I’ve been wanting to do this for a very long time so last night I finally caved in and just did it.
The photo below is on the short list of my favorite shots of all time, partly because of its high degree of difficulty but certainly not limited to that. Feathered Photography veterans will likely recognize the photo because I’ve posted it before and others may remember seeing it as one of the images in the rotating banner at the top of my blog.
But I haven’t been particularly happy with the way I processed the image back then so I wanted a do-over. This is it.
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM, not baited, set up or called in
The Prairie Falcon, a young female I believe, had been enjoying her meal of frozen Northern Shoveler near the shore of the Great Salt Lake when two ravens flew in and started harassing her. So she took off with her prize in an attempt to get away from them. She was successful in her escape from the ravens but very soon after this photo was taken an adult Bald Eagle dived on her in flight and forced her to drop the duck. Then the eagle flew down and retrieved it.
Yes, I felt sorry for the falcon because the shoveler belonged to her and I’m sure she worked hard for it.
The lower background is the angry Great Salt Lake on a blustery winter day and if you look carefully you can see vague whitish blobs on the dark gray water that are whitecaps on the lake. There are also ice and snow crystals on the duck.
This was a grab shot, basically “spray and pray,” so I’ve always been almost ecstatic that it’s as sharp as it is. And many other things worked out as well. Getting a Prairie Falcon in flight is difficult enough but here it has prey, the flight posture with the vertical wing position is one I like very much, a slight head turn toward the viewer provides great eye contact, there’s nice light on both birds and I think the background is somewhat unique and interesting. I couldn’t ask for much more than that but it seems like there’s always something. I do wish for just a little more room on the right for composition purposes but I’m sure as hell not going to complain very much about that.
So, what did I do differently when I processed the image this time? Here’s the list:
- I changed the aspect ratio of the crop to 5×7 instead of the somewhat more squarish composition it had before. Over the years I’ve developed a preference for 5×7 whenever it’s appropriate.
- I leveled the horizon more accurately in this version than in the previous one. It wasn’t much but I notice the difference.
- This is a significantly larger version of the photo – 1100 pixels on the long side instead of my usual 900 pixels. Image quality can always be better evaluated at a larger size (if the viewer is on a big screen).
- I made some minor tonal adjustments and tweaks to my sharpening mask.
Yes, it’s a repeat, a blast from the past. But at least now I know that I’ve processed one of my favorite images to the best of my abilities.
Ron
Just a stunning action to capture. Well worth reprocessing. Nature in all her gory glory, although that sounds a bit oxymoronic for some reason.
Late to the party today. Internet issues. I am so glad that when I finally got them resolved I was greeted with this truly spectacular image.
I hope her next meal was free of harrassment.
Internet issues. What a pain in the arse! Thanks, EC.
What a great shot!
Love it with the falcon flying right on the horizon line of the lake, really makes for a dramatic feel, especially with that shoveler in tow, what a load!
Spray, pray and hooray! Nice going getting that sharp focus at 1/1600th.
I can see why you like that 5×7 aspect ration, it sure makes for sweet viewing.
“Spray, pray and hooray”
I like your addition to the phrase, Dave. Wish I could rely on it!
Spectacular Ron!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.
Yes, our tastes and skills change as we grow in our mediums. Lovely for a “spray and pray”. I am not as lucky.
I don’t think she would have gotten the shoveler off the ground if it were a whole bird. I think that is why they voraciously gorge on the ground when they can, some one else might steal the uneaten food. Life is hard and unfair in the wild.
Usually I’m not that lucky either, April. In fact, nearly never.
I think you’re right about the difficulties of a Prairie Falcon taking off with an entire shoveler. I once photographed one using a different and absolutely ingenious strategy for solving that problem. Maybe you’ve seen that post:
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2013/09/23/prairie-falcon-a-fascinating-hunting-strategy/
Could it be the same young female in both sets of photos?
It sure could, Pam. Both incidents occurred along the causeway to Antelope Island.
It’s a shot I love. Sad she missed her meal, but my money is on her for the next one.
Arwen, I saw her several times in that area in later days and there were plenty of ducks around for her to feed on so I suspect she did well.
Gorgeous blast from the past! Bummer that she didn’t get to finish her dinner. Her crop doesn’t look all that big to me, although perhaps it is just her position. Can’t imagine hauling something that weighs almost as much as I do — especially through the air. Birds are certainly amazing creatures!
Nice to see your banner shots in larger size (yes, I still often watch them scroll through).
And now, in response to Everett’s Franklin comment, here’s your daily dose of earworm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds4dv4IS0PM
I enjoyed the clip, Marty. Even the “Monday morning” was timely.
Anyone who has attempted to photograph a bird appreciates this image. Anyone who has attempted to photograph a raptor REALLY appreciates this image!
And anyone who appreciates art, beauty, nature, technical skill and, well – LIFE – is in total awe of the expertise it took to produce this high quality photograph.
Thank you, Ron, for sharing, teaching, mentoring and providing a good example for photographers everywhere.
Thanks very much, Wally. I’ll take some credit for the instincts that allowed me to get the shot (it all happened very fast) but old fashioned luck was a big part of it too.
What a beautiful Blast from the Past. Love this photo and this beautiful Prairie Falcon. I have never seen one so quite interesting to me. Gory of course, but great coloring from the frozen Northern Shoveler. Shame that she had to lose her prey to the eagles after successfully escaping from the ravens. Eagles are my passion, but they are bullies and thieves for sure, and that is why Benjamin Franklin wanted the Wild Turkey instead as our National Emblem. I like your “pray and spray”, I’ve done that many times while getting photos of eagles taking off and every once in a while I actually get a surprisingly good photo. This one is excellent.
Thanks, Everett. I was SO disappointed that I wasn’t in position to get photos of the eagle diving on the falcon and the duck falling to the ground. That’s one of the few disadvantages of shooting from my pickup.
Wonderful shot and the redo REALLY adds to it. 🙂 The falcon and duck show up beautifully against the dreary background and great feather detail on both. Interesting how it’s leg(s) are tucked back, elbows up, holding the duck – guessing forward speed contributes to that and it helps aerodynamically……..? Too bad she lost the duck to the eagle – at least she got some of it before the Raven’s started the chain of events that lead to losing it…. 🙂 Glad you decided on a redo and a rerun! 😉
Good eye noticing how she’s holding the duck, Judy. Yes, holding it in that position reduces drag I suspect.
I also notice that “hauling” that weight through the airspace has caused her to tilt forward slightly which is one reason I wanted to make sure I had leveled the horizon as accurately as possible.
Fabulous !!
Thank you, Jeffrey.
Just love the feather detail here. All those layers on the wing are beautiful. She is a larger bird than what I would have thought…Northern Shovelers are not what I would call small and she looks as if she is handling that with ease. Goes to show you…you do need to see things in relationship with something that you recognize for true comparison. This certainly would be a favorite of mine. On a side note…yesterday as I was stringing up the new growth on my tomatoes, a cat bird that has remained in the area for some reason was really toying with me. Constantly mewing in the trees and shrubs. I finally had to try and search it out but you know the result…quiet until I went back to my tomatoes and then he would start over teasing me! He had fun with me for sure!
Kathy, Sibley lists Northern Shovelers at 1.3 lbs. and Prairie Falcons at 1.6 lbs.
Doesn’t that sound EXACTLY like the shenanigans of a catbird!