Pawnee Buttes Birds

Spent this morning out at Pawnee Buttes trying to photograph some of the songbirds. It was pretty hard compared to most years, because of the amount of drilling that is going on and all the semi trucks now traveling up and down the first roads scaring off anything resembling wildlife.

#1 is a classic Western meadowlark singing pose.

#2 - Horned Lark Leaving Post

#3 Low Angle Western Meadowlark hanging on in the wind

and in case you're wondering what I am talking about with the traffic and drilling, here is an example. Sorry it isn't the best of shots, just took a quick one at 700mm handheld to show the eyesore.

You didn't mention the wind farm. When the drilling is done, a small service cap will remain that will be hard to see. The wind farm isn't small and will remain for decades. Past history suggests the wind farm will be more disruptive to birds than the drilling. Seems like the wind farm could have been located elsewhere.

Your bird images are excellent, especially the first one.

Love them all, as usual, but I really love the dynamics of the third one. The bird hanging on and the blur vs sharpness of the grass is amazing! I came across this not too long ago regarding bird kills by turbines http://www.greenmuze.com/climate/energy/3138-bird-friendly-wind-turbine.html

Excellent images, every one of them. I particularly like number 3. The motion in the grass helps make for a stunning image.

All the images capture the "prairie" quite well. I favor #1 as well, wilth the gradient background interesting.
I went out to the Buttes several weeks ago to scout it out. I'm Interested in capturing a rising moon with the Buttes in the foreground. I suspect the best moon maybe a harvest moon in the fall, but if someone knows differently, I definitely would be interested.
Although I was aware of the Niobrara drilling in the general area, I was somewhat surprised with density of wells within this area. Energy development, both wind and petroleum, has its costs to the environment. And it certainly makes landscape photography more challenging! I certainly hope folks are conducting baseline water quality tests prior to any drilling near water wells. Fracking has shown to contaminate aquifers in some circumstances.

All 3 of the bird shots are excellent, as we have come to expect from you, and #1 is particularly striking!

These are great, especially #1!

Exceptionally beautiful and professional caliber photography!
I especially love how you got the catch lights in the eyes in every one of these.
1, 3 & 2 inorder of preference, but I really like 'em all, Kurt.
How many do you toss for every keeper when doing this type of photography?

Beautiful set as always Kurt ..

Kurt, 3 especially and 1 for me. The wind in 3 is conveyed nicely. Maybe a slight crop of the blue sky to get the lark's eye just a little higher. The resulting more longitudinal frame mayalso enhance the windy feel.
The pose in 1 is nice with a nice soft color gradient for the background. To me, the bird seems 2-dimensional/flat, perhaps because the light is too frontal and there are no shaded sides.

Enjoyed all the photos except of course the last one which would make a good stock phoro of energy development. The bird shots are exceptional.

All 3 are outstanding, Kurt, you've gotten so good at this stuff it's scary. Pure poetry IMO. A shame our species has no sense of aesthetics when it comes to our environment.