These American Kestrals are a kick to watch.  Like mentioned on an earlier blog they are tough little birds.  Not much fighting back from the dinner this guy is enjoying.

The geese are dropping in in groves!  Can’t wait for all the shore birds to return to FBBR this year.

Had a chance to get out this morning.  Seasonal changes at the FBBR.  No ice and the eagles are where the crowds aren’t.  The geese however are stopping over in big numbers.    Not much photography during the Olympics.  Most of my time on the couch.

The carp are dead.  DWR kills the carp most years at this time.  It’s free food for the scavengers and the Eagles (also scavengers).

Some food fights are created.  Which is really strange because there is dead carp everywhere.  Thousands of them.

All morning the Eagles were moving around.

Even the seagulls have a “pecking” order!   It was a great morning.  The only thing to make it better would be a sunny sky.

Another great reason to live in the Wasatch Front!   The Harrier Hawk can be readily watched and photographed at the Bird Refuges of Utah.  As of late the areas are flooded with photographers hoping to get a “fun” shot of this bird.

Adult Description

• Medium-sized hawk.
• Long tail.
• Long, slender, rounded wings.
• White rump.
• Flies low, with wings held up in slight “V.”

Male Description

Head, back, and upper chest light gray. Chest and belly white, usually with some rusty markings extending onto flanks. Wingtips black. Line of black on rear of wings. Underwings white. Tail darkish gray above and whitish below, with some barring. Rump white.

Female Description

Back dark brown, with many feathers edged with tawny. Face streaked brown and whitish. Face outlined by white facial disk. Chest and belly streaked dirty white and tan. Rump white. Upper side of wings brown, lower side barred white and dark brown. Tail brown with dark bars.

Immature Description

Juvenile similar to adult female, but with rusty wash across mostly unstreaked underparts.

Cool Facts

• Most male Northern Harriers are mated to one or two females at the same time. Some males pair with up to five mates in a season. Females incubate the eggs and brood the offspring, while the male provides the bulk of the food for his mates and their nestlings.
• Unlike other hawks, the Northern Harrier relies on its hearing as well as its vision to capture prey. The feathers of the face are stiff to help transmit sound, and it shows a pronounced “facial disk,” much like that of an owl.
• The Northern Harrier feeds primarily on mice, other small mammals, and small birds. It will, however, take larger prey, such as rabbits and ducks. It has been known to subdue large prey by drowning it.

American Kestral

Identification Tips:

• Length: 8.5 inches Wingspan: 21 inches
• Short, dark, hooked beak
• Small, long-tailed hawk
• Long, narrow, pointed wings
• Gray crown
• White cheeks
• Two black mustache marks
• Black spot at rear of crown on both sides
• Seen from below, flight feathers are pale with dark barring
• Juveniles and immature females like adult female

Adult male:

• Rust patch on crown
• Rust nape, breast, back and tail
• Rust tail has a broad black subterminal band and a narrow white terminal band
• Pale belly
• Blue-gray wing coverts
• Dark flight feathers with pale subterminal spots creating a “string of pearls”
• Black spots on scapulars, wing coverts and flanks

Adult female:

• Pale buff breast streaked with brown
• Rust-brown nape, back and wing coverts
• Back and wing coverts barred heavily with black
• Rust-brown tail with numerous dark bars of even width and a narrow white terminal band

Immature male:

• Barred rust-brown back barred heavily with black
• Streaked breast

I love this Bird – The American Kestral

Sometimes the subject you seek is unavailable.  What to do when the light is incredible?  Look to any subject.  In the end it may be the light that is the subject.  In my opinion this is indicative of this photograph.  Again tonight with only a few minutes of sunlight I sought out eagles, hawks, herons, etc.  The light was so dramatic the seagull was the fall back for a subject.  Not often am I treated with the contrast and direction of light like I was tonight.

Cute little guy huh?  The Kestral is a pretty small bird.  Not much bigger than a Robin.  Maybe the same size.  What a fighter.  This predator dives and kills fast.  Not too many rodents get past this one.  At Farmington Bay they are prevalent.  The only chance  to shoot them is when they rest.  And you better have a very long lens.  They are extremely shy.  This was shot with the D3 and the 200-400 mm lens with a 1.7 teleconverter.  Effectively at 640mm.  Shot at 1/1000 at f/6.7 and ISO 200.  Every shot I have of the Kestral was shot from the car.  Just opening the door will prompt a very quick exit by this efficient hunter.

I love my wife!   She works hard for my family and is my best friend.  And she knows me very well.  Tonight after church she knew I had few opportunities this week to shoot.  So guess where I went?  My favorite spot minutes from my home.  It’s a good thing because church gets out late.  With only a little time to shoot I was very fortunate to get a couple of shots.  The photograph above is my proof that the sun came out just before it set.  The late day light is reflecting off the water.  No adjustments or filters.  Right out of the camera – beautiful.

This shot of the Great Blue Heron was just as the sun set.  I shot this through my 600mm lens and the D200.  The low light required an ISO of 1000.  You may ask why I did not use the D3 and it’s incredible resolution at high ISO?   The D200 sensor creates a crop that makes the 600mm effectively 840mm.  The birds were way out there tonight and I needed the reach.  I can only imagine the resolution of this shot if it had been done with the D3.

There is no question that I wish the light was better and this shot was taken with the D3.  I love the position of the Heron.  Just landing his feathers look really in disarray.  Both shots of the Herons were ran though Nik color Efex pro filter.  I used the brush tool to fill the whole shot then erased back the Heron at 30% opacity.

I have attracted one of the sinus colds that people talk about.  The one no one wants to get.  Quarantined in my own house and room.   No camera.  No outdoors.  Tonight the sneaking was to my computer.  To play!   Back to eagle shots taken on the 5th of Jan.  at Farmington Bay.  My hope and dream is to someday go to Alaska and shoot the large congregation fishing and fighting for food.

These two photo’s are from the same original.  The one above is the actual shot taken through Topaz – “buzsim” filter.   The photograph below is cropped, one click in NIK Silver Efex pro and erasing back the eye and beak.  Too much time at the computer.  I need to get out BAD!!!!

Too late to photograph tonight.   A little time in front of the MAC.  Sunday’s photograph, Topaz software and a little need for some “artsy fartsy” work.