{"id":78894,"date":"2021-02-04T06:24:08","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T13:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=78894"},"modified":"2025-06-09T07:31:35","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T12:31:35","slug":"high-key-gray-partridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/02\/04\/high-key-gray-partridge\/","title":{"rendered":"High Key Gray Partridge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HighHigh key Gray Partridge in a winter whiteout \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 1000, +2.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

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. This image was taken almost four years ago in Box Elder County on a day with low light and plenty of snow.<\/p>\n

On that cold morning it was a pleasant surprise to find a small covey of Gray Partridge feeding at the shoulder of a plowed road way out in the country. I don’t find Gray Partridges often here in northern Utah and sometimes I go a couple of years without seeing them at all. These partridges are an introduced species that are native to Eurasia and in some locations they have naturalized. Luckily for me I know a few places where I can find these colorful, chicken-like birds.<\/p>\n

If there had been better light that winter morning I would have been able to create images that showed more detail in the snow. I would have liked more details, however, I enjoy and appreciate high key photos because the light to white backgrounds put the focus entirely on the birds when viewing the images.<\/p>\n

This high key Gray Partridge photo is full frame. Both of the birds were moving quickly when I photographed them and I almost clipped the tail of the hen in the front. I’m not sure I like having the second out of focus bird behind my main subject but it does add a sense depth to the image.<\/p>\n

It did snow here at home yesterday morning and at times it came down fast and thick but it was 56\u00b0F the day before so it melted almost as fast as it fell because the ground was warm. Well before noon the snow that had fallen in the morning had disappeared. It was supposed to snow overnight, it didn’t. That has been the theme of this winter.<\/p>\n

I really don’t enjoy having to scrape snow off of my Jeep but I’d do it gladly if we could actually get some snow before winter leaves and spring arrives. I miss the snow.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":148040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,1148,386,26],"tags":[4004,10989,10988,2411,4359,1123,156,9141,633,634,4050,4328,401,5626,373],"class_list":["post-78894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-gray-partridges","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-details","tag-front","tag-gray-partridge","tag-hen","tag-high-key-2","tag-low-light-2","tag-partridge","tag-partridges","tag-perdix-perdix","tag-snow","tag-snowy","tag-upland-game-birds","tag-whiteout-conditions","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-high-key-mia-mcpherson-4227.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-kwu","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":44836,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/02\/07\/gray-partridges-in-snow-and-low-light\/","url_meta":{"origin":78894,"position":0},"title":"Gray Partridges in Snow and Low Light – Frustrations in Bird Photography","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The surprise birds of the day were Gray Partridges in an area where I hadn't seen them before and they were feeding close to the edge of the road.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gray 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, 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Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-3166.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-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-3166.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-3166.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-3166.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22840,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/04\/25\/shades-of-gray-in-three-bird-species\/","url_meta":{"origin":78894,"position":2},"title":"Shades of Gray in Three Bird Species","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In "Bahamas"","block_context":{"text":"Bahamas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/bahamas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Gray Partridge running through a field in Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-adult-mia-mcpherson-1335.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-adult-mia-mcpherson-1335.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/gray-partridge-adult-mia-mcpherson-1335.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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McPherson","date":"December 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier this year I photographed a Tundra Swan in bright winter light that today I am comparing to another swan image I took in winter whiteout conditions.","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":"Tundra Swan in a winter whiteout, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/tundra-swan-in-a-whiteout-stroke-mia-mcpherson-7301.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/tundra-swan-in-a-whiteout-stroke-mia-mcpherson-7301.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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