Recently I’ve had several opportunities with a pair of Juvenile Red-tailed Hawks that like to hunt from some elevated rocks that look down over some prime rodent habitat. It’s nice for a change to find them on natural and attractive perches rather than telephone poles or even fence posts. Don’t get me wrong, I like a rustic old fencepost as a perch but I do enjoy these natural rocks for a change.
1/8000, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc (inappropriate techs for this shot, hadn’t had time to change them yet)
The birds scan the grasses below them for prey and if you watch their behavior and body language carefully you can anticipate take-off.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 640, 400 f/4, 1.4 tc
I could tell this bird had spotted potential prey below (a vole, most likely) so I was ready to fire off a burst as it launched. I’m always happy when I can get a wing position like this one.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 640, 400 f/4, 1.4 tc
In the very next frame of the burst I got a similar wing position as it lifted off of the rock and luck played a significant role in that fact. The burst rate of my Canon 7D seems to be just about the same speed as that of the wing-beats of raptors this size as they take off, so there was a very good chance that the wings in both shots would be in the much less desirable horizontal position. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t.
Observing and photographing these two birds has been both a joyful experience and an exercise in frustration. When they fly down after prey they usually return to the same rock perch or to one nearby, so there are lots of opportunities to get them in flight with interesting backgrounds but they’re right up against the side of a mountain so that background is very close, which makes locking focus on them in flight extremely difficult. I have many potentially stunning images that were just a little too soft.
But I also have some that worked out so I suspect that I’ll be posting some of them in the future.
Ron
Your shots of the red tailed are sensational! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks very much Charlotte.
Thank you, Ron. You are a “natural” teacher (double meaning there). Here is a quotation I have used for years. It is from my very good friend, naturalist and author Rich Stallcup: “There are no experts, no masters, only students. It is as it should be.” I first heard it in 1990, and it is the first slide in every talk I give. Always something to learn, and we learn from each other. Thanks again.
I love the quote Dick – great words to live by, for both the novice and those more advanced in any field or endeavor.
I never tire of looking at great raptor photos. You didn’t disappoint, Ron.
I appreciate your nice comment Bob.
I am with Dick. I take happy snaps – but it is an education to see how photos like yours are produced. And yes, I share your frustration, but I would also like to share in your triumphs.
Beautiful photos of a beautiful bird. Thank you.
Thanks very much Elephant’s Child.
Very, very nice. I’m glad you thought they “worked out”, Ron. I think they are (your usual) outstanding images. I appreciate your tech comments on photography as well; I am NOT a photographer, but I am very much iterested in how experts go about their work. Thanks!
Thank you Dick. I think it’s neat that you’re “not a photographer” but still interested in the techs. I find that unusual. And laudable.