A combination of angle and flight posture of a raptor soon after takeoff that I rarely capture.
Apologies for yet another red-tail post but it’s a holiday weekend and I refuse to endure the crowds “out there” even for birds so I likely won’t have any new images to post for a day or two. What I do have that’s new is many nice shots of the red-tail siblings from four days ago so that’s what I’m going with once again. But this time I’m only including a single hawk photo and I hope to post a different species tomorrow.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
If I remember correctly and I believe I do this is the sibling of the juvenile red-tail I’ve posted several shots of recently. It wasn’t quite as close as the other bird so I probably won’t be posting any shots of it perched on the rock. But when it took off it took up much more of the frame and I thought this particular image was pretty neat.
Normally I’m not a fan of vegetation poking into the frame edges of my photos but in this case I don’t think the greenery at bottom is distracting and it helps to anchor the hawk in the frame.
From many angles this wouldn’t be my favorite wing position. But from below and to one side I think it allows the viewer an interesting perspective on the dynamics of takeoff including the straightened legs and splayed feet immediately after push-off and the large surface area of the flared tail and open wings providing much needed air resistance at this very low airspeed. And with the rock perch still in the frame we have some context about distance and timing relative to this particular flight posture immediately after takeoff.
I always notice stuff like that but if it isn’t your bag I hope you can enjoy the photo anyway.
Ron
PS – I hope all my readers have a memorable Labor Day but I also hope you give at least some thought to the purpose of the holiday – to recognize the social and economic contributions of American workers. On this day I never fail to think of labor activist, songwriter and member of the “Wobblies” Joe Hill who was executed in 1915 at the old Sugarhouse Prison within a stone’s throw of my previous home in Sugarhouse. It was Joe who coined the phrase “pie in the sky” in one of his famous songs.
Among other things I admire Joe’s attitude. Just before his execution he penned the following words to his friend Bill Haywood: “Goodbye Bill. I die like a true blue rebel. Don’t waste any time in mourning. Organize … Could you arrange to have my body hauled to the state line to be buried? I don’t want to be found dead in Utah.”
I get that.
R.I.P. Joe Hill. I hope you’re enjoying your pie.
“You will eat, by and by
In that glorious land above the sky
Work and pray, live on hay
You’ll get pie in the sky when you die”
Awesome shot Ron.
Best Labor Day wishes to you and all your followers.
47 years and counting in the construction industry, I have some interesting perspective on this.
I sincerely hope for the best for all who toil in all fields, be they blue or white collared, as long as it is honest toil.
“I sincerely hope for the best for all who toil in all fields, be they blue or white collared, as long as it is honest toil.”
Amen, Dave! And that’s a word I rarely use.
👏👍
🙂
Your RTH today reminds me of the (very) juvenile Cooper’s hawk who’s visited twice today, looking for a meal of feeder-birdies. The first time, he stood on a branch of the crape myrtle in my yard issuing soft “keks” at me (from a distance) for at least a minute before abandoning his roost. Would that I had my phone to video his take-off, I think it looked a lot like this red-tail’s! I absolutely love young hawks. (Well, OK … all of them!)
Thanks for the Joe Hill/Labor Day remembrance … we all need the reminder, now more than ever. Enjoy your evening, Ron.
You too, Chris. Thank you.
I’m sure the hawk knows what he is doing but he does look a bit discombobulated at the moment.
We need a lot more people like Joe Hill today and a lot less the likes of him who shall not be named.
“he does look a bit discombobulated at the moment”
A friend of mine made a similar observation, referring to his efforts to get airborne as a “rookie takeoff”.
I couldn’t agree more with your last statement, Lyle.
Ron, I really, really looked at this hawk today and observed many components that I won’t list because the list would be too long! Here are a few of my observations: curved up wing tips, flared tail feathers, toes spread out for greater takeoff force, beautiful brown/reddish wings against a very blue sky. I’d love to have dinner with this Red-Tail to hear about his day. Thank you for another great post, Ron
“I’d love to have dinner with this Red-Tail to hear about his day”
If I see him again I’ll try to set up a blind date for the two of you! 🙂 Thanks, Alice.
Spectacular!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.
Computer issues make me late to the party again.
Dawn is not far away here, BUT
I come from a family of unionists and am awed at the red-tail. Many, many thanks.
Thank you, EC.
Great study of raptor aerodynamics! .It would be great to see some later frames to see how radically wing shape changes. Thanks,John
John, I only got one later frame without butchering the bird but I may be posting a similar short series sometime down the line.
I find the details of flight you capture very interesting. It’s amazing to me what effort is made to gain the ability of flight and that the birds gain those skills without an IP (instructor pilot).
Thanks very much, Bill.
As a second-generation union activist, I approve this message. 😉 And, of course, the image of the RT. 🙂
“I approve this message”
Good. Sometimes my disjointed blog covering two unrelated subjects has a bit of a bipolar flavor but I just couldn’t resist with this one. Thanks, Marty.
I like the angle for a different perspective. The splayed look is interesting.
Thanks, April.
As a lifelong fan of Joan Baez, I know the Joe Hill story, and what a powerful story it is! People now have forgotten the struggles of workers to gain what is now a normal part of life!
And as predicted, I LOVE the takeoff shot. Our eyes are often far too slow to catch all the details of what they do, and with the magic of photography, we can disseminate all the mechanics!! Also as predicted, I’ll never tire of redtail photos!! 😉
Enjoy your day!
That’s one of the main reasons I’m so drawn to bird photography, Laura – so I can study “the moment” frozen in time and have time to digest all the details (which also explains my addiction to fast shutter speeds).
My first thought is Wow! Looks like a Hand Glider or Sky Diver! I like the pose.
Good. Thanks, Trudy.
Wow– DYNAMIC is the word for this shot–he looks as if he were “launched” ! I, too, greatly admire Joe Hill……I’d never heard the quote about having his body hauled to the
state line…….a powerful spirit until the very end….
Thank you, Kris. Yeah, I think I’d have liked Joe. He was almost certainly innocent of the charges against him.
It IS neat! 🙂 REALLY getting some “umph” behind the take off with as much surface area as possible to catch the air. 🙂 Yes, VERY important to remember the purpose of Labor Day – tends to get forgotten like our other “Monday” holidays. Thx for the link and the quote – VERY interesting man. I do whine about weather but certainly glad hurricanes are NOT on our list of weather events…….
I’m glad you like it, Judy. And you make a good point about our “other Monday holidays”. I can be guilty of that too but I always remember ol’ Joe on Labor Day.
I for one enjoy the shot! Of course you know I like shots like this. The image of the hawk is fantastic, what a beauty!!
Have a great holiday – stay cool! It’s raining here and we are watching ‘Dorian’, family in FL and GA.
Thanks, Dick. I can’t even imagine being in the path of Dorian.
I love your Hawk pictures, I lost my son 2 years ago and 3 weeks before he passed from a car accident he sent me a pic of a hawk.., because I love nature,,
I went to see a medium and she tells me his spiritual sign is the Hawk.,I saw this pic and chuckled, I said oh B, that must be your clumsiness when you were younger, and then my B turned into a B UTIFUL man who now soares the sky’s and watches over me,,..thanks for letting me share and thanks for pics