With Northern Harriers erratic flight comes with the territory so I’ve come to expect it but soon after this female took off yesterday morning she almost juked me out of my shoes.
1/5000, 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
I had her in my viewfinder while she was perched and hoped to get takeoff and flight shots if she took off. She did and I did but I didn’t get many because of this incredibly fast and athletic flight maneuver that changed her direction so quickly I couldn’t follow her with my lens. To say she left me behind in the dust is an understatement.
This photo documents the moment she changed directions on a dime. I didn’t have time to post the entire series this morning but I thought her athletic flight posture in this shot was interesting enough to serve as a stand alone for today’s post.
I hope to post the the entire series soon, perhaps as early as tomorrow.
Ron
Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers. I hope you all have a wonderful meal and a relaxing day but I also hope we all keep in mind that our #1 priority should be to stay safe, for others if not for ourselves.
Juke:
verb – to make a move intended to deceive an opponent
noun – a fake or feint, usually intended to deceive a defensive player
Super cool!!!! Thanks for the definition at the end, I was wondering about that!
Happy thanksgiving to you and yours🙏🌟
Sheila, I used that word once before and some folks wondered if I’d lost my mind or if autocorrect had malfunctioned so I figured I’d include the definition this time.
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS
Thanks, Stan.
Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you are out on your traditional Thanksgiving morning shoot!
Thanks, April. It was cloudy at sunrise so we stayed home. Naturally the sun’s out now…
Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your readers.
With heartfelt thanks from me for the awe, the wonder, the education (and often the giggles) I find here each and every day.
Stay safe. Please.
Thanks very much, EC. I’m very careful in the ‘safe’ department but even that isn’t a guarantee.
She juked you for sure! 😱 How do they DO that? Definitely looking forward to the rest of the series. Birds are so amazing and I’m grateful for your daily peeks into their lives (and the lives of other critters, including your ancestors 🙂 ).
Wishing everyone a love-filled, safe, and socially distanced Thanksgiving!❤️
Thanks, Marty. I’m sure all of our ‘ancestors’ had it pretty darn rough for their Thanksgivings so I guess we should all tough it up.
If you had not gotten “juked” we wouldn’t have this beautiful shot of him ❗️I can’t wait to see what else you have.
I’ve been blessed with 61 good Thanksgivings so having one wonky one.. those are good odds.
Enjoy your day 😁
I like your optimistic outlook, Diana. I’m envious of it actually.
That juke looks looks like he put a joint out of whack. It’ll be interesting to see his recovery. Well, I’m off to the kitchen to make my traditional lentil loaf with all the fixin’s. I know you’re drooling at the thought. Hope your day is stuffed full of good food and cheer.
Lentil loaf, huh. Not much drooling here I’m afraid but I hope you enjoy it, Lyle.
Oh, yes! Lentil loaf is yummy. It’s acorn squash stuffed with savory lentils and rice for us. Also very yummy. But i do understand the lack of drools for this kind of food. I never pressure anyone to try my veggies, and they don’t pressure me to try their not-veggies. It works.
Happy Thanksgiving to all. Happy Life to all.
And WOW, WOW, WOW on the photo, Ron!
Nina (and Lyle), I guess I shouldn’t make fun of lentil loaf since I’ve never eaten it. But based on the name the odds are… 🙂
A little harmless joking seems like a good way to brighten the day.
She’s a beauty, Ron! Thanks again for stopping the action so I can enjoy the details I usually miss at warp speed in the field! Looking for the silver lining here- dinner for two means a smaller bird, fewer sides and less clean-up. That translates into more time for birding today, being so grateful for family and friends who believe that science always wins. Take good care, my friend!
Believe me, I often miss those warp speed opportunities too, Diane.
No birding for me today. It was cloudy earlier this morning so we didn’t go. Bright sunshine now of course…
Mundane things like the laws of physics and gravity simply don’t pertain to raptors, or in the case of gravity, they bend it to their will to fit their objectives. And that bend is so far beyond what we mere humans can do, even in extreme circumstances. We’re always limited by that SPLAT, CRASH, BOOM thing.
The key seems to be their eyes/head. Where their gaze goes the head follows simultaneously thanks to those seven extra vertabra and their body does what’s necessary to follow. One of the OUTRAGEOUS joys of falconry is to see those jukes, wingovers, spirals and other amazing and often spectacular maneuvers regularly. I’ve always maintained that if you can watch these birds in action without your jaw regularly dropping to the ground, you really need to check your pulse! You MIGHT have passed on without knowing it yet!! Of course, there’s always the problem that our eyes just can’t see that fast–we really are slow-moving dullards in comparison.
One of falconry’s most unexpected and delightful gifts is the opportunity for me to re-examine everything I thought I knew. And that’s one big reason I really wish I’d had you for a science teacher back in the day. It’s been a struggle to learn all the science knowledge I need at this stage of life, but oh the fascination of it now! I’m so very grateful that Mariah and all the other birds have graced my life!
And I neglected to wish you, Mia and everybody here a happy and SAFE Thanksgiving!
You are so right Laura. As so often is true I gazed at this image with envy. My own splat, crash, booms have (and will) occurred at moves with much lower degrees of difficulty.
Laura, I hope all of your splats, crashes and booms are behind you now. From what I can tell your last one was a doozy, from which you’re still recovering.
And thank you for the kind words.
Terrific capture! I love the fanning of the tail and the wing exposures here, also the angle shows the feathers showing off the ‘disc’ around her face…a beautiful display! 😍 I’m anxious to see the rest of the series.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving day to the fullest! It will be the quietest Thanksgiving ever here…even though our three children live near-by. They are much more mobile and out and about with working and such so rather than risk any exposure it’s best to follow guidelines, difficult as that may be. Better days will be coming…
Thanks, Kathy. And I appreciate your approach to our current challenges.
Love the shot, love the definition, love the advice. All the best to you and yours on this special day from an ex-pat in Canada. Love your photos and your chat.
Burrdoo, thank you on all three counts.
Gorgeous shot Ron. I have had countless failures with these gals, but I keep trying. Still have never seen a male. Your photo is so sharp and the colors so bold against that pale background some might think she was photo shopped. A beautiful photo of which I am very envious. Happy Thanksgiving. Be safe,
Thanks very much, Everett. Nope, no manipulation here during processing. All I did was crop, sharpen and adjust exposure very slightly.
WOW! 😲 She certainly DID spin on a dime! 😀 Wonderful photo! Thx for the definition of “juke” – new one to me! Happy Thanksgiving to all. I’m Thankful for some “normalcy in all the chaos this year and staying safe from the Covid (so far). Hope all have a relaxing day with good food even if we have to safely enjoy “company” from afar…….
Judy, I’ll admit that not being around people not in my household during the holidays is probably easier for me than it is for most others. I tend to be a hermit by nature and my only family lives far away.
Yeh – isn’t particularly hard on me either. It’s harder on Joe who is MUCH more social than I…….😉 My family is also scattered far away and, at 91, much of Joe’s is gone….. He/we “make due” with the reality of the situation….
Which way did she go after this move? Toward you?
I am thankful for your teaching skills, illustrated by incredible photos showing details I can’t see in the field.
Thank you, Pam. After this shot she went out of frame to the left going slightly away from me. Before this shot she was flying more in my direction.
I am very grateful for your daily posts! Thank you for doing what you do and for the person that you are. Best wishes to you and your family for a joyful holiday season.
Thank you, Dana.