Once in a great while in bird photography things go unexpectedly right instead of unexpectedly wrong.
1/4000, f/6.3, 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
Very soon after sunrise yesterday morning I found myself looking at this Peregrine Falcon through my viewfinder. Peregrines are an unusual species for me so it goes without saying that I was delighted, even though ‘he’ kept his back to me for the entire time he was perched.
Larger falcons like Prairie Falcons and Peregrine Falcons have an unusual behavioral quirk they sometimes perform prior to takeoff – they spread, then raise and lower their wings slowly but repeatedly before eventually taking off. They don’t always do it but they do it often enough that I’d call it a ‘tendency’. That’s exactly what this guy did but I’m not including any of those shots because he was turned perfectly away from me so I couldn’t even see his face.
I figured he was about to take off and I was right. This shot was taken just prior to liftoff and his body posture made me almost certain that he was about to take off away from me and slightly to my right. I was of course hugely disappointed – the last thing I need is more butt shots, even if they’re of a Peregrine Falcon in flight.
But at the very last second the beautiful, wonderful falcon had pity on me and changed his apparent flight plan.
1/4000, f/6.3, 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
As he slowly raised his wings one last time he twisted on his perch and prepared to take off to my left instead of away from me.
1/4000, f/6.3, 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
This is two shots later in the burst and I absolutely adore it.
Followers of Feathered Photography often chide me (including yesterday) for pointing out flaws in my images so some readers may be shocked to know that I’m not going to nitpick anything in this image. I like everything about it including the warm light soon after sunrise, the head turn toward the viewer providing a catch light and eye contact, the slightly banking flight posture that allows us to see most of his dorsal surfaces and the partially flared alula on his left wing. I even like his broken tail feather (I checked, it’s broken not missing) as evidence of the rigorous, even dangerous lifestyle of a Peregrine Falcon.
To top it all off the bird is tack sharp so there’s an amazing amount of detail even though I wasn’t very close to the bird.
1/4000, f/6.3, 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
As an indicator of just how sharp the falcon is, this version of the same photo has been cropped to only 10% of the original image (2 MP out of 20 MP). Even cropped this much there’s still plenty of detail to see part of the tomial tooth (falcon tooth) on his upper mandible and the nose cone (baffle, tubercle) inside his nostril. In my book to be able to clearly see the nose cone of a wild Peregrine in flight means the photo is sharp.
But I paid a steep price for this image I like so much. After it was taken I clipped or cut off body parts in every subsequent shot in the series.
I’ll pay that price willingly but it’s still a painful one.
Ron
Wait.
You. Like. Everything?
Who are you and what have you done with the professor?!!!
I love the sharp peek a boo talon subtly giving us humans a much deserved finger…and recommend the adult engaging kid’s book “My Side of the Mountain” featuring the falcon Frightful. Thank you sir!
These are beautiful, congratulations on the find and wonderful images!
Thank you, April.
‘Unexpectedly wrong’? I suspect that the ‘wrongness’ (debatable) of birds behaviour and your photographs is expected rather than unexpected. And once in a while (often from my perspective here) it all comes together for an amazing shot.
Thanks, EC. Whether it happens once in a while or often it isn’t often enough for me.
Yes indeed, Ron Dudley,“the beautiful, wonderful falcon”…
Susan, that’s exactly how I felt about him when he turned on the perch. Still do.
I adore peregrines and watch them on the UCBerkeley webcam daily (since my Anacapa Island nest sadly failed this year) … so I’m kind of freaking out here (plagued with doubts of my ID skills) that you didn’t note this is a juvenile bird. Isn’t s/he? All the streaking on the breast, the dark reddish-brown color rather than typical blue-gray or slate of adults … too bad s/he’s got a broken tail feather already! Anyway, absolutely fantastic photos of a spectacular raptor— thank you for my Falcon Fix! 😬
Chris, to be honest I’m not confident in my Peregrine Falcon aging skills so I didn’t mention it but I suspect you’re right. I don’t see them often enough to be very good at it. But just based on the fact that he allowed me a fairly close approach makes me suspect he’s a young bird.
