Readers’ wildlife photos

April 3, 2015 • 8:00 am

I’ve left most of my photos on my laptop in Chicago, so I’ll be largely restricted to posting things that are sent while I’m in Boston (till April 9).  Fortunately, Stephen Barnard sends photos regularly, and, even more fortunately, they’re good ones. Here are a few

Northern harriers (Circus cyaneus):

I was walking along an abandoned railroad right of way that run beside my ranch, and I’m sure the harriers have a nest nearby. She wasn’t happy with my presence.

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Kildeer (Charadrius vociferus):

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Stephen identified this only as “a mammal.” Name the exact species:

Rabbit, Mar. 30

Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).

These eagles are so used to me and Deets [his border collie] it’s ridiculous. Last year it would have spooked if I’d been anywhere near this close.

Look at those talons!

Eagle, Mar. 30

I was almost directly under this bird that was on one of its favorite perches. I looked down and saw eagle poop all over the place.

Eagle Mar. 30

 

45 thoughts on “Readers’ wildlife photos”

      1. Possibly could be considered an obligatory photo this time of year with certain religious holidays approaching.

      1. Right. I sent Jerry both right side up and upside down versions. I suspect he deliberately posted the upside down version.

    2. Oh my god. It is upside down.

      Stephen, do the animals wait in line to have their picture taken?

      Stephen ‘The real Noah in disguise’ Barnard.

      1. I’m surprised to realize that the reflection produces a multiply effect. Perhaps differing light conditions create different densities of reflection in water. ?

  3. Nice Northern Harrier shots! In the UK we know this species as the Hen Harrier and it is subject to serious persecution by gamekeepers due to its predilection for red grouse (Lagopus lagopus)chicks. Sadly, this has driven it almost to the point of extinction in England where there are now only one or two pairs nesting each year although the area of suitable habitat is reckoned to be capable of supporting over three hundred pairs. Unfortunately, due to the remote, hard-to-access nature of the places it normally nests in it is very difficult to catch anyone in the act of killing these beautiful birds so the fact that they are protected by law counts for very little.

    1. People can be so selfishly bloody minded.

      They’re the most common raptor here, second only to Red-tailed Hawks. This one is a female. The mature males have a very different gray coloration. I usually see several a day. They’re notoriously difficult to photograph.

      1. Amazing shots Stephen. We generally get lots of harriers at our place in the Columbia River Gorge too. Redtails more rarely. Lots of kestrels and vultures and turkey vultures. The occasional peregrine.

    3. “Gamekeepers” have done more damage to wildlife in the USA than we realize. Edgar Anderson once referred to them as “determined yahoos,” for their astonishing ineptness despite their being considered “scientists” by the bureaucracies for which they worked and published “papers” (that were commonly not peer reviewed) for various agencies. Among their assumptions were concepts like killing predators to increase game, bulldozing out pinyon pines and “cedars” (actually junipers) to increase “forage,” and importing alien “game” animals, and other ecological atrocities for which we still pay the price. Some of these agencies now have ecologists on staff, but who knows whether or not they have had any positive influence yet.

  6. The harrier shots are amazing, Stephen! Did you use a tripod? How far away was the bird?

    1. They’re all hand-held, 700mm, ISO 800, f/8, shutter speeds ranging from 1/3000 to 1/6000. Birds in flight are very difficult to shoot with a tripod, even one with a high quality gimbal head. The focus range of my lens was set to 10 meters to infinity, and when the bird flew the closest it wouldn’t focus, so that gives you an idea of the distance. They’re normally very shy and difficult to approach, but this one was upset because I was probably near her nest.

  9. Great shooting, particularly liked the bald eagle, that, can I help you look, no? then f**k off..

  10. Awesome photos as is the Stephen Barnard norm. I enjoy bird names that mimic their specific calls. I can only think of “Killdeer” at the moment though. What other birds are named for their respective “song”?

    Google was no immediate help.

      1. Ah…yes, of course! Both escaped me…just like onomatopoeia as the word-choice to describe their calls. Thanks!

  12. As noted above by some, the mammal is a bunny wabbit. Less well known is that on Easter Sunday all those wabbits turn into Easter Wabbits who lay all kinds of multicolored eggs, often decorated with cwazy designs, which the wabbits hide in all sorts of nooks and cwannies. Then little kids appear, as if by magic, from all over, rush about like mad, looking everywhere for those Easter Eggs. Some kids get prizes for finding those eggs. Just thought you might like to know.

    1. And some of the eggs wemain undiscovered in the cwannies until an industwious canine nose unearths them several days later…

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