Plus a confusing and elusive optical illusion involving the hawk.
Readers will remember the stunning female rufous Red-tailed Hawk I posted four days ago. I’ve photographed her and her mate in previous years but this year she was alone (as far as I could tell) even though I found her very near her old nest. I didn’t know if I had just missed seeing her mate, or he hadn’t yet arrived at the nesting site or if he had died during the winter and she was waiting for him in vain.
To my great relief I found the male yesterday morning and the two birds were together at the nesting site.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
This is him in all his glory as he took off downward off of a rock. I like the dramatic takeoff posture, the light on the bird and the natural setting. The hawk is a little bit past me but I think the head angle looking slightly back toward me makes all the difference in saving the image.
There’s an elusive and confusing optical illusion in this photo that I can sometimes see but other times I can’t. At times his tail appears normal for an adult Red-tailed Hawk with the feathers aligned in the correct direction, each one being red on top. Other times it appears that I’m looking at the underside of his tail (instead of the top) with the feathers being red ventrally and oriented sideways. But of course that’s not the case – the tails of these hawks are red on top, not ventrally, and it’s physically impossible for the individual tail feathers to be oriented transverse to the body rather than from front to back.
I can’t get my perception of the tail to change back and forth while looking at it. To get it to change I have to do something else for a while and then come back to the image. Sometimes it has changed and sometimes it hasn’t. Weird!
I spent quite a while with these birds yesterday morning and took many photos of both of them but the shooting was tough because they often weren’t very close and the steep angle was hard on my still recovering back as I was shooting out the window of my pickup. My back is still paying that price this morning but I have plans to post more photos of both birds in the near future.
Ron
PS – I’m curious to know if anyone else can see the optical illusion. This morning I can only see it “incorrectly” and I can’t get it to change back.
Beautiful photo. I love the warm colors of the bird and lichens. I hope they will be successful this year.
Have you found less speed and accuracy with your down days? I have not been shooting birds in flight and today I ran into both bald and golden eagles sparing over winter killed deer. Rare to find them together. The balds won, 2 to 1. Boy did I fail, something cut off in almost every shot and then my focus grabbed sage brush on shots the whole birds were in the shot. Great bird day epic fail on my behalf.
Thanks, April. Yes, after so much time off my skills were a little rusty for a while. But now I’m mostly hampered by my lack of mobility. Following birds in flight is both painful and not very smart for me right now.
Ron,
Well today makes four days this week that our paths have crossed! At least I am in the right places to see these creatures.
I can’t see the optical illusion, meaning I can’t make it go back and forth. It looks correct to me but I can see the point you are making. Thanks for this post. I am still woefully wanting in my sharpness compared to your capture. Great shot. I looked away (at your truck) just as he took off (I think) and missed this shot. Oh well. You make me nervous when I think I am in your way!
Happy shooting. I will keep trying.
Stephen
Ha, you’re right, Steven. We should car pool.
You weren’t in my way at all. Besides, I don’t own the place!
BTW, Have you considered the Nikon 200-400 instead of the new 500 f/5.6? I believe it’s better glass and would give you sharper photos and it’s cheaper than the 500 f/4. And I believe you could use a 1.4 tc with it if you’re using a full frame camera. Just a thought…
Thanks, I’lll look into it.
SEC
Beautiful photo! And you’re right. It’s a fascinating optical illusion.
Thank you, Shelley. I’m glad you were able to see it.
He is just as pretty as the female. Wonderful shot!
Thanks, Jean.
I don’t understand how you see from the top when you are obvisouly lower than the hawk.
I don’t get it either, Marian.
It’s like one of those “hidden picture” things from the 80s (which would forever remain hidden for me). The weird thing about this shot is that I see the tail correctly at first glance, but can then make my brain toggle back and forth by shifting my eyes slightly. In any event, he’s quite a beaut! Those talons are something else!
I think I’m getting too emotionally attached to your subjects — my eyes welled a little when I read “waiting for him in vain” and then I cheered out loud at the next sentence. So glad he’s back! Whew!
Interesting that all you have to do is shift your eyes to make it toggle back and forth, Marty. Another friend on Facebook says all he has to do is blink.
I really have to work at making it shift.
Now you know why I said it was “to my great relief” when I saw that he had returned. I get emotionally involved too, believe me…
Me, too. But I can’t make it switch while I’m looking.
Strange, isn’t it, Robyn.
Ron, what a beautiful shot. I see a red tail but can’t say more than that. Glad the male showed up. Thanks, Ron
Alice, whether or not you see the illusion depends on if you see the red on the underside of the tail or on the topside. If it’s on the underside you’re seeing the illusion.
Magnificent shot Ron!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
One of the finest shots I’ve ever seen…period!
Thanks very much, Jerry.
Ron – my second post. Your post begins by clearly stating MALE Red-tailed Hawk, but in my response I called him she and her. Guess I should not log on till I’ve had my coffee. 🙂
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
No problem, Everett.
Beautiful photo Ron. As she heads down it looks like her talons are ready for action. Don’t see the illusion at all, but when I first looked quickly I had the illusion that the right side or underside wing was a shadow. Beautiful bird in a beautiful setting.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Thank you, Everett.
Interesting—I had to zoom in to see the tail “correctly “. Now what I see at first varies, but I can change it, ONCE. Then my brain won’t let me see it differently. Very strange.
Illusions are weird, no question about it, Carol.
Beautiful photo Ron! 🙂 Didn’t catch the illusion but slight downward tilt of the tail with the “fluff” at the base looked strange to me at first. Gorgeous bird and gorgeous tail! 🙂
That “fluff” is part of the illusion, Judy.
” I like the dramatic takeoff posture”…me too!
I do see the illusion, it caught my attention right off. Then, while reading the comments I kept fast-scrolling back up to the image and each time, just as the tail came into view it appeared bottoms-up for just a flash and then appeared “rightly” oriented. I say “rightly” as it still appears other than “normal” and I think it is just something driven by the viewing angle and the light.
It’s kind of fun and annoying to stare at it.
Glad the male is back.
“It’s kind of fun and annoying to stare at it.”
Agreed, Dave. I’m glad he’s back too.
What confused the issue momentarily for me was his foot position…once I oriented that everything looked normal. He certainly, is as beautiful as she is. Out of curiosity, do a mated pair remain together during their migration period away from the nesting site in the off season? I would assume so but wonder if they do? I see a pair that have returned near my home…they look like twins in their colors…this is the third year that I photographed them being together sitting side by side nearly touching. Looking at your pair and the similarity their colors, mine are very light,…would they choose a mate that is similar nearly mirroring themselves? Probably silly but I am curious…will have to search out the choosing process.
“do a mated pair remain together during their migration period away from the nesting site in the off season?”
Kathy, here’s what BNA Online has to say about that: “In sedentary birds, mates remain together throughout the year (Petersen 1979a, Santana and Temple 1988). Whether this is typically the case in migratory birds is unknown”
Beautiful photo!! I can’t see the “optical illusion” tail at all, only the normal one. I keep glancing back and forth but can’t get it.
Glancing back and forth doesn’t work for me either, Joanne. I have to leave the image for a few minutes and come back to it later. Sometimes it has changed and sometimes it hasn’t.
I see the tail normally, although it looked strange for a brief period of time before my brain adjusted and processed it normally. Stunning shot of the hawk taking flight Ron!
Thanks, Xavier. I still can’t get the illusion to change back to normal this morning. Adult Red-tailed Hawk tails are NOT red ventrally and their tail feathers aren’t oriented transversly… 🙂
Edit: Ten minutes later it changed back to “normal”…