Diurnal Raptors – Page 83 – Feathered Photography

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk

For several days early last month I was able to photograph this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk (and occasionally its apparent sibling) while it was “sit and wait” hunting for voles from elevated rocks on Antelope Island. The first six images I’ve presented here were all taken on the same morning. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Many of these shots were taken during or just after take-off and you’ll notice that the bird was flying to my left in all six images taken that morning. That’s due to the “lay of the land” and the fact that the rocks this bird was hunting from were angled on the side of the mountain in such a way that the hawk was always hunting an area to my left. This is one of the few times the bird took off when it wasn’t after prey. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in When the hawk had spotted prey before it took off it never took its eyes off the quarry as it was going in, so I normally wouldn’t get direct eye contact. This bird was very close when it took off – you’ll notice from my techs that I’d removed my tc and the hawk was still quite large in the frame. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in It was somewhat problematic when there were rocks directly behind the…

Northern Harrier In Flight Along The Causeway

A few weeks ago I was able to photograph this Northern Harrier along the Antelope Island causeway. I like both of these shots because of the good look at the topside of the bird. 1/2000. f/6.3. ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in The background certainly isn’t “classic” by any means but it’s one found in very few places on the planet, which makes me appreciate it. The lighter colors are Great Salt Lake beach sand and the strips of red are windrows of brine fly pupae cases that have been washed up by the waves into parallel rows. And hey, their colors even go well with the bird (I know, I’m reaching for that one…) 1/2000. f/6.3. ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in This was the next shot in the burst. I prefer the second image because of the slightly better head turn toward the viewer, the more appealing catch light in the eye and the aerodynamic wing position that suggests speed. But I’m glad to have them both because decent flight shots of harriers don’t come easy. Ron

Swainson’s Hawk – Contrasting Top And Bottom Views In Flight

This bird was one of the early migrants into Utah in the first week of April this year. Swainson’s Hawks winter in South America, which means they funnel through narrow Central America as they migrate each way. To give you an idea of how many birds that involves, 845,000 of them have been counted as they passed over Veracruz, Mexico in a single autumn. Incredible! 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I found this bird in a remote area of Box Elder County, hunting from power poles. One of the reasons I like this image is because it’s fairly unusual for me to get a raptor in full flight (instead of just after taking off, note the position of the feet) when it’s not soaring or gliding with its wings in a horizontal position. I’m always interested when I can get images that contrast the ventral and dorsal colors and plumage patterns of the same species in flight. Swainson’s Hawks are quite dark dorsally. 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in But when you can get good light in the ventral view, the contrast is striking. Even though these two images were taken 34 minutes apart, I’m relatively certain that it’s the same bird in both shots. This hawk was coming to land on a power pole and even though the flight position screams for a perch in front of the bird, I took the liberty of cloning out the ugly pole…

American Kestrel In Flight

Anyone who follows my blog knows that I love to photograph raptors and flight shots are perhaps my favorite genre. But I’ve found getting acceptable flight shots of the American Kestrel to be nigh on to impossible (unless they’re hovering). The smaller the bird, the more difficult it is to get in flight, for a variety of reasons, and kestrels are perhaps our smallest raptor. The best chance is to catch them just after take-off. Most raptors give some indication of imminent take-off (body posture, defecation etc) so you often know when it’s coming, but kestrels generally don’t. They launch so incredibly fast, and in unpredictable directions, that luck will always play a large role in getting the shot. Then, throw into the mix the fact that their speed requires very high shutter speeds and the result is a very formidable photographic quarry. 1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in Two days ago I was able to get this shot of a female kestrel taking off from a metal post. I like the wing position, light and especially the acrobatic position of the legs and feet. I had the shutter speed to get the bird sharp but f/5.6 didn’t give me enough depth of field to prevent blur in the right wing. But I think a little wing blur in a shot like this still works pretty well. Ron

