The hunt is over!

[jedirunner]

As many of you know, I've tried and failed many times to get an actually in-focus Great Blue Heron. Well, on a whim at lunch time today I went to some neighborhood (literally in a neighborhood along a jogging path and fairly busy road) set of 3 ponds. To my surprise, a GBH decided to pose for us, letting us get close enough that at 250mm, he was frame-filling in portrait!

Anyway, I have to process the photos -- I took nearly 300 at lunch time -- and I'll get some up here soon. But I just had to post that I *finally* have several in-focus shots of GBH, even if they don't have the best backgrounds

Hmm... next hunt target ... raptors in the wild? An owl? Not sure.

Kevin

 

[SCraig]

The good thing is that if you are anything like me they will become so plentiful, now that you've gotten a good one, that you'll get tired of looking at them.

I used to work with a bunch of duck hunters. They told me I needed to get some photographs of a Wood Duck because they are one of the prettiest ducks in this area. I asked where I could find them and was told, "Ah, they are everywhere around here. Easy to find." So I started looking for them. Everywhere I went it was the same old story, "They are usually all over the place around here but I haven't seen any for a while now." I finally saw my first one in 2010, 35 years later.

Now I see them everywhere. In fact I went to one if the lakes I frequent a few weeks ago, and the ONLY ducks on the lake were Wood Ducks.

 

[bogeyguy]

Please, please don't post all 300 photos. LOL!

 

[jedirunner]

The good thing is that if you are anything like me they will become so plentiful, now that you've gotten a good one, that you'll get tired of looking at them.

I used to work with a bunch of duck hunters. They told me I needed to get some photographs of a Wood Duck because they are one of the prettiest ducks in this area. I asked where I could find them and was told, "Ah, they are everywhere around here. Easy to find." So I started looking for them. Everywhere I went it was the same old story, "They are usually all over the place around here but I haven't seen any for a while now." I finally saw my first one in 2010, 35 years later.

Now I see them everywhere. In fact I went to one if the lakes I frequent a few weeks ago, and the ONLY ducks on the lake were Wood Ducks.

Heh, I can only hope I see a lot more. I saw them first when I was spent the summer with my grandfather when I was 15. That was ... well ... too many years ago. I'd like to get a spectacular one and print it out for him. I think he'd like it. I think I'm getting a wee bit sick of mallards though.

Please, please don't post all 300 photos. LOL!

Lol, if I had all 300 *good* shots I'd be happy. First step is to cull the non-focused, then dups, then bad composition. Normally that pulls me down to about 10%, and I post about 3 to 6 here. Hopefully that will work. ;-)

Kevin

 

[Aloicious]

nice! looking forward to seeing them.

 

[Aloicious]

Hmm... next hunt target ... raptors in the wild? An owl? Not sure.

These shouldn't be too hard where we live. raptor loop drive is down by you (they call it raptor loop, and I usually see some down there, but there are better places to see raptors that I've found like out by grantsville) and there are a number of good owling spots if you don't mind going up to the weber area

 

[jedirunner]

Hmm... next hunt target ... raptors in the wild? An owl? Not sure.

These shouldn't be too hard where we live. raptor loop drive is down by you (they call it raptor loop, and I usually see some down there, but there are better places to see raptors that I've found like out by grantsville) and there are a number of good owling spots if you don't mind going up to the weber area

I'll have to check out raptor loop. Apparently a friend of a friend is quite into raptors, and goes out that way a lot. I've read it's better in fall through spring. Think I'll plan to check it out soon and see if it's any good in summer as well. Unfortunately, it's a larger time investment than many of the other spots. But I'll fit it in somewhere.

As for owling, when's the best season to get up to Weber for that? I'm planning a trip up further north some time this summer or fall. I had been planning Antelope Island one afternoon/evening, and the Bear River refuge the next morning. Where might I find owls up there? And would it fit in to that itinerary somewhere?

Thanks!

Kevin

 

[Aloicious]

yeah, fall through spring is good because the rough legged hawks, harriers, and merlins are in town, but ferrunginous hawks are more likely in the summer (though they're more rare overall). you should still see red tails, kestrels, and possibly prairie falcons, maybe even a peregrine if you're lucky in the summer. there is a peregrine nest right downtown. they have a web cam on it I believe.

GHO's are common year round, barn owls are year round too but less common, but burrowing owls are around in the summer, I've got a couple burrows I'm going to stake out up on antelope island for burrowing owls on the 10th and 11th (and maybe the 12th), I know for a fact the burrows I'm looking at on antelope island are active this year, but they are also common in the west desert area in flat/sagebrush areas. burrowing owls are interesting because they're active during the day vs the normal nocturnal owls. We're supposed to get the occasional snowy owl in the deep winter, but I've never seen one, I think they're more common up by Canada. there are 2 spots on antelope Island that I know GHO's are common, and one active GHO nest up in Croydon, (past morgan). if you go even further up towards Evanston, thats where the golden eagle/ferrunginous hawk nests are that I was observing during the bird festival.

 

[jedirunner]

yeah, fall through spring is good because the rough legged hawks, harriers, and merlins are in town, but ferrunginous hawks are more likely in the summer (though they're more rare overall). you should still see red tails, kestrels, and possibly prairie falcons, maybe even a peregrine if you're lucky in the summer. there is a peregrine nest right downtown. they have a web cam on it I believe.

GHO's are common year round, barn owls are year round too but less common, but burrowing owls are around in the summer, I've got a couple burrows I'm going to stake out up on antelope island for burrowing owls on the 10th and 11th (and maybe the 12th), I know for a fact the burrows I'm looking at on antelope island are active this year, but they are also common in the west desert area in flat/sagebrush areas. burrowing owls are interesting because they're active during the day vs the normal nocturnal owls. We're supposed to get the occasional snowy owl in the deep winter, but I've never seen one, I think they're more common up by Canada. there are 2 spots on antelope Island that I know GHO's are common, and one active GHO nest up in Croydon, (past morgan). if you go even further up towards Evanston, thats where the golden eagle/ferrunginous hawk nests are that I was observing during the bird festival.

Sounds like I need to have my daughter bake you cookies and meet up some time so you can teach me the ropes!

Kevin

 

[Aloicious]

sure, I'm always up for some wildlife shooting, just drop me a line when you have some time. I can bring the big 600mm and let you try it out if you like.