Raptor landing shots are one of my most difficult photographic challenges and I attempt them every reasonable chance I get. This one turned out to be unexpectedly interesting, at least from a photographer’s point of view.
While cruising the back roads of Glacier County, Montana two days ago we came across this Swainson’s Hawk hunting grasshoppers from an old fence post. Hunting is easy now because it’s harvest time up here and the huge grasshoppers are everywhere – as evidenced by the colorful and greasy windshields of almost every vehicle you see. 1/4000, f/6.3, iso 500, 500 f/4 When the bird seemed about to take off I made one of those split-second decisions that every bird photographer is faced with. Since it looked like the hawk might launch at a 90 degree angle to my position (and stay the same distance from me for the first few flight strokes) I decided to prefocus on the bird and then not attempt to actively maintain focus in flight for fear of having focus lock on to the background instead of the bird. This time it worked… 1/4000, f/6.3, iso 500, 500 f/4 The bird begins to launch. 1/4000, f/6.3, iso 500, 500 f/4 The beginning of my burst caught the hawk in one of those dynamic, stretched-out postures that I like. As you can see the bird lost a feather as it took off. 1/4000, f/6.3, iso 500, 500 f/4 By the next wing stroke it was already to the next fence post. I got several more sharp shots as the bird passed to my left but of course the further it flew the less eye contact I had so the early shots were the best of the bunch. The Swainson’s…
Two days ago we were just about to go home after several photographically unproductive hours on Antelope Island because of a lack of cooperative subjects combined with a “cloud from hell” that hung over the island and ruined our light all morning when I spotted two Long-billed Curlews far below us. The area was accessible to our vehicle so we decided to investigate. Both Mia and I are very glad we did! Canon 7D, 1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc One of the two birds was this adult, perched attentively on this almost white Tintic Quartzite boulder. The curlew was very tolerant of us and let us get close and even allowed me to maneuver my pickup for a variety of backgrounds. Canon 7D, 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This adult was very relaxed in our presence and eventually settled into grooming and preening as it’s doing here. Canon 7D, 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc It turns out that the second bird I had spotted from up above was this juvenile in the tall grasses and the adult had obviously chosen a relatively high perch in order to keep an eye on the youngster (a behavior we’ve seen multiple times in adults with chicks or young juveniles). Canon 7D, 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc We spent quite some time with these two birds – the parent on the boulder and the juvenile foraging in the grasses. Occasionally the adult would fly off for a few…
