One of the more cooperative hawks I’ve photographed in what I think is an attractive natural setting.
- I posted a few shots of this bird and “his” sibling some months ago as they were perched on this and other rocks but all of the following photos are new to Feathered Photography.Ā All eight of them are presented in the order they were taken.
1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
“He” was one of two young siblings hanging around the entrance to a Wasatch Mountain canyon this past August 30th. He posed on the lichen-covered rocks for quite a while and then things got even more interesting when he…
1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
began to preen his tail feathers. Sometimes he had his eye or nictitating membrane closed and part or all of his head was often hidden but I still like this peekaboo shot as he was pulling one of his tail feathers (which we can’t see) through his bill.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 800, 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 working on his undertail coverts his head and eye were hidden from view less often.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 800, 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 was through with his tail he started on his wing primaries. These preening activities can require highly contorted body positions that I find interesting and often amusing. It took me a moment or two to figure out where that feather in his bill actually originated but it’s one of the primaries of his right wing.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
The differences between this photo and the previous one are subtle but they’re there, particularly in the angle of his head and the amount of bending of the feather he’s working on. Despite their similarities I like both photos so I’m including them both.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
At one point another bird flew past low overhead and this was his reaction. I’ll admit that I didn’t actually see the other bird because my eye was glued to my viewfinder but I’m almost positive it was his sibling because I’d seen a similar reaction earlier.
He’s actually calling out (almost screaming) to the other bird and he…
1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
continued to do so as it passed by overhead.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
He kept calling out even after he took his eye off of the other bird. The siblings were often quite communicative.
I took lots of photos of the siblings over several mornings but this was the best day I had with them. To be honest I mostly forgot about these and other photos of them until I began to cull my huge backlog of 99,483 images a few days ago and ran into them again.
I’m making progress. I’ve freed up 217 gigabytes of disc space so it’s a pretty good start.
Only 90,216 photos to go…
Ron
What a mouth! š
It’s interesting that the 2 siblings were quite vocal with each other. I have noticed that about crow siblings in my neighborhood. I wonder if most bird siblings are vocal with each other.
An incredible series Ron, thanks for sharing.
Charlotte
A great series, Ron.
I’ve never really thought that birds had facial expressions (or most animals for that matter). However, in these photos I can’t help but see concentration, confidence, relaxation, alarm, defiance, intelligence and, always, alertness. Kind of like an avian Rorschach test: different strokes for different folks.
It’s very difficult to avoid having what some folks refer to as anthropomorphic thoughts with photos like these isn’t it Lyle. I don’t even try anymore. At least not as much as I used to.
So glad you came across these gems! I can just hear him yelling at his sibling, “Hey! A little private here — I’m in the shower!” š
Here’s hoping you come across these guys again, as well as this year’s siblings. š
Marty, I’m already starting to watch for paired red-tails at old nest sites preparing to start repairing/building again but didn’t see any at several old nests this morning. It’s a little early yet…
What a superb series showing the preening process! The rich, detailed photographs are a joy to behold individually as well as collectively.
It is rare to find a photographer who will do two things you have done here: 1. Take a series of photographs of a bird preening; 2. Share those images in a manner which is educational for those aspiring to improve.
Too often, the “bird photographer” swoops in, shoots a subject with marginal attention to detail (trusting that expensive equipment to be flawless) and screeches away to find another subject to harass.
Your approach, Ron, is why this is one of the premier photography destinations on the World Wide Web.
Thank you.
That’s high praise and I appreciate it, Wally. Kind’a lifted me up when I needed it. Thanks very much!
Lovely, made my morning while feeling glum. I am glad you revisited the old archavia and the photos were not discard bin!
I’m sorry you’re feeling glum this morning, April. It helped my glumness to get out into the field again today after so much dismal weather. Didn’t find many birds but it was still refreshing – “super moon” setting over the Promontories on the way north was absolutely spectacular and then sun and bright blue sky almost to the end of my stay up there. At one point I even wondered if our paths might cross (I was right at the spot where we rescued Galileo when I thought of you… ).
Everything about this series is perfect āļøLove watching a relaxed bird preening itās self ā¤ļø
Thanks, Diana.
Oh Ron. This is an amazing series. I adore (and no, that is not too strong a word) the flexibility on display, the intense gaze and those shrieks!!! I can almost hear them. I am blown away (again) by the precision he/she employs in the grooming process.
Many, many thanks.
Thank you very much, EC. I think this series is pretty special too.
Amazing series. Beautiful and informative. One of the things I enjoy about your blog is that I see things I don’t have the opportunity to experience in real life. Thank you for your time and actions.
Good! I’m glad my photos bring you joy, Betty. Thank you.
