The Bird That Got Away: Technically Bad But Interesting Bird Images

I originally shared this post on Birding Is Fun!. I'm now sharing on my own blog.

Capturing a great nature shot--especially when the subject can fly, scurry, or run--is a combination of skill, determination, equipment, and plain old luck or timing. Photographers often sift through lots of bad images before they share their work with others. Thank goodness for digital images that can be captured and deleted at practically no cost in comparison to film.  I've heard some great photographers say they shoot from tens to hundreds of images to get the one they think is worth sharing.

I love capturing and sharing images of birds and other creatures and I typically share only my favorites unless the image is meant for functional purposes such as providing proof of a rare bird. This post, however, will be the exception to the rule. In other words, I'm sharing images that would have been really awesome had I been better prepared, had better equipment, lighting, timing, etc. I'll probably kill any chance I had for being published in National Geographic once this post gets out. What follows are images that could have been.

I was wandering around Silver Lake near Utah's Brighton Ski Resort one wintry morning when a Steller's Jay gave a call. I turned around just in time to fire off my shutter and capture the jay flying over head. It looks more like an x-ray than a bird in flight. The sky was gray so lighting, camera settings, and my preparedness were off for this one.

Steller's Jay at Brighton Ski Resort Near Salt Lake City, UT

I can't complain about the lighting for these images of a Red-shafted Northern Flicker that was coming in for a landing one sunny morning as I was strolling along American Fork Boat Harbor. I saw the bird coming, I've always wanted to capture an image showing the really cool salmon-colored feathers and this was my opportunity. Unfortunately, I didn't get a tight focus until right before it landed and the branches obscured what I was targeting.

Northern Flicker (slightly out of focus) American Fork, UT

Northern Flicker (missed opportunity) American Fork, UT

An Osprey caught me off guard once and left me with a slightly out of focus image of what would have been an awesome raptor shot. If I crop it any more than this you'll quickly see that the eyes were out of focus. When the subject's eyes are out of focus it just doesn't make the cut--unless your point is to show what can go wrong in nature photography. Which, I have to remind myself, is the point of this post.

Osprey in American Fork, UT

Several years ago my company moved me into a nice corner office on the top floor of our building which was right next to excellent habitat for birds, foxes, deer, marmots, and more. I had seen some Peregrine Falcons around the area so I kept my camera in my office in case the perfect opportunity arose. On the day the opportunity presented itself I had left my camera in my truck. I saw a Peregrine enjoying lunch on the balcony ledge outside my office. I ran to the elevator, dropped six floors, retrieved the camera  from the truck and then slightly opened the door while on my knees to get a direct line to the bird. I snapped what would have been very nice images if there weren't two metal wires running horizontally between me and the bird. Consequently, the falcon's chest and the lunch (a dove) were blurred.

Peregrine Falcon with Dove South Jordan, UT

I was quite "surprised" as I was driving through Surprise, Arizona on my way back to Utah one day. I saw a Greater Roadrunner, running rather greatly along the road. I suddenly veered to the shoulder of the road. I'm not sure if it was legal where I was driving, but my excitement about seeing a roadrunner up close for the first time overruled my concern for everything else going on around me. I scrambled to get the camera bag and turn on the camera. The excitement was so great I was fumbling with every move. The bird suddenly plucked a Round-tailed Squirrel from beneath the sand and proceeded to thrash it against the ground. Man, I wish I would have been on a higher shutter speed to get a clearer image. It was definitely a moment I'll always remember.

Greater Roadrunner With Round-tailed Squirrel Surprise, AZ

Speaking of roadrunners, I got some really nice images of two roadrunners near Lytle Ranch in southwestern Utah this spring. However, one image had a missed opportunity because I wasn't anticipating that the bird would leap from one branch of a Joshua tree to another. I guess you could use this image to study its feet. The tail doesn't look like much, but wait til you see the next image.

Jumping Greater Roadrunner Washington County, UT

I had an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk fly right passed me as it was pursuing its breakfast one morning in Tonaquint Nature Center in St George, Utah. I got some nice images of the bird perched, but this time, unlike the jumping roadrunner, this bird decided to dive down from a perch. Too bad people aren't more interested in seeing the undertail of Sharp-shinned Hawks.

