Landing with a vole, eating it and then going after another one.
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Five days ago in the mountains I spent some time with this young Red-tailed Hawk as “he” hunted from various perches. As evidenced by my shutter speed, camera settings and two water drops dripping off the wire to the left of the fence post it had rained recently so it was overcast and he was in very poor light. So in an effort to get enough SS for action shots and potential flight shots I cranked up my ISO into territory I rarely visit. Even then my SS was marginal at best and it was about to get even slower.
At this tender age his hunting skills were apparently already well developed because he certainly didn’t have any trouble finding and catching this presumed vole (in the talons of his right foot) in the tall, lush grass near a creek. This shot was taken immediately after he landed on the rusty old pipe fencepost which he was about to convert to a dining room table.
1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
When he started to eat the vole he turned a little to his left on the perch so I moved my pickup forward some distance to get a better angle on the bird which accounts for this shot having a very different background than the previous one.
It didn’t take him long to eat the vole and from his behavior I figured that little rodent had only been an appetizer because he appeared to be hunting from the post again. I hoped for takeoff or flight shots if he took off after another one but I was discouraged to see that my SS had dropped even more. I was already significantly above my normal upper ISO limit of 800 and for reasons of depth of field for such a large bird I didn’t want to change my aperture so I decided to just take my chances.
1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Typically when this species takes off they signal their intention with body language but this one didn’t give me a clue. He had still been turned to my right when he apparently spotted another vole behind and below him so in an instant he twisted on his perch to dive down after it. I like the dramatic takeoff posture including the near-horizontal push-off angle of his legs and feet.
Sharp eyes may have noticed that the perch was vertical in the first two shots but it’s tilted in this one. That was caused by operator error (another way of saying I screwed up). Because I didn’t have my camera level when I took this series the post was actually tilted in all three shots but in the first two I had enough room in the frame to level the image during processing. But because the bird dived down it was too close to the bottom of the frame to level the image without putting his nose right at the bottom frame edge. In the end I decided I’d rather have a tilted post than such a distracting composition.
You’re probably wondering if he caught the second vole. Nope, he missed it so he soon landed on a different post and started hunting again. When he took off from that perch I was able to get some flight shots that I may post sometime down the road.
Ron
I was actually checking out your settings to see why the difference in DOF between the first two shots, then read that you had moved the truck forward. You mentioned you had bad light but I think you adjusted the settings well because you have such good detail in the feathers and no noticeable noise. I like all the active gestures and the tilt in the latter one seems to suit the angle of the take-off. Well captured, ha, I would have missed half the bird in that last one!
Vole Tartare: all he needs is a nice glass of red wine to wash it down.
Put some skis on this RTH in the last photo and he’ll be ready for the slalom competition in the Olympics.
Pretty cool pictures despite the high ISO, your explanation of which only makes sense after following your blog for awhile. I guess I’m learning as you go.
“I guess I’m learning as you go”
Love to hear that, Lyle!
I never know for sure how much “explanation” to include. My audience is so diverse when it comes to photography background and knowledge I generally just try to choose a middle ground…
For a young bird he/she is obviously a very skilled hunter. Which makes me smile all over my fat face. Long may this red-tail survive and thrive.
I am VERY familiar with ‘screw loose in the operator’ failures (in a wide range of pursuits) but mine are bin worthy (and sometimes moments of shame) rather than the keepers you achieved.
Believe me EC, I’ve made worse photography mistakes than tilting my camera. And I do it fairly regularly.
Neat! Love the photos even if you had to up the ISO beyond what you like! 🙂 😉 Finding a “straight” fence post around here is a challenge and I certainly don’t count on them to have a level horizon. The hawk was REALLY into that vole or whatever it was! The twisting take off shot is great – something that happens SO fast only a photo would really capture it! 🙂 Late today – just couldn’t “group my poop” this morning……. 🙂
“The hawk was REALLY into that vole or whatever it was”
It sure was, Judy. That poor vole is so stretched out it reminds me of a frog that has just jumped (maybe a little complicated to explain why).
That’s another reason I miss living in MT – for what I call “Montanaisms”. “Group my poop” is one I missed out on but I love it.
Just love this series, but you knew I would! Voles are harder to catch than you might think. They scurry under the grasses and disappear in a nano-second. That he caught one in the first place means he’s hunting well.
Personally, and I know it doesn’t matter, I prefer the tilted post. It’s more realistic.
OK so you’ve had your fun with the passage redtails! Send some down here 😉
“OK so you’ve had your fun with the passage redtails! Send some down here”
I’m having the same thoughts, Laura – just with another species.
A friend who lives on a farm just north of our family farm in Montana said that yesterday along the 8 mile dirt road from their farm to the paved Chalk Butte Road leading to town there were 18 Golden Eagles on power poles in just those 8 miles! And not a single one of them flew off as she drove by. I’m still slobbering on my keyboard over that.
That WOULD be to die for! 😉 WOW!
It always tickles me when you say “from my pick-up”. To heck with hiking, I need to stay in my car❗️
Beautiful shots today.
Have a great day 😁
It tickles me too, Diana. For the same reason…
Nah, I just wanted it to be obvious why the hawk stuck when I moved instead of flying off. Birds are much less afraid of vehicles than they are of humanoids on foot.
Love the sideways takeoff. The little bit of vole that is still stuck to his talon provides some interesting context. Looking forward to seeing the saga of the continuing hunt. 🙂
Thanks, Marty. I meant to mention that vole bit but forgot…
What a terrific series of the youngster, Ron! I love that last image (even though I will probably lose sleep over that tilted fence post). The sudden twist and take-off and those eyes! Locked on to his target. Fantastic!
Ha, hope that tilt doesn’t give you nightmares. Thanks, Wally.
Wow– your level of technical accomplishment and practice is really on display in this series–that you managed to achieve beautiful images in very low light, and went after–and got !
such a DYNAMIC capture as in the last one………they are just rewards for your years of dedication !
Thanks, Kris. As always luck also played a significant role. In these conditions many of my shots were less than stellar.
Terrific series of photos, each uniquely interesting to me. I see in his eagerness he pulled up a blade of grass along with his meal. Also the fresh greenery in the first photo offers a special look and it sets the bird off nicely. His tearing into the food shows how that bit of repast is only a mere morsel so wet his appetite! But I especially like the take-off stance…how quickly they turn and lift off. You can see his intent. The tilted post never entered into my mind. I am so used to seeing tilted posts of various materials due to stress and aging in the wild that it looks natural to me. Great photos! (Glad you are back doing what you do best!)
Kathy, when it’s a single photo and the fence post is old I don’t pay much attention when it’s tilted either. But with a series of 3 photos it’s obvious that something is screwy. That screwy thing was me.