As my bird photography has evolved over the years from documentation to portraiture to life history, I’ve become hooked on seeking images that tell more of a species’ complete story than meets the eye of the casual birder or lister, stories that “pull back the curtain” and reveal behavioral nuance and the intersection of the lives of the subject with their own and other species.  Here are five of my recent favorites.

Peregrine Falcons are near the top of the avian food chain as well as near the top of many birders’ “wow” lists.  Though common since their recovery from DDT, and the most widespread (circumpolar) of all our raptors, great photos of them are not common, and those usually seen involve either flight or what I refer to as “blood and guts” shots taken after a Peregrine has dispatched prey.

Of the hundreds of Peregrine images I have taken over the years, this one is my favorite, not because it is the anthropomorphic opposite of “blood and guts” nor because it captures a seldom seen scene from the falcon’s breeding cycle.  Rather, for me, the fascinating reveal here is an unrealized evolutionary precaution on the part of the male.  Notice he has rotated his tarsi inward so that his talons do not damage his mate as they copulate.  Would that the males of our species were so considerate of their mates, metaphorically speaking of course.

Switching to the opposite end of the avian size and predatory spectrum, this Verdin image uncovers my favorite insight into the life of a common, and commonly photographed, Southwestern urban species.  We recognize that most of our favorite birds are opportunistic, and we are familiar with most of the things they eat, but we seldom see how they actually obtain that food.

This image reveals classic Verdin foraging behavior as it hangs upside down from a Mesquite bean pod.  The bird’s left foot is holding onto the top of the pod for stability and security as it squeezes the bottom of the pod with the toes (talons) of its right foot, forcing out a caterpillar hidden there and securing it with its beak.  You could be observing this action on a field trip as you snack on the cheese stick you’re squeezing into your mouth from its cellophane wrapper.

This third image, which I’ve captioned “Knives Drawn,” is a perfect representation of territorial defense, something we often see but typically only as a blur of frantic wings and flying feathers as nesting birds squabble with those of their own and other species, both on the ground and in flight.  This was a fortuitous capture combining right time and place with being ready, but it has more to tell than just dramatic composition or the beautiful colors of the combatant European Starling and male Gilded Flicker.

This single and singular frame, just one moment in the skirmish, has slown the action and speaks to both the intent and the intensity of these spectacular aerial battles.  Both birds have deployed their alulae, like the flaps on an airplane, to slow their flight and maintain position, and their legs are extended, claws at the ready.  As the starling rakes at the woodpecker’s face, we can see that the flicker has drawn its nictitating membrane to protect its eye.  This is existential avian mayhem!

Greater Roadrunners (New Mexico’s state bird, but not Arizona’s) are so common that just about everything is known and has been observed about their life history, including the gift offerings which usually accompany their mating ritual, but this copulation portrait adds some nuances.  The most obvious is the fact that the red postorbital apterium is visible on both birds.  The second is that he is presenting, not one but two, White-lined Sphinx moths to her.

One common roadrunner misconception is that only the males show red on the bare skin behind the eye.  In fact both sexes may show red there, though it is usually covered by feathering.  It is thought the red shows out only when the birds become excited.  You may supply your own off color joke here, but then imagine how “athletic” a bird must be and how sensitive and flexible its bill to capture and carry multiple flying insects at one time.  For a more in depth read about this iconic species, check out this link-- https://jimburnsphotos.com/pages/greaterroadrunnertheiconicavianathlete.html

Unlike the four previous images, this last one does not portray any real action, but it is my favorite Western Grebe photograph amongst a portfolio that includes this species with fish, this species stretching with one of its huge, tri-lobed feet out of the water, and pairs of this species “rushing” https://jimburnsphotos.com/pages/westerngrebe.html).  This image, though, is a prequel to action.  It shows us what this bird is thinking and the latency of the food opportunism that is the foundation of every bird species’ existence.

It is fairly common to capture a grebe having captured a fish, certainly their most sought and utilized food source, but I was lucky here to be on the scene when the morning sun had warmed up the waters of a fishing pond enough for pairs of mating Black-Saddlebags to begin looking for shallows where the females could oviposit.  It had never occurred to me that large grebes might take odonata on the wing.  I did not witness a successful capture, but I saw several attempted leaps from the water.

All birders, no matter the level of their passion or expertise, are anxious to find the next wonderful thing.  Often that might just be what the bird at which you’re looking does next.  Slow down, hang out, and get the complete picture.  The rest of the story may be the most wonderful thing.