Swainson’s Hawk – Just Because I Like It

For better or worse the background of an image can have a significant impact on an image. This is one that works well for me.

 

swainson's hawk 5528 ron dudley1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 320, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in

I photographed this light morph Swainson’s Hawk just over a month ago soon after it took off from a large rock in Box Elder County, Utah. A Bullock’s Oriole and a Northern Mockingbird had teamed up to harass the hawk while it was perched and I think the hawk had just had enough.

Even though this molting hawk has lost some flight feathers in both wings I like the flight posture and the birds look of determination as it begins to gain altitude. But what really strikes me is the background. I enjoy the mix of colors in the entire image and I like the combination of blue sky and dried vegetation. And I think the splash of out of focus sagebrush at lower left is a small but nice touch.

I seldom shoot birds in flight at ISO’s as low as this (320) but I had plenty of light for this early in the morning (8:30) so I just went for it.

Based on my observations this seems to have been a very good year for Swainson’s Hawks in Utah, Idaho and Montana but we should enjoy them while we can because in a few weeks they’ll be gone for half the year. After one of the more spectacular migrations in the bird world they’ll winter in the pampas of South America and those of us in North America won’t see them again until spring.

I’ll miss them while they’re gone but at least I can look forward to Rough-legged Hawks migrating down from up north to replace them for the winter.

Ron

 

15 Comments

  1. Mr. Dudley,

    I loved your post about the Swainson’s Hawk regurgitating those two pellets and I am excited to show the photos to my daughter in the morning. That’s how I stumbled upon your site. My daughter and I were out exploring an abandoned lot (we live in Great Falls, MT) this morning and we found some pellets (but didn’t bring them home, something we will fix tomorrow morning) as well as some rodent bones under a tree we have seen hawks flying into. Now we are trying to identify the species based on the pellets and the one feather we have found so far. I look forward to visiting your site often as a reference!

  2. My eyes don’t do well with the background in this picture, even though it is interesting. Love the expression on the bird’s face. It is clear that it is tired of being harassed and glad to be leaving.

  3. Charlotte Norton

    Beautifully detailed shot Ron!

    Charlotte

  4. The impact of the background is to make this image almost three dimension for me here, half a world away.
    Thank you.

  5. Definitely a lovely shot. The colors of the bird (the tans and cinnamons) are picked up nicely by that watercolor looking back wash.

  6. Awesome, Ron! “Avian Action Art”

    The background definitely adds to an already superb photograph!

  7. BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

  8. I like it for the reasons you state and I also like the contrast of the light right underwing and the dark top of the left wing.

  9. Absolutely stunning image! Ron. You are perfectly right in saying “the background of an image can have a significant impact on an image.” I live by it. I believe that “the Background makes the picture.”

    Best Regards,
    Prathap

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