{"id":22840,"date":"2015-04-25T05:39:13","date_gmt":"2015-04-25T11:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=22840"},"modified":"2025-06-09T06:26:39","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T11:26:39","slug":"shades-of-gray-in-three-bird-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/04\/25\/shades-of-gray-in-three-bird-species\/","title":{"rendered":"Shades of Gray in Three Bird Species"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult Gray Partridge running through a field in Montana – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 800, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

It has been gray for a couple of days and it’s supposed to be gray until this front passes, and while gray days can get me down, gray birds lift me back up. I have been working on my new photo galleries and came across a few gray birds to post today.<\/p>\n

The first is a Gray Partridge photographed in Glacier County, Montana during the summer of 2012 on a farm where there is a small flock of Gray Partridges (sometimes called Huns) that have been there for years and years.<\/p>\n

Even though they are used to people and farm equipment, they are still pretty skittish, but the morning I took this image they were a bit more approachable. Personally, I love the peachy and rust colors against the soft grays in their plumage.<\/p>\n

Gray Partridges are an introduced upland game bird species, and in a few areas of grasslands and grainfields they thrive.<\/p>\n

\"GrayGray Catbird on Half Moon Cay – Nikon D200, handheld,\u00a0 f7.1, 1\/125, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

While I lived in Florida, I had a hard time getting images of the Gray Catbirds that I came across because they are such skulkers.<\/p>\n

Who knew I would get my best opportunity with the species on Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas? I was wandering around photographing Bananaquits and Bahama Mockingbirds when I found this one peering at me from a shrub.<\/p>\n

\"GrayGray Flycatcher at Bear River NWR, Utah – Nikon D200,\u00a0 f7.1, 1\/750, ISO 250, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The last gray bird for today is a Gray Flycatcher I photographed while on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route in August of 2009. The flycatcher flew in so close that I was able to get a series of close frame filling images of it before it left to hawk for insects.<\/p>\n

Gray days aren’t so gray when I see shades of gray in three bird species on my screen.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my bird photos in their galleries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It has been gray for a couple of days and it supposed to be gray until this front passes and while gray days can get me down gray birds lift me back up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":148024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1228,124,27,860,3605,413,386,12,26],"tags":[6559,6558,3607,701,3808,4884,5162,3606,2421,2411,2563,9141,633,634],"class_list":["post-22840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bahamas","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-glacier-county","category-gray-catbirds","category-gray-flycatcher","category-gray-partridges","category-montana","category-utah","tag-catbird","tag-catbirds","tag-dumetella-carolinensis","tag-empidonax-wrightii","tag-flycatcher","tag-flycatchers","tag-gray-birds","tag-gray-catbird","tag-gray-flycatcher","tag-gray-partridge","tag-half-moon-cay","tag-partridge","tag-partridges","tag-perdix-perdix"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-adult-mia-mcpherson-1335.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-5Wo","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1681,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/12\/24\/hidden-treasures\/","url_meta":{"origin":22840,"position":0},"title":"Hidden Treasures","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 24, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"As a bird photographer I often strive for images where the subjects are out in the open, without distractions in the fore or background, but as with any photographic \"rule\", they are made to be broken.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tricolored Heron in spartina, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-hidden-mia-mcpherson-florida-5631.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-hidden-mia-mcpherson-florida-5631.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Partridge walking in snow, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-winter-mia-mcpherson-4196.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-winter-mia-mcpherson-4196.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-winter-mia-mcpherson-4196.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-winter-mia-mcpherson-4196.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":78894,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/02\/04\/high-key-gray-partridge\/","url_meta":{"origin":22840,"position":2},"title":"High Key Gray Partridge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Snow continues to pass by where I live in northern Utah this winter so I thought I'd bring some snow to my site with a high key Gray Partridge photo.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"High key Gray Partridge in a winter whiteout, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-high-key-mia-mcpherson-4227.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-high-key-mia-mcpherson-4227.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-high-key-mia-mcpherson-4227.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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returned to northern Utah for their breeding season and I am thrilled to be hearing their songs and calls again.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Singing Gray Catbird, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gray-catbird-singing-close-up-mia-mcpherson-0932.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gray-catbird-singing-close-up-mia-mcpherson-0932.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gray-catbird-singing-close-up-mia-mcpherson-0932.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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