An Incredible Experience With A Prairie Falcon And A Hapless Duck

This morning on Antelope Island was a photographic bust – heavy snow coming down most of the time and no light to speak of. So finally, after several hours of hoping the clouds would clear, we put our tails between our legs and headed for home. Talk about perfect timing! We’d traversed about half the causeway when the clouds parted, light blossomed and a serendipitous adult Prairie Falcon appeared, hunting for ducks. The falcon ambushed this male Northern Shoveler just as I was getting my pickup in position, so I missed that shot but this one was taken within a second or two of the strike. The duck is bleeding heavily. It struggled for a minute or so, and then died in the water. After the attack, the falcon would perch along the causeway for a short period, then take off and fly over the duck. This was done repeatedly. With my 500mm plus tc I could never get both the duck and the falcon in the image – this is as close as I came. 1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Here, the falcon is perched to watch the duck out on the water. 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I had a difficult time locking focus on the falcon as it buzzed the duck because the textured water background was so close to the bird. I kept getting sharp shots of…

Prairie Falcon In Flight, With Prey

This image may look familiar to some viewers because I’ve previously posted another photo of this bird with a different wing position. I only got those two sharp shots of the falcon and I’d never processed this image before because the bird was too tight in the frame. I’d actually forgotten about this photo until recently when I decided it was worth making the effort to add some canvas to improve the composition. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I found this juvenile feeding on its duck kill along the Antelope Island causeway last winter on a dark and blustery late morning. Two ravens began to harass the falcon with the apparent intention of stealing the duck so the rightful owner of the prey took off with the prize in tow. Within seconds, an adult Bald Eagle moved in and forced the falcon to drop the duck. One thing I find interesting about this image is the angle of the bird to the horizon – it looks like it’s flying downward, but in reality it’s actually gaining altitude. Normally, with the bird at this flight attitude, I’d rotate counterclockwise a little to make the flight angle more realistic looking, but since the horizon is in the background it’s obvious that the shot doesn’t need rotation since the horizon is level. The reason for the angled flight attack is the load that the falcon is hauling while it’s trying to gain altitude. The lower background is the dark, stormy and…

The Return Of The Rough-legged Hawks

One of the most pleasant harbingers of winter for me is always the return of the Rough-legged Hawks. This species breeds in high subarctic and arctic regions so we don’t see them from about March through October but they usually winter around here in good numbers and I love to photograph this handsome buteo. There’s been a few “roughies” on Antelope Island for a couple of weeks now but this morning was the first time this year I’ve been able to get close enough for good photos. This bird chose to perch on the same dark rocks that I’ve been photographing Red-tailed Hawks on. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in (same techs for all the images in this post) I wasn’t quite as close as I’d have liked to have been for perched shots so I waited for take-off. And waited. And waited. Almost went to sleep… Finally, a couple of men on horseback were riding the trail behind the rock in the background and I figured they’d spook the bird. They did. At least I didn’t miss the moment of take-off, which is so easy to do when you have to wait for it for so long. I got five sharp shots after take-off and something unusual happened with each of them. Normally, you’re lucky to get one image with the bird looking directly at you. Usually, they’re looking in the direction of flight but for some…

American Kestrel Eating “Grit”

I don’t have any beautiful photos today but I do have some interesting behavior. Yesterday morning, I came across this female American Kestrel sitting in the middle of a large, isolated, gravel parking lot/camping area on Antelope Island. I thought it was an unusual resting place for a kestrel and as I approached her in my pickup I was even more intrigued when she didn’t immediately fly off, as this species typically does. She repeatedly took a couple of wingbeats and flew a few feet, but never far. She was, for some reason, reluctant to leave and at first I couldn’t figure out why. I was eventually able to work my way close enough to her to see that she was swallowing small stones from the gravel parking lot. This was a behavior that I’d never seen before in a raptor, though I’ve often seen it in other birds. As a biologist, I’m aware of the general function of the gizzard in birds – that seed eating birds swallow “grit” to act as teeth (birds have no true teeth, presumably a weight saving adaptation for flight) within the grinding gizzard so they can physically break down their hard food and prepare it for chemical digestion. And it had been my understanding that raptors don’t consume grit because they don’t eat seeds. The flesh they consume is easily digested and doesn’t need to be physically broken down first. So why is this little falcon swallowing small stones? I decided to ask Mark Runnels, an extremely knowledgeable master falconer from Oklahoma and…

