Hooters & janwú at 80 degrees
On an afternoon hike to Granite Basin, got another chance to test the new Nikon P1000. Wasn’t until reviewing the video that evening that we noticed a common bird-&-mammal theme: dust-bathing. If you search on this term you’ll find many examples online, and a lot of speculation about why critters do it. For mountain goats, there may be many reasons depending on mood and season. Basically, I think nobody really knows.
As for the camera, I’ve been reading that vibration reduction is excellent if not zoomed out to its full “ridiculous” 3000mm. So far, in good light, that appears correct. This sooty grouse family came so close I could no longer follow em from the tripod, so pulled the P1000 off and kept filming. Mom led her chicks around us, plopped down in the dusty trail, and started worming her feathers into the dirt. We were thrilled to see and film this, until 3 runners with a black lab came through and flushed em. They ignored Cathy’s hand-signals to call it back.
Hiking out, stopped to film 3 billies at almost a mile away. They were doing the same thing. Doug Chadwick says dusting and mud rolling is contagious, like a yawn. When one goat starts, the others follow suit.
