Yesterday was a very good day for several species of raptors.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This is almost certainly the same unusually dark, immature Red-tailed Hawk I posted photos of two weeks ago. ‘He’s’ still young enough that yesterday morning he was practicing his landings by repeatedly taking off and landing on rocky perches that were close to each other, which provided me some much-needed practice too. This is one of my favorite shots from our shared practice session.
I’ve said before many times that it’s much more difficult to photograph birds landing than it is to capture them taking off, so I don’t have many photos like this one that are sharp. This young and enthusiastic bird in this single session gave me several of them, for which I’m grateful.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a good morning with raptors and the timing couldn’t have been better, considering the angst I was going through after losing one of my best friends to cancer. Finally, I was able to think about something else for a good long while.
Another example of birds as therapy.
Ron
What a fabulous bird crossing your viewfinder! You got the perfect shot of his raised alulae and his long, long legs! So glad you got to spend some time with him.
Thanks, Marty. I actually had several encounters with him that morning. Fun bird.
Nature is definitely solace and heart balm. And your photos so often provide me with both.
Love this determined bird, captured by an equally determined photographer (despite the fact that sometimes you are both less than successful).
Thanks, EC.
You are so right about landings being a challenge to capture well!
Thank you, once again, for showing it CAN be done.
Nature’s respite can be our best therapy.
“Thank you, once again, for showing it CAN be done.”
Thank you, Wally but I definitely had some help from the bird. I’ll probably be telling you about that in a later post.
He has such a juvenile look of strong intent on making that landing! Great photo. My bird therapy has landed at home, more like insanity! Although I am not taking as many as I use to. Time to start getting everyone out of the center and back into the wild.
It’s a busy time of year for you, isn’t it April.
As I watch a young Western Tanager taking a bath in my fountain just now, I can fully support “bird therapy” as the best kind of comfort medicine. I lost my big brother on Friday night after a very long and arduous journey, so my WT and your RTHA offer a welcome lift to the spirits. So glad you caught the action with this handsome young fella! ♥️
I’m so very sorry about your brother, Chris. I wish you and your entire family the best.
Thanks, Ron, I do appreciate that.
Hey Chris, I wanted to offer my own condolences. Peace to him on his journey. Peace to those left behind.
I think the amazing thing about birding and bird photography is that we photographers try to get inside their heads, “Where is he going to land?” “What is he going to do next?” But the irony is they get inside ours. And of course, that’s the beauty of birds.
You said that so very well, Beth!
Avian touch-n-goes.
If bird flight is anything at all like human aircraft piloting then yes, landings are more difficult than takeoffs. For raptors there is also the landing-like controlled chaos of the capturing prey.
Love that photo. Perfect composition. Just beautiful. One can clearly see the bird’s intense concentration for that critical moment of contact with the landing zone.
Thanks for appreciating the composition, Michael. I like it too.
Imagine all that a bird must process to land. Slowing down but still maintaining sufficient speed to stay aloft and judging where and when to move the feet and grasp a perch and then stop and not fall off balance. And this at least, is a stationary perch, not a moving branch as many birds land on. It’s a lot to put together, especially when it’s still new to you.
I certainly know birds as therapy. While I was being treated for AML I could see eagles and Osprey flying along the river from my hospital window. The chemo left my eyes in very bad condition. But, even though I can no longer see a bird well enough to ID it well, it still provides a great source of therapy. Nature is always a place for healing. Your photos provide a part of that as well.
Thank you, Dan. Another thing they have to account for when landing is wind.
Lovely photo, and I agree birds/photography provide great therapy!
Thanks, Sandie.
I like the sense of suspense in this photo, Will he stick that landing or not? He appears to be coming in a little low, although the landing gear looks to be positioned correctly.
One wonders what he has been doing to shred those tail feathers. Perhaps just normal wear and tear. Mine would probably look worse if I had feathers back there.
Lyle, he stuck the landing. But this landing was an easy one compared to some they have to do.
The landing may be more difficult for the bird as well as for the photographer? I remember the excitement in the Olympics when a gymnast or ice skater “sticks a landing”
“The landing may be more difficult for the bird as well as for the photographer?”
I think they definitely are more difficult for the bird, Frances. I seldom see them screw up the takeoff but crash landings are far from unusual at that age.
Your blog serves as therapy for me. And the comments. It reminds me there are good people in this world.
Thank you, Arwen. Yes, there are and a lot of them are here.
Really good shot Ron. Definitely much harder to get landing photos than take offs. At least you know from where the bird is going to take off and then it is just a matter of time, but for landing you first have to either be following it or just guessing where it will land.
Yup, that’s it in a nutshell Everett. Sharp landing shots ain’t easy.
Ron,
Good morning from Florida! With the two hour time difference our schedules are closer! Sorry about your friend. Nice pic. And yes, I understand the therapy of getting out with the camera. Looks like the PM in the AM!
Best,
Stephen
Thanks, Stephen. I don’t venture to different time zones often so I remember that it was a bit of a struggle for me to adjust when I flew to Florida to be with daughter Shannon after her accident.
Beautiful! Great to be able to get lost in something you love to distract from this painful time in your life over events current and past – let you move back to “life” for a bit! Bird still has “fluffy” pantaloons it seems….. 😉 Glad he gave you some quality time to practice while he was! 🙂
Thank you, Judy.
“Another example of birds as therapy”….so true. Thanks, Ron.
Red-tailed Hawks have become a meaningful part of our family’s therapy since our grandson, Chris, died four years ago. Your post today is is even more special as today marks Chris’s 25th birthday.
Thanks, Peg. Yes, Mark mentioned the same thing, below. Anniversaries like that can be tough.
A spectacular photo! And I appreciate how creating such a fine photo lifts your spirit as you also grieve the loss of your friend. To take wonderful photos like this requires fully immersing yourself in the moment and cherishing that one split-second you’re in. Keep up the good work.
“To take wonderful photos like this requires fully immersing yourself in the moment”
Exactly, Alison. You can’t be thinking about something else and succeed in an attempt to photograph landing birds. It simply doesn’t work.
A terrific photo of the Red-tailed Hawk. Posted on Chris’ birthday no less. He would have been 25 today. Seeing your photo is a gift for us.
Very sorry to read of your good friend Dennis’ passing. You posted a wonderful tribute to him. Thank you for sharing that with us.
Thanks on both counts, Mark. I’m sure today is difficult for you so I wish you peace. Yesterday, the day I posted about Dennis, was also my sister Mona’s birthday. Mona died of cancer too so I know what you mean about timing.
Yes! Birds as therapy! Amen!
Yup.