Tail of Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk St George, UT

Townsend's Solitaires are often viewed as rather bland, gray birds. I've always wanted to get an image of a Townsend's Solitaire with it flashing it yellow wing patches. The bird below was actually perched and suddenly took flight. Unfortunately, the unexpected wing patch shot turned out to be more of the bird playing a mean joke on me. Not a bad shot of a branch however.

Townsend's Solitaire in Pleasant Grove, UT (it was perched when the image was framed)

Another unexpected jumping bird turned out to look like a Photoshop effort gone bad. I don't use Photoshop so this is probably just as good as if I did Photoshop the image all by myself. Trust me on this one.  It would have been a nice image if the bird would have sat still on the branch below it.

Jumping Townsend's Solitaire at Tibble Fork Reservoir Utah County, UT

How do you like this awesome Barn Owl shot? It was actually perched on a power line as I was driving to the grocery store. It started to fly when I pulled over for a photo. Apparently this owl doesn't know how to frame itself well for a photo. If you look closely you can see the little black spots on it underside. By the way, that's a beautiful snow-covered mountain in the background. Be honest now, doesn't it make you want to ski in Utah?

Missed Barn Owl Shot Pleasant Grove, UT

I was driving home from work a few years ago and saw not only my first Swainson's Hawk ever, but I saw several within minutes. They must have just gotten off the last flight from Argentina. That's where they come from you know. It was April and I think that is when flights from Argentina to Utah are heavily booked by Swainson's Hawks. I was also new to photography at the time and I think I had everything on my camera set to auto. Someone told me that was all I needed to do to get good photos. Must have been a poor job on the hawks part. I'm sure if it knew it was going to go viral on the Internet it would have focused itself and kept all of its body parts in the frame.

Swainson's Hawk Springville, UT

I don't know. Is this a bad image of a Killdeer? Nice colors I guess, but what did I do to scare it off in such a hurry?

Killdeer Spanish Fork, UT

When I saw this Pygmy Owl's eyes go wide and it mouth start to gape I knew a pellet was about to be ejected in some sort of projectile fashion. I pressed the shutter release and fired away in continuous shooting mode. It took longer for the bird to clear its throat than expected. Between the capacity of the camera's sensor and the memory card the frames per second choked and stalled right as the pellet came forth.

Northern Pygmy Owl Aspen Grove Lodge Utah County, UT

The best I could do was take a picture of the pellet after my friend traipsed through hip-deep snow to retrieve the pellet and place it on the road. The point of showing this image is to see if you can identify the species of bird or mammal inside.

Freshly Expelled Northern Pygmy Owl Pellet Aspen Grove Lodge Utah County, UT

Please don't give up on my work. I have desire and better equipment now. I'm getting better all the time. I promise I'll do better next time.

Barn Owl: The Ghostly Hunter Making Daylight Appearances

We've had a number of recent reports of Barn Owls hunting during daylight hours in northern Utah. The Barn Owl is considered strictly nocturnal so seeing one hunt during the day is a rare opportunity for bird and especially owl observers. I use the word "opportunity" from our human perspective because daytime hunts from the owl's perspective are the result of difficult times. It is most likely severe hunger that causes the Barn Owl to leave its secluded daytime roost to look for food. Sustained sub-freezing temperatures in northern Utah have caused the owl's hunting grounds to remain snow covered for weeks. It could also be other factors that have caused the food source to be scarce in the owl's normal territory.

Male Barn Owl on Temporary Perch Before Resuming a Daytime Hunt in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Saturday afternoon I came upon the Barn Owl shown above as it was hunting over the agricultural fields near my neighborhood. It was coursing low over the fields and along the road in a very quiet and buoyant manner and would occasionally do a quick drop into the snow below.  Barn owls often hunt by sound so it is likely the owl was pouncing where it heard and suspected rodents moving beneath the snow.  The owl would remain in the snow momentarily and then resume the hunt. I watched the owl hunt in this fashion for about ten to fifteen minutes, without success, before I had to leave.

The images below were taken from quite a distance as the owl coursed over the fields. They have been cropped a bit so the quality is not what I typically prefer, but it does show a little of the birds hunting style.

Barn Owl During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Barn Owl During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Barn Owl During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The owl perched and rested on a power line for a brief moment before it resumed its hunt and I had to leave for other activities. The bright white facial disc and mostly white chest with sparsely placed black spots are indicative of a male Barn Owl. The first image below shows the owl in the middle of a blink so its dark brown irises are covered by a white lid. It also has one leg tucked up into the feathers of its belly.

