Male Red-tailed Hawk Leaving His Mate At The Nest

A difficult setting for photography but I like how this one turned out.

 

1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 400, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

On one of my birding trips this spring I caught this adult male Red-tailed Hawk in a flight posture I like as he was taking off from his nest. He had just delivered a vole to his mate and young chicks in the nest and was off on another food run. On these food deliveries he doesn’t stay at the nest for long because at this stage of the game he’s the primary source of food for his family.

I really like the placement of the two hawks in the image with the male’s wings seeming to simultaneously frame and embrace his mate as he’s leaving. The fact that she’s looking at him almost endearingly as he does so only enhances my positive reaction to the photo.

Largely because of issues with exposure, the lighting at this nest setting is very difficult for photography. As a result I had to do more dinking around with highlights and shadows adjustments during processing than I like to but given what I had to work with I think it turned out pretty well.

Ron

 

PS – I won’t make you read my entire spiel again but no birds were disturbed while I was photographing the hawks at the nest.

 

25 Comments

  1. This image is wonderful, I think it might be the best photo of a pair of hawks that I have ever seen. Definitely one of my favorites among yours.

  2. The very essence of Red-tailed Hawk life, beautifully captured! And I do think I see at least one little peeper right in the center of the nest, just next to Mom and beneath Dad’s wing. Sweet!

  3. I vote for EXTREMELY well. I, too, am taken by the way he seems to be giving her a hug as he’s “Off to make the donuts.” (Sorry, that commercial popped into my head as I was reading your commentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyZtMfMWONI )

  4. Superb! Glad you spent more time adjusting this photo and as a result shared with us.

  5. And eye catches in both! With this photo the selling price of that nest will command a premium if the owners should ever put it on the market.

  6. Amazing photograph, Ron! I think this is my favorite of all your photos. I believe I can see a couple of fluff balls in the nest too! The movement and placement of the birds is wonderful. Perfection

  7. What a wonderful composition–a mid-air separated, yet intimate, embrace !
    Once again, you’ve captured the ineffable………

  8. Everett F Sanborn

    Excellent Ron. I’m laughing at Elephant’s Child calling you Capt Picky. You may be picky, but we are the beneficiaries of your pickiness.
    Laughing at the comparison of our human flight – hurtling down the runway at high speeds into the wind in order to create lift off, while nature’s flyers just deliver the food to the family and turn around and take off.

  9. Well worth the “tinkering” IMO! Beautiful! Background, male framing the female on the nest and the nest itself….. 🙂 Capturing that position of both birds relative to each other may never happen again…

    • “Capturing that position of both birds relative to each other may never happen again”

      Judy, I’d say I can count on it never happening again. Too many things would have to fall into place.

  10. Michael McNamara

    It’s not just subject and composition that makes this one a winner. It tells a story of a couple and their bond. This photo in this moment captures this ethos. It says it all.

  11. I am in complete agreement. It did turn out VERY well. Captain Picky says pretty well and the rest of us say very…

  12. I agree, It turned out VERY well. It’s a wonderful photo capturing a beautiful moment in the lives of this Red-tailed family.

  13. It turned out VERY well!

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