{"id":39394,"date":"2016-05-10T05:05:16","date_gmt":"2016-05-10T11:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=39394"},"modified":"2025-12-06T11:20:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T17:20:18","slug":"a-wet-chukar-on-top-of-a-lichen-covered-boulder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/05\/10\/a-wet-chukar-on-top-of-a-lichen-covered-boulder\/","title":{"rendered":"Wet Chukar On Top Of A Lichen Covered Boulder"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WetWet Chukar on a lichen covered boulder – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1\/320, ISO 400, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The light was gorgeous yesterday morning on Antelope Island and after days of gloomy weather, hail storms, rain plus wind storms it was time to get out and see if I still remembered how to use my camera and it seemed it was also time to feed the no-see-ums. The no-see-ums (biting gnats) gladly obliged and bit up my head.<\/p>\n

The causeway to the island still had large puddles of water on it so I figured it must have rained in the area overnight. There was also more water in the Great Salt Lake than there had been the last time I went out there which is good but we still need more.<\/p>\n

The first bird I photographed yesterday morning was a wet Chukar on top of a lichen covered boulder about the time the sun rose above the clouds and mountains to the east. I got to see the warm glow light up the birds and cause jewel covered sparkles to light up on the dew-laden grasses. When a day starts that way how could I not feel happy?<\/p>\n

I’m pretty sure the Chukar’s back was wet from scurrying through the cheatgrass but it could have been because of the overnight rain too.<\/p>\n

The forecast for the next few days is good and I will likely spend quite a bit of time in the field plus my good friend and fellow photographer Steve Creek<\/span><\/a> surprised me by text last night and told me he is in Utah and camping on the island. So guess who I am going to see today?<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

To view more of my Chukar photos plus facts and information about this species click here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first bird I photographed yesterday morning was a wet Chukar on top of a lichen covered boulder about the time the sun rose above the clouds and mountains to the east.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":165368,"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":[511,27,442,1022,26],"tags":[4004,4146,4138,4172,445,4773,11978,5142,4109,3291,165,4190,401,1824],"class_list":["post-39394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-chukars","category-davis-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-alectoris-chukar","tag-boulder","tag-cheatgrass","tag-chukar","tag-chukars","tag-desert-island","tag-dew","tag-grasses","tag-lichen","tag-spring","tag-sunrise","tag-upland-game-birds","tag-wet"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/chukar-wet-grasses-mia-mcpherson-6279.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-afo","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20161,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/02\/16\/a-chukar-lichen-and-a-tintic-quartzite-boulder\/","url_meta":{"origin":39394,"position":0},"title":"Chukar, Lichen and a Tintic Quartzite Boulder","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday was a nice day to be out photographing on Antelope Island State Park, the sun was shining, the wind was minimal and there were a few birds to be found.","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":"Chukar, lichen and a Tintic Quartzite boulder on Antelope Island, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/chukar-lichen-mia-mcpherson-2881.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/chukar-lichen-mia-mcpherson-2881.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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walking on a boulder near the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/chukar-walking-mia-mcpherson-5402.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/chukar-walking-mia-mcpherson-5402.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/chukar-walking-mia-mcpherson-5402.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/chukar-walking-mia-mcpherson-5402.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14542,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/03\/10\/chukars-on-antelope-island-state-park\/","url_meta":{"origin":39394,"position":2},"title":"Chukars on Antelope Island State Park","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"After seeing few Chukars on Antelope Island State Park over the winter it is a delight to see them perching on rocks, preening, calling and warming up in the first rays of sunlight on the island again.","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":"Preening Chukar on a Tintic Quartzite boulder, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/chukar-preening-mia-mcpherson-3682.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/chukar-preening-mia-mcpherson-3682.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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McPherson","date":"March 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Some times there is one bird that makes (or perhaps saves) a day, yesterday it was this Chukar for me. I can say I didn't get skunked!","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":"Yawning Chukar near the marina on Antelope Island State Park, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/chukar-yawning-mia-mcpherson-1590.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/chukar-yawning-mia-mcpherson-1590.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/chukar-yawning-mia-mcpherson-1590.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/chukar-yawning-mia-mcpherson-1590.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8276,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/05\/03\/a-chukar-on-antelope-island-state-park\/","url_meta":{"origin":39394,"position":5},"title":"Chukar on Antelope Island State Park","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago I spotted this Chukar on Antelope Island State Park on the edge of the road near the marina, the Chukar was at road level but just beyond the rock there is a slope that drops about 25 to 30 feet.","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":"Chukar on a lofty perch. 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