The penultimate calling shot is quite remarkable. You sure had a lot of light! I notice that you shot all these at ISO 800. I wonder whether you shot any others at lower ISO? I suppose it doesn’t really signify, as these shots have pixels galore. I have never gotten good results with any extender, neither on my Nikon nor any other camera. Costs me sharpness and depth of field. These are intriguing because you have lost almost zero sharpness.
No, I don’t believe I took any shots of this bird while it was on this perch at ISO’s lower than 800, Martha. See my answer to Gary’s question below for an explanation.
Extenders work best on high quality lenses. Extenders in effect magnify weaknesses inherent in lower quality glass. With my 500 f/4 I never see any image degradation when using my 1.4 extender. I suspect careful pixel peeping might reveal some but if it’s there it isn’t enough for me to notice. One thing I do notice while using the 1.4 is a very slight loss of focusing speed.
On the other hand, my 100-400 is a high quality lens but because it’s a zoom it doesn’t have quite the sharpness of my 500 prime. When I use the 1.4 extender on my zoom I CAN see some increased loss of sharpness and overall image quality so I rarely use that combination.
I once had a Canon 2.0 extender that I used on my 500 but with that combination the loss of image quality was more noticeable. I got sharper shots without it and cropping more than I did when I used it and didn’t crop as much. I sold the 2.0 within a few months after I bought it if that tells you anything.
A fantastic series of photos! So crisp and clear! And, I loved the intensity in the birds eyes. You beautifully captured the emotion that Hawk was displaying.
Thanks very much, Lynnette.
Ron, In looking at the exif data you so willingly provide, I am puzzled….Please teach me something here.
Are you shooting in Manual Mode f/7.1, ISO 800 and manually adjusting the shutter speed accordingly OR Aperture mode setting the f/7.1, ISO at 800 and letting the camera adjust the shutter speed ?? Your images look like they were taken in quick sucession so I am wondering why the shutter speed varies between 4000-3200- 2500.
I tend to shoot Manual with shutter speed and f/stop set and let the camera adjust the ISO. Maybe I am doing something wrong here ?
Iām wondering the same thing as Gary C. These are some wonderful gems. Thanks for sharing.
Kirsten, see my answer to Gary’s question below.
Gary, I was shooting in aperture priority. I always do. No exceptions. So I set aperture and ISO and take the shutter speed it gives me. That’s one of the reasons (there are others) I typically shoot at higher shutter speeds than many other bird photographers. Shooting in aperture priority means my SS can vacillate up or down, sometimes dramatically, so I want some wiggle room. I’d MUCH rather have a little grain in my image from using higher ISO’s to get higher SS’s than I would a soft image – especially since I sort of specialize in action shots (behavior and flight).
No, I don’t think you’re “doing something wrong” by shooting birds in manual. Both styles have advantages and disadvantages and some bird photographers use one, some use the other and others switch back and forth depending on conditions and circumstances (that 3rd option would be my last choice, see below).
I’ve always been of the opinion that the best strategy is to choose one or the other and then become a master at it – to the point it becomes second nature so you don’t have to take the time to think about how you’re shooting and how to adjust for it. As you know I’m sure, when it comes to birds time is of the essence and even a split second lost thinking about what to do and then changing settings often means missing a great or even the best shot.
When that happens it hurts!
So if you’re used to shooting manual my advice would be… stick with it. Become as comfortable with it as you can be, get to know its quirks and its advantages and disadvantages as well as possible and adjust for them when you need to.
PS – In answer to your last question my shutter speed varied in these shots because of varying relative amounts of relatively dark bird and relatively light rocks exposed to my sensor as the bird moved and preened and as I adjusted my framing. In some shots more bright (or white) feathers were exposed than in others which in aperture priority changed my SS.
Excellent explanation. Thank you.
I’m glad you appreciated it, Kirsten. I probably got a little carried away but I guess the teacher in me came out so I wanted to answer the question as clearly as possible. After all, there’s a test on Friday. š
Thank you Ron for the detailed answer. It make a lot of sense. I see now why the shutter speed varies when the images seemed so close, but really did vary in the amount of white that showed on the bird and rocks.
Good, I’m glad it helped, Gary.
Beautiful series Ron. Number 4 is my favorite of the preening ones. Love the color and the actions. To my aging eyes the photos appear to be very sharp. Excellent work. And yes they do scream. I have taken hundreds of photos of our eagles screaming to each other or to one flying overhead exactly like your photo.
Everett, I’d say your “aging eyes” are serving you well. They are very sharp which is one of the things I like about the entire series.
Fun! š Don’t think of “birds” being very flexible until they start their preening routines….. First screaming photo I almost thought he was going to chuck a pellet…… š He REALLY got into that! He is a beautiful bird in a beautiful setting. š
Thanks, Judy. Sometimes just from a photo it’s hard to tell whether they’re trying to throw a pellet or calling out. Or even yawning.