Swainson’s Hawks In Different Types Of Light

It goes without saying that light angle, intensity and warmth can have huge effects on an image, both positive and negative. I thought it might be interesting to see the effects of different types of light on the same species – in this case, Swainson’s Hawks. 1/160, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Here, the sun was low and the light warm. The light was directional (side lighting the bird) but it worked pretty well because the darker parts of the bird are in the direct light. The head angle is just right for this pose – if the head were angled any more toward me I’d have lost the catch light and light on the face. If it were turned any more away from me I’d have lost good eye contact. 1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Like in the previous image, this hawk is side lit. The difference is that the bird has its light, creamy colored belly facing the sun so the whites, though they’re not blown out, are a tad too bright and lacking detail. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I took this image a little later in the morning, so the light wasn’t so warm and at that angle enough of it is reflecting up from the ground to give me sufficient detail in the shaded, dark brown plumage…

A Good Look At The Feather Patterns Of A Prairie Falcon

Last month, this Prairie Falcon let me get very close to it on the causeway to Antelope Island. It was in early morning and the bird was in deep shade. It’s my impression that they feel less threatened in that kind of light and though it makes for very difficult photography, I’ll take the bird close in poor light, instead of a mile away in gorgeous light – any ol’ day of the week. 1/640, f/4.5, ISO 640, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Previously, I’ve posted a different image of this bird but that one didn’t have the textures provided by the raised feathers that we see here. 1/800, f/4.5, ISO 640, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in When this bird decided it was time to leave it had a bit of a pleasant surprise for me. In this light and with this slow shutter speed I could never get the bird sharp as it took off but just before it launched, it spread its wings and held them there for a few seconds and it even glanced back enough for me to get some light in the eye. But what I like most about this image is the great look at the feather patterns on the left wing and back. Because of the spread wing and the lightly colored margins on each feather, those patterns are very clear and it is easy to delineate each plumage “group” – primaries, secondaries, primary coverts, greater coverts, median coverts, lesser coverts, alula, scapulars,…

Red-tailed Take Off From Farmington Canyon Complex Rocks

I’ve said before how much I prefer the very dark Farmington Canyon Complex rocks on Antelope Island as perches, over the bright white Tintic Quartzite rocks found on the northern part of the island. This juvenile Red-tailed Hawk made my morning last month when it chose just such a rock to hunt from. I always enjoy it when I can get multiple shots of some interesting behavior or action in sequence. To me it’s almost like a very slow motion video and though it may include a few images that aren’t perfect individually I think that collectively the photos gain value as a group for what they illustrate – the whole can be greater than its parts. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, shot from pickup window, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Photographing take-offs is always a challenge. The bird may just sit there for a half hour or longer but when it happens it’s quick and easy to miss. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, shot from pickup window, natural light, not baited, set up or called in You also need to be concerned about what direction it will go and if you’re too close (it’s easy to clip wings if you are) or too far away (which shows less detail). Those with zoom lenses have an advantage over me because they can quickly adjust their focal length to whatever they want within their zoom range, while the only option I have is to attach or detach my teleconverter, which is cumbersome and takes time. …

Falconry – A Detriment To The Birds?