Or maybe “sub-adult” — just way too splotchy/spotty on breast, I think, to be full-on adult! 😎 Either way, a gorgeous representation of the species.
This bird was hatched last year, and her body molt is well-along. You can see the difference in color between the brown juvenile feathers on her back and the new, lead-colored adult feathers. Also the browner, streaked juvenile feathers that dominate her breast vs. the lighter, barred adult feathers on her flanks. It looks like she’s dropped a primary on each wing, but hasn’t started dropping tail feathers yet. Those central tail feather are the first to go, so the broken ones will be replaced quite soon.
Fascinating info, Carel. Thanks.
Thanks, Carel—I seem to learn these ID details and then forget them as soon as I’m faced with a bird in the wild that I haven’t watched on cam from hatch to fledge! 🙄
Lovely, lovely! And a bonus bird, too, (also amazing photos!) with your link to the post about the alula. So much we learn from you, Ron. Thank you.
Then I’m glad I included that link, Carolyn. To be honest I did it as an afterthought.
He’s winking at you! Glorious shot Ron. 😊
I’ve been an FP follower long enough to know that capturing that second or fraction thereof is the difference between what you decide to post or not. You excel on both counts. Plus, interesting and informative commentary. I guess that makes three counts.
Then thanks on all three counts, Lyle!
Wow! Glorious! I enjoy the critiques as they help me as a novice photographer understand better what to look for AND to recognize when it didn’t work! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Kellie. But keep in mind, what works for some folks doesn’t necessarily work for others.
Great Photos. Your skill and art are exceptional.
For several years I watched the bird cam that was installed in the box on top of the Joseph Smith Building downtown and miss it a lot.. I now watch one of eagles in Florida. It is great to their behaviors.
Betty, as I’m sure you know those downtown Peregrine chicks had a rough time of it when they fledged. Pretty neat that they nested there though.
Wowza❗️Beautiful
I can just imagine your excitement when he turned around 🥳
Yup, pretty darn excited.
Wow, your self-critique added greatly to my enjoyment of these wonderful photos. Yes, you have sometimes seemed to be too hard on yourself. I missed the broken tail feather but you turned that into an educational moment and I cannot accuse you of nit-picking this time.
Thanks, Ken. I zoomed in on a high resolution version of that image to make sure it was broken instead of missing. It was, broken that is.
WoW!
🙂
Truly amazing shots of a beautiful bird. Congratulations, Ron!
Thanks, Justine.
oops – meant to say photo #3
Beautiful falcon, great colors against that perfect sky, sharp as you can get, and I truly think that #2 is the best Peregrine falcon photo I have ever personally seen. If I took that shot it would be framed right here on my office wall. Envious too because it reminds me that although we have them here I have not seen one in quite a while.
Thanks, Everett. I don’t see them often either, less often than I used to.
WOW! Beautiful Falcon and great shots of him! 🙂 Rich coloring and detail of the pattern of his feathers and face REALLY show him off! A well deserved “good day” 🙂
If not a good day, at least a good few minutes. Thanks, Judy.
Never heard of a nose cone! Oh the things I learn here …
Great shots, Ron. I especially like the first one with his preparing for lift off pose.
Thanks, Jamila. Good to know you’re learning some stuff.
Yes Sir !! Those are sharp !!
Thanks, Gary. Sure glad I sent my rig into Canon for repair!
You’re on a roll, Ron!
A short one but I’ll take it.
Terrific image, Ron…..definitely one for the portfolio!
Thank you, Thomas.
Agree Thomas! and I think I see the bird’s wink at Ron for changing its flight plan to be more photogenic 🙂
Ron not picking nits? Glad I was sitting down for that! 😂
What a good looking, albeit a bit disheveled, falcon! I’m so glad he was cooperative. I like all the twisting and that little bit of fluff on the right wing, along with the view of the broken tail feather in the first shot. Got my wing fling in the second shot too. And that third shot really is sharp. I can see the nose cone and tomial tooth without the extra embiggening you did for the portrait.
Marty, thanks for pointing out the tomial tooth. I didn’t think of it but now I’m going to edit my text to include it.