Adult Male Barn Owl on Temporary Perch During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Adult Male Barn Owl on Temporary Perch During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Here is an image of a female Barn Owl that was captured at a different time and location. I present it as a frame of reference for seeing the difference in color and spotting between adult males and females. The female below has a tawny colored chest and shows many more prominent black spots than the male above.

Barn Owls eat their prey whole, have the greatest hearing ability of any animal tested, and share hunting grounds with other Barn Owls.  The female makes a nest from her regurgitated pellet material. The male starts bringing food to the female about a month before she starts laying eggs. Barn Owls breed in response to food supply and may breed multiples times in a year with ample food supply. However, most pairs begin breeding in late winter/early spring. Average life span appears to be about two years. Many die in their first year. You can find these and other cool facts and information about Barn Owls at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/barn_owl/lifehistory and The Owl Pages.

Test Your Knowledge of North American Owls

Great Horned Owl at Garr Ranch
Antelope Island State Park Davis County, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Owls are mysterious birds because many people know they exist yet few people have seen or understand much about them. Most people I know are familiar with large owls such as Great Horned and Barn Owl, but they have no idea that a number of small owls exist around them.

Barn Owl on Provo Airport Dike Provo, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

I will pose some questions as a fun little test of your knowledge of North American Owls in this post, but let me start with a recent experience I had with owls and a non-birder who shares property with a pair of owls. I participated in one of the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Counts last Saturday (12/15/12) by counting bird species in a small area of the Provo Christmas Bird Count. I started before sunrise to include nocturnal birding in my census. I wanted to see if I could locate a Great Horned Owl, Western Screech Owl, and Barn Owl. Despite snowfall, I was able to locate a Great Horned Owl hunting from a tree-top perch within five minutes of starting my census. I saw the silhouette of the tell-tale signs of the Great Horned Owl, two ear tufts and a bulky body. An hour and a half later as the sun began to rise I was still trying to find a Screech Owl and a Barn Owl. Once the sun came up I knew I was not likely to find a Screech Owl because they are strictly nocturnal and very secretive. However, I knew of some abandoned silos and farm buildings in my count area so I knocked on a few doors to obtain permission from property owners to check their buildings. I spoke with one lady and let her know I was doing a bird census for the Audubon Society and that I suspected she may have Barn Owls based on the abandoned buildings and silos near agricultural fields (preferred habitat and hunting areas for Barn Owls). She said, "I don't know if we have Barn Owls, but we have heard some Screech Owls." I suspected that what she was really hearing was the territorial scream (or screech) of Barn Owls. A few minutes into my search of the buildings I found what I was hoping for, an abundance of wash (white excrement) often found beneath an owl roost. I peeked up the shoot of the silo and saw a pair of Barn Owls. Both turned to look down at me and I was able to see the tawny color of the female's face next to her mate's much whiter face. I love following the clues that lead to such discoveries.

Now to the test. Here are a few questions to check your knowledge of North American Owls. I'll present the answers as I have them from one of my favorite books on owls, Owls of the United States and Canada by Wayne Lynch, at the end of the post (after the images).

1. How many species of owl are recognized in North America?
2. Which four species have dark, rather than yellow, eyes?
3. How many species of Screech Owl can be found in North America?
4. Which is the heaviest owl in North America?
5. Which species has the longest tail relative to its body size and hunts mainly during the day?
6. Which North American species is the smallest owl in the world?
7. Name the species for some of our smaller owls presented below.

This owl was photographed in the mountains of Utah during the summer. It is just under 7 inches tall.

This owl often perches conspicuously and hunts during the day. It was photographed in Provo Canyon in Utah. It is just under 7 inches tall.

This owl was photographed in the mountains of northern Utah in the early summer months. It is about 8 inches tall.

This owl was photographed in the desert just outside of Mesa, AZ at the end of April. It is just under 6 inches tall.

This owl was photographed in Pleasant Grove, UT. It is about 8.5 inches tall.

Answers:
1. 19 Species
2. Barn Owl, Barred Owl, Spotted Owl, Flammulated Owl
3. Western, Eastern, and Whiskered Screech Owls
4. Snowy Owl (the females in particular)
5. Northern Hawk Owl
6. Elf Owl
7. Images from top Flammulated Owl, Northern Pygmy Owl, immature Northern Saw-whet Owl, Elf Owl, Western Screech Owl