Photo Stories – Page 15

February 24, 2011January 14, 2013

A “common” courtship

A male common goldeneye attempts to impress a female by lengthening his neck and extending his head. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/1600 sec. at f/7.1

Spring is almost here, and with it comes the showmanship and fortitude of male birds courting their females. Especially fun to watch are the common goldeneyes, with their neck stretches, head throws and incessant quacking – all in the pursuit of charming that special someone who, if the performance is good enough, might return the affection. I took all the shots seen here recently at Shoreline Lake in Mountain View, where a multitude of common goldeneye can be seen putting on their show. If you live nearby, I definitely recommend a trip there either in the early morning or late afternoon, when the birds are most active.

The common goldeneye courtship display consists of several different maneuvers. The most common move seems to be the neck stretch, which can be seen in the photo above, and the photo immediately following.

A male common goldeneye courts a female by touching the back of his head to his back, calling into the air, then lurching forward with a long neck, calling out with head extended straight up, and finally kicking vigorously with his feet. — A male common goldeneye courts a female by extending his head out in front of him. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 0: 1/800 sec. at f/8

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If he wants to get a little flashier, he shoots his head straight up with a long neck and lets out a loud quack. Sometimes this first and second move are done in sequence, with the bird first poking his head out in front, and with the neck extended, swiveling it straight up to quack. This usually gets the ladies attention.

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If that doesn’t quite do it, or the goldeneye is feeling particularly frisky, he pulls out the head tuck move. Here he folds himself backward in half, touches his head to his back and lets out a kind of double-quack. It seems as though the first quack actually comes in normal position, followed the the quick head throw and second quack up into the air. This second sound is louder and more drawn out than the first, kind of like putting the accent on the second syllable of a two-syllable word.

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Finally, if nothing else is working, the goldeneye busts out the uber-display. After performing the double-quack with his head tucked against his back, he forcefully kicks both feet backward, splashing water high into the air. I only saw this display a few times by only two birds – each of the other displays were more common.

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If all goes well, he finally attracts his mate, who shows the love by mirroring some of his moves. In the following photo, the male is being followed by an interested female.

A male common goldeneye attempts to impress a female by lengthening his neck and extending his head. The female mimics the behavior in reply. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering 0: 1/2400 sec. at f/5.6

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Courtship displays of different avian species can be fascinating to watch, and can get quite elaborate. Personally, I think I’ll stick to chocolate and flowers!

February 15, 2011January 14, 2013

Great Egret Perched On Wheel (Photo of the week)

A great egret perches on a wheel of an old pump station. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 640. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/1600 sec. at f/8

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I’m a sucker for a photo with a perfect background, and that’s what sets this week’s photo apart for me. I usually try not to include man-made objects in my wildlife photography, but in this case, I thought the old rusty pump wheel juxtaposed against the smooth white feathers of the egret added to this photo. And there’s that background! Smooth green, with just enough abstract shapes to hint at lush vegetation. Yes, I know it’s another egret shot, but why not? After all, they are a pretty photogenic bird.

Because I wanted to make sure that both the egret’s face and its back were in sharp focus, I stopped down to f/8. I knew that the background was far enough away to still render out of focus. As I often do with stationary birds, I used only the center focus point on the egret’s eye, then recomposed while holding the shutter button half way. This ensured that if I didn’t stop down the aperture enough to include both the back and face in focus, at least it would be the eye that had the sharpest focus. If the eye isn’t in focus, the shot goes in the trash.

This photo was taken on a very overcast day, so I didn’t have to worry about the sun angle. The shadows would be soft and even, without bringing in too much contrast. Therefore I positioned myself according to the nicest background I could find. This had the egret facing away from me, so I had to wait until its head came into view, and was at least parallel to the sensor plane, or pointed slightly toward me. No one wants to see a photo of just an egret’s back. I made a noise, prompting the egret to swing its head and neck around to look back over its shoulder. That was it – I knew I had the shot!

February 4, 2011January 14, 2013

White-tailed Kite Attack

After perching in the wrong spot, a red-shouldered hawk is dive-bombed by a white-tailed kite. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3: 1/4000 sec. at f/7.1

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Occasionally raptors invade each others personal space, be it to encroach on their hunting ground or perch too close to a nest. They can engage in aerial battles, sometimes in dramatic fashion. Such was the scene I witnessed recently when a red-shouldered hawk perched on a tree, and a white-tailed kite didn’t like it very much.

I was alerted to the commotion by the screams of the kite, as it dive-bombed the hawk to drive it away from its perch. I was hand-holding my 100-400mm zoom lens at the moment, so I turned and ran straight toward the group of trees in order to get in better range. I didn’t worry about sneaking, because I figured both birds were probably too preoccupied to care about my approach.

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The kite swooped down on the hawk about five or six times, each dive causing the hawk to fly straight up and wheel over upside down to avoid the kite (who was quite a bit smaller than the hawk). Finally, the hawk gave up the flew away over the horizon. The kite also disappeared from view, presumably to return to a nearby nest or favorite perch. As soon as the commotion began, all other birds in the area disappeared to let these two birds of prey battle it out alone. After the fight was over, the entire forest was eerily quiet.

January 31, 2011January 14, 2013

Coyote, Arastradero Preserve (Photo of the week)

A coyote stops along an animal trail to stand in a brief patch of sun — A coyote stops and stares as it makes its way along an animal trail. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6

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Recently I visited Arastradero Preserve in Palo Alto on a sunny afternoon. There were many warning signs posted about coyote encounters, telling hiker to keep their children with them at all times. I didn’t think much of it as I headed into the foothills. I was out to hopefully get some hunting raptor shots, and whatever else might cross my path. About half way through my hike, I rounded a bend in the trail to see this coyote making its way down a small animal trail. It saw me right away, but seemed rather nonplussed about my presence. I quickly took the opportunity to get several shots as it paused in a patch of sun.

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After a brief pause, the coyote turned and continued down a hill and stopped in the dark shadow of an impenetrable thicket. There is set down and proceeded to groom itself, scratching and biting at invisible pests. These were the longest views I’ve had of a coyote before, and I marveled at how many of its mannerisms were so close to domesticated dogs.

I was happy for this surprise encounter, as I had only ever seen coyotes before in the early morning or at dusk. In future outings, I hope to see a bobcat, or possibly even a mountain lion.