Tag: dorsal

Northern Harrier In Flight Along The Causeway

A few weeks ago I was able to photograph this Northern Harrier along the Antelope Island causeway.  I like both of these shots because of the good look at the topside of the bird.    1/2000. f/6.3. ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in The background certainly isn’t “classic” by any means but it’s one found in very few places on the planet, which makes me appreciate it.  The lighter colors are Great Salt Lake beach sand and the strips of red are windrows of brine fly pupae cases that have been washed up by the waves into parallel rows.  And hey, their colors even go well with the bird (I know, I’m reaching for that one…)       1/2000. f/6.3. ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in This was the next shot in the burst.  I prefer the second image because of the slightly better head turn toward the viewer, the more appealing catch light in the eye and the aerodynamic wing position that suggests speed.  But I’m glad to have them both because decent flight shots of harriers don’t come easy. Ron

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Swainson’s Hawk – Contrasting Top And Bottom Views In Flight

This bird was one of the early migrants into Utah in the first week of April this year.  Swainson’s Hawks winter in South America, which means they funnel through narrow Central America as they migrate each way.  To give you an idea of how many birds that involves, 845,000 of them have been counted as they passed over Veracruz, Mexico in a single autumn.  Incredible!    1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I found this bird in a remote area of Box Elder County, hunting from power poles.  One of the reasons I like this image is because it’s fairly unusual for me to get a raptor in full flight (instead of just after taking off, note the position of the feet) when it’s not soaring or gliding with its wings in a horizontal position. I’m always interested when I can get images that contrast the ventral and dorsal colors and plumage patterns of the same species in flight.  Swainson’s Hawks are quite dark dorsally.       1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in But when you can get good light in the ventral view, the contrast is striking.   Even though these two images were taken 34 minutes apart, I’m relatively certain that it’s the same bird in both shots. This hawk was coming to land on a power pole and even though the flight position screams for a perch in front of the bird, I took the liberty of cloning out the ugly pole…

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