She was on prey although it was difficult to see at first.
- I posted several photos of this falcon two years ago but these two are new to my blog.
1/800, f/5.6, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
One morning in early January two years ago I was on my way to a local pond to look for birds when I encountered this female (presumed, based on size) Peregrine Falcon in the thickly frosted grass. I was surprised that she was on the ground and that she didn’t fly off as I approached. I couldn’t see any prey so at first I was worried she might be sick or injured.
The sun was behind dark clouds over the mountains so the light was poor and I struggled for shutter speed.
Eventually it became obvious what was keeping her on the ground. She’d apparently killed a coot the previous evening and had returned to it for breakfast. The only hint of the coot we get in this photo is what appears to be dark grass and a tiny splash of red directly in front of her feet. Her right foot is raised in preparation for clamping down on the coot when she begins to feed.
1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Now we can see a little more of what’s left of the coot. There were coot bits strewn about on all sides of her but I couldn’t see most of them until she began to pick at her food. Many of my shots of her actually feeding were soft because of issues with shutter speed and depth of field in the poor light but in these two sharp photos I caught her holding still as she checked me out to make sure I wasn’t a potential threat.
In following days I found her near the pond several more times but she was always perched on top of a nearby utility pole so good photos were difficult if not impossible to come by.
Two years later I still look for her on my regular trips to the pond. For this bird photographer memories like this one die hard.
Ron
She is a stunning girl. The frost on the grass makes her stand out.
Two very beautiful images of her!!
Thank you, Fran.
The lighting and background are perfect! The bird really stands out nicely. Peregrines are among my favorite raptors but I have never been able to photograph one.
Thanks, Skip. I don’t photograph them often either but every couple of years I seem to get lucky with one. Or two.
Ron, a very beautiful bird1 Those eyes really offset the scene. I scrolled back and forth to both photos and note the subtle difference in body position from the 1st photo where the leg is raised and the 2nd where the foot must be on the Coot. I also noticed that the tail feathers are pointed rather than round. Also learned that a Peregrine Falcon laid eggs above Main Street in Salt Lake City in 2018. Everyone was very excited. Not sure what happened next. Thank you for perking my interest, Ron [a teacher trait!]
Alice, those Peregrines have been nesting in downtown SLC for quite a few years now. Sadly the youngsters don’t always survive because they keep running into buildings while they’re learning to fly.
Sorry for the duplicate, Ron. For some reason my first comment said it was waiting for moderation and then disappeared, so I reposted…
No problem, Lyle. For some crazy reason WordPress occasionally insists that I moderate comments from veteran commenters. It isn’t supposed to do that! I approved your first comment at the same time you were posting your second one so I deleted the duplicate.
Oh my.
While the peregrine is beautiful,powerful and dangerous it is the frost which draws my jealous eyes this morning.
I’ll just bet that frost looks good to you, EC. I think about those fires burning up Australia every day, and you of course.
For the lighting conditions you have some splendid photos with detail; eyecatch, tomial tooth, that nasal thingy. Hoarfrost always adds an element of cold beauty and the prey remains do make it real.
Lyle, thanks for noticing the detail. I thought it was pretty darned good for the conditions.
I love the stark contrast of those eyes with the frost, and it a good reminder of just how important the raptor population is in the world as an indicator of how we are affecting the health of this astounding place we live. I am a docent in training for HWI, and even though I have only worked with Jack so far, I cannot tell you how exciting it is to watch people get to “geek out” at the raptors like “Goose”, the Peregrine Falcon Ambassador that Jack (a Taiga merlin) often travels with. Thanks for helping educate wherever you go. Once a teacher, always a teacher (in your case). Happy New Year, and may life play a little more kindly this year with your health.
You’ll be in good company at HWI, Suzanne. Take good care of Galileo. He and I are old friends. And tell Nikki and Tana hello for me.
Suzanne, please give Galileo the owl-appropriate-equivalent of a huge hug and kiss from all of us here! <3
Tom’s right — you are the master! 🙂 You definitely hit the nail on the head with these shots. Hope you find her again!
As much as I like Peregrines, I can’t help but feel sorry for the Coot.
I’d love to find her again, Marty. Or another one. She’s the last Peregrine I photographed. We used to see them on Antelope Island but it’s been a while.
Ron – looking at your response has made me back off somewhat on “abundant.” Looked up abundant – available in large quantities, plentiful. I think that was not a good word choice. They can often be seen here around our lakes and mountain locations and occasionally on power line towers or utility poles, but abundant might have been too strong a word. 🙂
“Abundant” is a relative word, Everett. I had a pretty good idea of what you meant to say.
Nothing soft about these two photos Ron. She is beautiful and her colors look so stark and pronounced against the frosty ground and background. We have abundant Peregrines here, and even have two mountainous areas that are closed off each year for protected nesting, but I rarely ever see an adult. We have one juvenile who visits our neighborhood up on power line towers and utility poles and a high old snag tree at a nearby lake, but I have never seen it on the ground. I like your last line about continuing to look for her when you are in that area. She would definitely be one you would look forward to seeing again. You can make finding her again your New Year’s resolution.
“We have abundant Peregrines here”
That’s great to hear, Everett. Not many decades ago I thought we were about to lose Peregrine Falcons.
What a great post to wake up to on a sunday mourning! The Peregrine falcon has always been my favorite bird of prey,their future was in doubt not so long ago but thanks to better awareness things are looking up.I Too shoot with the Canon 7d mark II but i am retired and can’t quite swing the price of the ef-500 f4,so i have to make due with the old ef-400 f5.6 and when light permits the ef-1.4 ii ext. With my setup i can really relate to your difficulty under low light conditions.But as usual you have pulled off an absolutely beautiful image even under the most adverse conditions. You Sir,are a master of your craft! Thanks for all that you do….Tom Straw,Colorado.
Much appreciated, Tom. “Master” almost certainly gives me more credit than I deserve but I do work hard at it…
Beautiful bird! 🙂 Glad that she wasn’t injured and that she was cooperating…..breakfast just too hard to come by to spook easily….. 😉 Love the detail of her plumage and those needle sharp talons certainly aren’t anything I’d want latching on to me!
Thanks, Judy. It’s subtle but I quite like those curved talons on the far side of her right leg pointing toward the coot .