Yesterday I finally got out on another bona fide bird photography trip. It had been a long while so it really felt good, despite having an unexpected and hair-raising adventure near the end of my trip.
It was heavily overcast when I left home in the dark and the forecast for light at my shooting destination was iffy at best. So I was delighted to find clear skies and excellent light when the sun came up soon after I arrived. And it stayed that way all morning.
I even found a few birds.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This presumed female (based on size and tarsi thickness) adult Red-tailed Hawk was one of them. I nearly missed seeing her. She was perched on a rocky outcrop very close to the road but I didn’t spot her until I’d almost passed her. She had pity on me and didn’t spook while I backed my pickup up to get a better light angle and a little further away to accommodate takeoff and flight shots.
I got several photos of her during and after takeoff and this was one of my favorites. I like her takeoff/flight posture, the warm early morning light and the matching colors of bird and perch. I was also glad to see that she already had a nearly full crop that early in the morning (8:50).
Yesterday was a bit of an adventure. I was alone and in a remote area that had more snow on the ground than I expected to find. As I gained elevation while climbing a plateau on an even more remote and narrow dirt road, the amount of snow on the road increased quickly – to almost 6″. The snow was crusted over so as I tried to drive up the long steep hill, the vehicle tracks in the snow kept trying to throw me off of the steep-banked road. It was dicey to say the least, especially after recent surgery that made me much more vulnerable.
I eventually made it safely up the hill but even in 4WD it was close. With all the experience I’ve had driving in snow in Montana it still got my attention.
If I hadn’t bought new and more aggressive tires a couple of weeks ago I’d have been in deep doodoo. Thankfully, my new tires (Falken Wildpeak A/T3W) performed like champs.
Ron
PS – Here’s another reason I was nervous about my predicament in the snow.
It was cold! And there was a stiff breeze to make it feel much colder.
This photo was taken a few minutes before sunrise and about 45 minutes before I took the red-tail photo above. 8° F. is as cold as I’ve seen it in the valleys this winter.
In case you’re curious, my phone isn’t hooked up to Bluetooth because it’s a new phone and I just haven’t done it yet. And yes, that’s my finger in the upper left corner – my version of a selfie I guess.
“Aggressive tires” scares me. Lol
(delayed comment on my part…)
“If I hadn’t bought new and more aggressive tires a couple of weeks ago I’d have been in deep doodoo. Thankfully, my new tires (Falken Wildpeak A/T3W) performed like champs.”
A good set of winter capable tires (3 peaks rated) are so valuable in snow or ice conditions! Those look like great ones.
Sensational Shot Ron!
CharlotteNorton
Thanks, Charlotte.
BRRRRRR! So glad you made it through all that snow. And glad you were able to share this beautiful Red Tail with us all.
Sending out a “Happy Lunar New Year!” to those who celebrate. ❤️
It WAS cold, Marty. I hated to even step out of my pickup to pee after all that coffee!
Nice redtail shot! Good to hear you are out but be safe! I think I know where you were. I have had phone reception out that way in the past with Verizon. However with the 5G now I am not sure about my reception in the area. The area I do not have reception is Spiral Jetty and Locomotive Springs. I have a 48 hour emergency pack for 2 people, two gallons of water along with sleeping bags and warm gear in my car at all times. I also carry in my car a hand size sledge hammer and WD40, since once out that way with a friend we could not get a flat tire off his car and had to call a tow truck. I was the only one with phone reception of the three of us. My gear will be coming with us when I go with my friend to Great Falls in March. We are taking her car.
Great reminder to replenish my earthquake kits/animal kits for the cars and add some WD40. Thank you, April! 💜
April, in winter I always have additional warm clothes, hats, gloves, some water (I need to carry more) but I should add a sleeping bag and food to my list.
In a box in the back of my pickup I also carry a blanket, shovel, tow rope, portable air compressor, jumper cables, 2 extra jacks of different types, a come along, cheater bar, basic tools and a few other similar things.
Oh, and heavy-duty wire cutters for cutting critters out of barbed wire.
I have a wire cutter and a fence tool with extra wire for repair. The one time I needed it I had removed it from the trunk for more room for a book haul for work. It’s back and I won’t ever take it out again for more space.
Always appreciate a great RT shot!
Good!
She practically glows she’s so warm and beautiful! Very happy for you to get out into the field and have such a cooperative subject and light … but please, the fewer “dicey” adventures while you’re still in recovery mode, the better. Just sayin’ …. 😳
Thanks, Chris. Agreed, the fewer the better – during recovery and after.
HEADLINE NEWS
Search and rescue was notified by an ATV driver that a truck had slid down a bank in a remote mountainous location despite having top-of-the-line tires for the conditions. When asked why he risked driving (alone and without a cell phone connection, if you can’t believe it) the man, a well-known bird photographer extraordinaire, picked up his fortunately undamaged camera and showed the rescuers the photo he had gotten. All agreed the risk was worth it.
Lyle, I like your story but I did have cell service and my phone was working – it just wasn’t hooked up to the Bluetooth in my pickup.
So luck was (for a change) being a lady.
I am thrilled that you were able to get out, delighted at that well fed red-tail and so grateful that you made it there and back safely.
Thank you, EC.
That short is GORGEOUS……the brilliant blue is a perfect foil for all her
browns and russets, and all the detail is so crisp ! I’ve heard about satellite phones– is that a possibility for you, given the wild and wooly places you go ?
I had an icy slip and fall and it was 8 degrees here, too– all I could thin of was
That shot is GORGEOUS ! The brilliant blue is a perfect foil for her browns
and russets, and the detail is so crisp ! It was 8 degrees down here yesterday
and I had a slip and fall– I wasn’t hurt, but all I could think of was how long
an injured older person would last, undiscovered, in that kind of cold. Given
the wild and wooly places you go, I wonder if you’ve thought about a satellite
phone ?
Kris, its unusual for me not to have cell service in most of the areas where I go shooting. In a couple of them it’s a little sketchy though…
Great shot! of the Redtail:) The rest not so much…… 🙁 NOT the kind of “rush” you need. 😉 Thankfully, you didn’t have to try and back down or take a trip “down a coolie”. Is cell service even available there?
Judy, I usually have cell service in most of that area.
First, glad you made it safely! Dicey to say the least.
We don’t have snow and ice, but in the swamp last week one tire went flat and another lost 10 pounds of pressure. Changed the one, limped to gas station to fill the other. Tire people pulled out three screws from the flat and one nail from the other. I’m too old to change tires!
The photograph of that magnificent raptor is simply sublime!
I’m too old to change them too, Wally. Even when I’m feeling good…
Love your Red-tail takeoffs. Great shot. You better be careful out there driving up snow covered hills on 8 degree mornings. You surely do not want to get out into the snow post surgery and try to dig your truck out.
“You surely do not want to get out into the snow post surgery and try to dig your truck out.”
I sure don’t, Everett – especially yesterday. That stiff breeze was bitterly cold.