{"id":98032,"date":"2021-12-08T05:19:38","date_gmt":"2021-12-08T12:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=98032"},"modified":"2026-02-12T07:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T13:26:10","slug":"close-up-chukar-on-fresh-snow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/12\/08\/close-up-chukar-on-fresh-snow\/","title":{"rendered":"Close Up Chukar On Fresh Snow"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult Chukar standing on top of snow – Nikon D300, f8, 1\/1600, ISO 500, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 200mm, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I came across this photo of an adult Chukar standing in top of fresh snow the other day and felt a pang of sadness. It has been a long time since I have had a Chukar in my viewfinder and even longer still since I have seen one standing on top of fresh snow.<\/p>\n

I took this Chukar photo on a bright but bitter cold January morning in 2013. The air was clear and the sounds of a small flock of Chukars echoed over one of the campgrounds on Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

I was inside of a vehicle using it as a mobile blind. The Chukars were busy foraging for food after a snow storm the day before.<\/p>\n

I used to see Chukars on the island practically every time I went out there. I enjoyed showing visitors like my mother and out of state friends these roly poly upland game birds or telling them where they might find the Chukars if I couldn’t join my friends on the island while they were there.<\/p>\n

Pointing out a lifer Chukar for people was a wonderful feeling and most of them thanked me so profusely that I was almost embarrassed by their gratitude.<\/p>\n

I can still vividly recall the first time I photographed one on the island myself. They seemed so at home on the island yet exotic at the same time. They are exotic.<\/p>\n

This species was introduced to North America and some of these partridges have established healthy populations in the western U.S..<\/p>\n

I know that the Chukars are still out there on the island. I just don’t see them as often anymore and that is what made me feel sad. I love hearing<\/span><\/a>, seeing, and photographing these handsome birds.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

I came across this photo of an adult Chukar standing in top of fresh snow the other day and felt a pang of sadness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":168887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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":""},"categories":[511,27,442,1022,26],"tags":[4004,4146,445,4773,4142,11978,686,1994,4050,401,373],"class_list":["post-98032","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-chukar","tag-chukars","tag-close-up","tag-desert-island","tag-introduced","tag-shadow","tag-snow","tag-upland-game-birds","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/chukar-on-a-bright-winter-day-mia-mcpherson-5629.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-pva","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12811,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/01\/07\/chukar-on-a-bright-winter-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":98032,"position":0},"title":"Chukar On A Bright Winter Day","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The weather forecast for today isn't as bright as it was on the day last January when I photographed this Chukar walking across a field of fresh snow instead the forecast for today is rather dreary.","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 bright winter day walking across a field of snow on Antelope Island State Park, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/chukar-snowy-day-mia-mcpherson-5260.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-snowy-day-mia-mcpherson-5260.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/chukar-snowy-day-mia-mcpherson-5260.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/chukar-snowy-day-mia-mcpherson-5260.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6932,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/12\/28\/chukar-in-fresh-fallen-snow\/","url_meta":{"origin":98032,"position":1},"title":"Chukar In Fresh Fallen Snow","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","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":"Bad Seed? Chukar tongue exposed. 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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.","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 calling from a snow-topped rock, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/chukar-singing-mia-mcpherson-6586.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-singing-mia-mcpherson-6586.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/chukar-singing-mia-mcpherson-6586.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Island State Park.","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":"Adult Chukar perched on a mound of snow, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/chukar-adult-snow-mia-mcpherson-6742.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-adult-snow-mia-mcpherson-6742.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/chukar-adult-snow-mia-mcpherson-6742.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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