field notes from 02/08/23

Late winter raptors at Malheur

· Malheur NWR, Oregon · Cold clear morning, 22°F, calm · Fujifilm X-T5, 150-600mm

Drove out from Bend the night before. Malheur in late winter is mostly frozen ponds and raptors, which is fine because raptors are what I was there for. Rough-legged Hawks on every third fence post and a Prairie Falcon that flushed a huge flock of blackbirds off a stubble field. Got a Northern Shrike that perched on the same sage bush for ten minutes and let me work angles.

Frozen mornings at Malheur will make you reconsider why you chose this hobby, and then a harrier comes through at waist height and you remember.

Rough-legged hawk on fence
Light-morph. Most common bird of the day. Rough-legged Hawk 400mm, 1/1250s, f/7.1, ISO 1250
Dark-morph rough-legged in flight
Dark-morph, same road. Different bird. Rough-legged Hawk, dark 450mm, 1/1250s, f/6.3, ISO 1000
Prairie falcon in flight
One clean flight frame. Dark axillaries. Prairie Falcon 300mm, 1/2000s, f/7.1, ISO 640
Northern shrike on sage
On sage. Tolerant. Ten minutes. Northern Shrike 150mm, 1/1000s, f/5.6, ISO 640
Harrier low over field
Ghost gray male harrier at waist height. Northern Harrier 300mm, 1/1000s, f/8, ISO 1250
Great horned owl on barn
On the old barn near the refuge HQ. Great Horned Owl 350mm, 1/1600s, f/7.1, ISO 1000
Short-eared owl hunting
Just before sunset, hunting the fields. Short-eared Owl 500mm, 1/1250s, f/6.3, ISO 1000
Coyote in frosted grass
On frosted grass, deep coat. Coyote 500mm, 1/1000s, f/7.1, ISO 640
Wide view of frozen pond
Refuge ponds, mostly ice. Malheur ice 23mm, 1/250s, f/8, ISO 100
Tree sparrow on reed
Small flock in the riparian edge. American Tree Sparrow 250mm, 1/800s, f/6.3, ISO 200