In January I spent a few days with this adult Red-tail as it was hunting voles from power poles in Tooele County. Those blasted poles and wires are a real problem for the photographer.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, not baited, set up or called in
Here the bird is taking off after a vole in the grass and snow. I could easily have removed the insulator and wire but the posture of the bird and its position in the frame screams for a perch behind it so I reluctantly left them in.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, wire removed, not baited, set up or called in
I got several sharp shots as the hawk mostly glided from its lofty perch but this time it missed the vole so it came back to the poles and tried again.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, not baited, set up or called in
On its next effort it was successful, though it was quite far away when it came out of the grasses with a vole.
1/2000, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D, 100-400 @ 400mm, wire removed, not baited, set up or called in
I photographed what I believe to be the same hawk hunting from these poles for most of a week. This was one of my favorite take-off shots of the bird as it left a pole, even though I had to remove a wire to appreciate the image.
I still struggle with the ethics of removing background elements such as power lines from an image, even when it’s disclosed. At some point I may end up deleting images like that but I’m not there yet.
Ron
Ron, poles are where red tails hunt from here in MI. And in your last wonderful shot I could see all his/her talons as the tarsi were so spread out. Usually I see them clenched with prey or clenched and tucked in flight.
Thanks
Thank you, Diana. Yes, that is a good look at the feet.
This glorious bird, and so many others makes fine use of the ugliness of power poles. I doubt very much whether they resent them in their environment. And they gave you days of magic to watch and to capture. So I am adding my cents worth to mark runnels side of the equation. Articial it is, but it has also been fully incorporated into the birds environment.
I guess I should look at it the way you do, Elephant’s Child – the presence of the bird makes the poles and wires look better!!!
Looking these shots over, again…as I always do…several times…then back again, and realized how much I I liked the first shot…composition, angle of legs, feet, body and wings are really nice…just wish the wire wasn’t there, even though I understand why it is….
“just wish the wire wasn’t there, even though I understand why it is….”
Me too, Patty – me too! Thank you.
Absolutely stunning shots of this magnificent raptor and its successful hunting sortie!
In my ongoing evolution from birder to wanna-be photographer and now back to mostly birder – I’m thrilled with seeing the subject in anyone’s images. That’s why we take a picture or gaze through binoculars in the first place. And when the image in front of me is so clear and composed so well – that’s icing on the cake!
You, of course, will be the ultimate judge of how you want to process your own work. For me, I’ll just sit quietly and continue to be awe-struck.
Thanks very much, Wally. I sure hope you don’t abandon your bird photography completely!
Agree with Mark Runnels; power poles & wires are a part of the environment now, for better and worse. We might as well recognize and accept that. As with all environmental changes, some species benefit and some are impaired.
“for better and worse”
Tim, For me, having poles/wires in the image is some of the “worse” part of that equation.
Great shots, but the last is amazing!!! It has a “fling” quality to it that’s almost explosive…
That’s my favorite of the bunch too, Patty.
What wonderful shots Ron!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.
Absolutely great shots Ron. At least you had some high grasses in January. All our high grass had been beaten down from snow and ice and caused our Red-tail to look else where for prey. He/she still came back every week, sitting on our bluebird box checking the area out (obviously he/she had been very successful), but I didn’t see him/her catch a vole after the beginning of January.
Interesting that recently found Coyote scat near that same box. The box is on a galvanized pole that is 7′ above the ground.
Dick, I’ve heard of (and seen photos of) coyotes climbing trees to get at prey but I’ll bet they’d have a devil of a time with that metal pole!
Hi Ron, Great shots. This is what falconers live for!
At some point, man made objects are part of the raptor’s natural environment. Like many birds of prey, the Red Tails are more numerous now than they have ever been before. The addition of power poles makes it possible for them to live in areas that were previously limited to ground hunting raptors like Ferrugs. Add the unlimited bounty of grain farming, and you have perfect environment for voles and cotton rats to live in, and raptors to hunt them in.
Speaking only for myself, it is much more natural for me to see a Red Tail on a power pole than in a tree, and I don’t think they detract from your awesome pictures a bit.
Just my $.02 worth.
Thanks very much, Mark. I’m glad that some raptors have adapted to mankind’s “artifacts” as well as they have. It’s just that I prefer not to have them in my images. I just find an image of a raptor on a telephone pole less appealing than on a natural perch or in flight, everything else being equal…
AMEN!!!