That was me at that speed. The hawk was flying considerably faster…
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark ll, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, shot and processed in JPEG, canvas added for composition, not baited, set up or called in
Yesterday morning while I was cruising the roads of Utah’s west desert and looking for raptors this adult Red-tailed Hawk came up from mostly behind me and flew parallel to my pickup. I knew it would be past me in a couple of seconds so I stuck my lens out the window and steered with my knee as I fired off a short burst. The hawk gave me a quick glance as it checked me out…
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark ll, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, shot and processed in JPEG, not baited, set up or called in
and then looked forward again as it surged ahead of me and was gone. After I fired the burst I looked at my speedometer and I was traveling at just over 40 mph. These hawks can fly much, much faster than that but I was still impressed by how effortless its flight seemed as it passed me.
I always enjoy getting raptors in full flight rather than just after take-off.
For those concerned about me driving and shooting at the same time, rest assured. There’s very little traffic on these roads under normal circumstances but this was early Sunday morning so even normal traffic was essentially nonexistent and I made sure there were no vehicles for as far as I could see (which is a long ways) in both directions. Besides, I only had my eyes off the road for a couple of seconds.
That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it…
Ron
PS – Apologies for the extremely late post today. Sometimes “stuff” just gets in the way.
Great action shots!! in more ways than one…..
Beautiful!!! That second picture would be the tattoo I would get if I had the money and thought someone could do it justice. I could look at that all day! It’s even more impressive that you were knee driving and shooting at the same time!
It is such a relief to see your’s and Mia’s posts today. Thank you. I hope the day improves dramatically.
Love that Red-tailed Hawk. Thank you.
Thank you, Elephant’s Child. I know that you understand perfectly about “bad days”.
Lol I thought I’d lost my mind. Glad to see the hawk though. Even if I thought my clock was wrong.
I really chuckled over your comment, Arwen and I needed that. It hasn’t been a fun day so thanks for that!
Wow! I can’t believe you steered with your knee at 40 MPH! These shots were certainly worth it! What an amazing talent!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
So worth the wait, Ron! Just don’t try texting while driving…people aren’t nearly so forgiving of that, but for a Red-tail in overdrive, you just keep on shootin’! 😉
Chris, No chance. I can’t even text while NOT driving – thumbs are too big and my familial tremors don’t help matters in the least…
I think that hawk is daring you to race it. Gorgeous photos, but I’m really glad I wasn’t in the vehicle with you. My husband tends to take his hands off the wheel when we’re driving down the highway at 80 MPH, which he says is safer because the vehicle won’t veer the way it does going slowly. Still doesn’t feel safe to me… 🙂
Susan, I won’t dispute your husband but I sure wouldn’t be shooting birds at 80 mph… Thank you.
Yes, “stuff ALWAYS gets in the way”!
More power to you for being able to steer with you knee and shoot at the same time!!
Great shots, beautiful red-tail.
Dick, What made the difference here is that it was a smooth road and I had decent shutter speed. Usually when I try this it’s on rough roads and so darned bumpy that there’s little chance for sharp shots or even keeping the bird in the viewfinder. Another thing that’s a challenge for this type of shot is keeping the camera level. There’s so many other things to think about (while driving and shooting) that in all the excitement the camera tends to be at a wonky angle. That’s why I had to add canvas to the first photo – rotation to level the bird required it.
Impressive!! And drinking coffee at the same time?
My coffee is always gone by the time I get out there, Mike. It’s a fairly long drive and I tend to guzzle it.
Hands free driving is no problem. But, if you had a beer between your knees, while driving and shootin’, well that would be impressive.
Nope, no beer, Dan. Too darned early in the morning for that stuff.