I almost gave up on this bird. I’m glad I didn’t.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Three days ago I was lucky to spot this immature Red-tailed Hawk peeking down at me from near the top of a cliff. “He” had a good view of me but I could only see his head, neck and upper breast. We stared at each other for quite a while and eventually I decided to give up on him and look for birds elsewhere. I didn’t need any more shots like this one.
But at the last second I realized that I had a chance at a better look at him if I slowly drove further forward to see if he’d be in view after I got past the large rock in front of him. So that’s what I did.
But as I was driving forward, the road I was on got closer to the base of the cliff, which completely blocked my view of the bird for a while. At that point I didn’t know if he’d eventually reappear. Or not.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
But I continued to drive forward and eventually I could see him again. The rock that had been blocking him is the one that mostly fills the left half of the frame. From this angle he was side lit but at least he was mostly out in the open.
A different composition of the same photo, just for the heck of it.
At this point I was hoping for takeoff and flight shots but I knew that if he took off in the direction his body was facing, I’d almost certainly not have any light on his face. My best chance for light on his face would be if he took off to my right or directly toward me while he was looking to his left.
Thankfully, he chose the latter.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I only got one flight shot I like and I like it quite a lot. In all my photos after this one I either cut off body parts or his face was in the shade of his wings.
But one is a helluva lot better than none, so I’ll take it.
Ron
Addendum: In case you’re curious about some of the photos I reject, here’s the next shot in the burst.
So familiar with those rocks seeing them over the years,
That reject is a really good shot. Just think how good that would
have been with just a wee bit more light.
Glad you hung in there and got these.
“Just think how good that would have been with just a wee bit more light.”
Everett, I think about that kind of thing too much. I’ve got to learn to get over “what might have been” more quickly.
Love the second take-off shot with the bird perfectly centered in the color-coordinated background. Thanks for contributing to my knowledge and enjoyment of all things birdy.
Thank you, Burrdoo.
Beautiful! Glad you were able to move a bit and get the shots tho I like the peekaboo shot also! 🙂 Even the “reject” is appealing. 😉 Nice to have somewhere to “move to” to improve the situation – option isn’t always available…..
Judy, I didn’t think I’d be able to see that bird after I went around the rock. Just goes to show, you never know unless you try.
#4— Those wings ! Those sleek, powerful legs! Whatabird !
Glad you like it, Kris. Thanks.
Most of us would be thrilled to get something half as good as your rejects, you must know.
Thanks, Cheryl. I can remember the day when I’d have been pretty happy to get that “addendum” shot too.
That third one with the bit of sky in it is nice. The better of the two IMHO.
“But one is a helluva lot better than none, so I’ll take it.”
Words to live by.
Thanks, Michael. Far more often than not, it’s “none”.