, it was bone-chilling to say the least.

These nasty inversions can create challenges for bird photographers when photographing birds in flight that have the inversion layer behind them because the sky can have some weird hues to it.

Salt Lake City actually has five seasons, winter, spring, summer, fall and Inversion. Okay it is not truly a season, but it ought to be.

Did I mention it is not pretty?

Mia