A studio for bird study

Tag: video

March 6, 2014

Short-eared Owl at Dusk

by Bryce W. Robinson

I’ve wanted to share this video for some time, but I simply haven’t.

Last winter while conducting Golden Eagle surveys for HawkWatch International across the western half of the state of Utah, I came upon my first Short-eared Owl for the season. It was a tolerant bird, letting me film it for some time. I was happy to capture its nervous movements, as it scanned about for threats and prey. This was the start of a winter full of Short-eared Owls and a memorable season in the open lands of the Great Basin.

Folks don’t often see owls, even those that bird regularly. For those that haven’t seen an owl for some time, or even ever, let your eyes fall on this bird until you find another.

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February 12, 2014

Gadwall and a Dabbler Interaction

by Bryce W. Robinson

 

The other day I filmed a pair of Gadwall, and captured something interesting. The inter-specific interaction in this video is exciting (to me) and enlightening. Mallards are a larger Anas sp., and I assume they are more aggressive. Observing the Gadwall pair retreat in caution from the Mallard pair displays a “pecking” order between species. With birds such as waterfowl  that form massive multi-species flocks, it would be interesting to observe what other interactions portray the bullies and the submissive of the duck world.

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January 16, 2014

Wild Boise: Western Screech Owl

by Bryce W. Robinson

 

The other night, a bird flew in front of my car as I drove through the Boise State University Campus. I immediately pulled the car over, grabbed my camera, found the bird, and recorded. It was too dark, so I did what I could with the camera, cranked the ISO, dropped the aperture, and lowered the shutter speed. This video shows the abilities of the Canon 7D at its absolute limits, in the dark. Not the best, but I’ll take it.

We’ve entered a very active time for owls. These birds are in the midst of pair bonding, preparing for the breeding season. They are very active and vocal, so take the time just after sunset, and you’re sure to find an owl or two.

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January 14, 2014

Canyon Wren- Catherpes mexicanus

by Bryce W. Robinson

I went to a reliable spot for Rosy-Finch today in hopes of getting some footage of the birds returning to roost. I won’t go into great detail, because I still want to get the footage and share the peculiar behavior of the flock. I was unable to get any decent video of the Black Rosy-Finch I saw there, but I was able to get some decent clips of a very interactive Canyon Wren.

This clip is very short, but I had to share it anyway. I’ll be back to visit this critter again soon to film some more, and make another try at the Rosy-Finch. Until then, this will have to do.

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