Chukars On A Cold Winter Morning
It is almost hard to believe that in just two months these Chukars will be fighting for territories as they begin the mating season while there is over 9 inches of fresh snow on the ground where I live this morning.
Chukar Images – 4 Hits – 1 Miss
Yesterday I spotted a covey of Chukars on Antelope Island foraging in the snow, this Chukar was pulling guard duty and standing on top of a snow covered rock and for a bit it was calling.
Chukar In Fresh Fallen Snow
Fresh snow fell on Antelope Island last night and it made for wonderful settings for the subjects I photographed this morning like this Chukar. I haven't been seeing the Chukars regularly lately so I was very pleased to see them again.
Male Ring-necked Pheasant in marsh habitat
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.
Chukar In The Snow
A simple image from a series of images I took last year of a Chukar calling on a rocky outcropping with a snowy mountain in the background.
Dusky Grouse Male – Francis Peak
Near the summit of Francis Peak, elevation 9,560 feet, I spotted this Dusky Grouse male on the edge of a gravel road with a steep drop off to the west and I was able to get a few photographs of it before we motioned to a pickup truck coming down from the summit to move forward.
What Utah Birds Do When The Heat Is On…
I don't know if the birds think the water of the Great Salt Lake looks refreshing but when the heat is on like today, I sure do!
Spring Time Chukar
I liked that this spring time Chukar perched on a rock where a few of the Redstem Filaree were visible.
Female Greater Sage-Grouse
I photographed this female Greater Sage-Grouse while up in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah.
Lesson Learned – Beyond The Viewfinder
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.
Chukars And Fighting For The Right To Mate
The behavior of the Chukars indicates that the males are already acting territorial and fighting for the right to mate.
Chukars in Western Habitat
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.
Chukar Calling In The Snow
I was tickled to photograph this Chukar calling in the snow near the parking area of Frary Peak trailhead with the snow-covered mountain in the background.
Ring-necked Pheasant
Male Ring-necked Pheasants are very colorful and sport red face wattles, iridescent ear tufts, the white neck ring and bronze colored chest and back with barring. I remember my grandfather using the pheasant feathers for the flies that he tied.