As some of you will remember, I’ve recently made two posts calling into question some of the ethics of the “sport” (some don’t like that term) of falconry. This was the bird that prompted my most recent post – an “escaped” female Peregrine Falcon that I photographed along the Antelope Island causeway a few weeks ago. You’ll notice that she still has her leather falconry anklets above her feet (only one can be seen in this photo). And last year, this escaped male American Kestrel was loose near Farmington Bay WMA and it still had not only its anklets but its jesses. The extreme danger to the bird of having those long, dangling jesses engangle and kill the kestrel is obvious. In both posts I questioned the ethics of falconry in general, but admitting my relative ignorance of the subject I asked (on the second post) for more information from my readers to “enlighten” me on the subject. For those who haven’t seen those posts and have the interest, here’s the links: Escaped Falconry Bird – Peregrine Falcon Escaped Falconry Bird – Peregrine Falcon, Again Mark Runnels, a master falconer from Oklahoma, responded to the second post with a series of very detailed, knowledgeable and thoughtful comments on falconry – responding to each of my concerns dispassionately and eloquently. However, that post was made on September 17 and Mark didn’t begin to comment until October 23, which means that his valuable information likely went under the radar for most of my readers (very few folks come back to a…

Compositional Mind Games

There are times when I really struggle with composition when I’m cropping an image. To a degree, composition is a matter of taste and personal preference, though most folks would agree on a few major principles. Some of those might be: avoid clipping body parts or cropping too tight on the subject the subject usually (though not always) should not be centered in the frame leave plenty of room in the frame in the direction the subject is facing, looking or flying (in the case of birds) Where I sometimes run into difficulty making a composition decision is when there are other compositional elements in the image that I might like to include in the final version of the photo. Thanks largely to the influence of Richard Ditch, I’ve become fond of strong graphic lines in some of my images, as long as those lines come from natural or rustic elements (power poles or wires just won’t cut it with me). This summer I photographed a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk on an old, rustic pole fence in Beaverhead County, Montana and I’m having a very difficult time making cropping decisions on some of those images. My natural tendency is to crop fairly tightly on the bird to get good detail on the subject but I also like the graphic lines provided by the fence with different cropping choices. Several times I’ve thought I’d finally figured out which version I prefer, but when I came back to the computer a few hours later and looked at them one more time I was again undecided. Compositional mind…

The Delightfully Disgusting Turkey Vulture

Some folks think of Turkey Vultures as pretty revolting birds. Personally, I find that to be an unfair characterization but perhaps some of the following facts will explain the reaction some have toward these vultures. (warning – I suggest that you not be eating as you read this…) Turkey Vultures: are carrion eaters prefer fresh carrion but they can’t open the carcass of thick-skinned animals so they often wait until it is putrid and soft before they dine. typically enter the carcass through the genitals, anus, nostrils or mouth and consume the tongue and eyes first will eat almost anything that is dead, including skunks. But even Turkey Vultures have limits and they will often eat around skunk scent glands and leave them behind. deliberately defecate on their own legs and feet, possibly as a cooling mechanism. 1/1000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light They also often assume poses similar to this one when in direct sunlight. This behavior is thought to be a form of thermoregulation or a way of utilizing the sterilizing effect of ultraviolet on their plumage. Or both. Yes, some of the behaviors of this species tend to put some of us off a bit but it’s nice that there’s someone “out there” to clean up all of those nasty carcasses. In fact, the genus name for this bird, Cathartes, means “purifier”. Quite appropriate, I think. Ron Note: I’m on a camping/photo trip for a few days and will be largely out of touch until my return. I’ll catch up on answering comments and any questions when I…

Red-tailed Hawk With Blooming Rabbitbrush

I love the fall colors of the blooming rabbitbrush on Antelope Island. I’m always looking to photograph songbirds perched on it because it can make such an attractive setting but for some reason they don’t often use it for a perch. But about two weeks ago I was able to get some images of this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk with blooming rabbitbrush in the setting and even though, in many of those photos, the rabbitbrush is a little “busy” and takes attention away from the bird, I still liked the shots for a change of pace from the soft, unidentified bokeh that is often preferred in avian photography. Some of these shots show habitat well and sometimes that’s a good thing… 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This bird had been “sit and wait” hunting as it was perched very low and close to me on a rusty, metal gate when it spotted something at the base of this rabbitbrush and flew in for the capture. At first I thought it had been successful because the hawk was “mantling” (spreading wings and tail over prey to hide it from potential competitors) but in the end it came up empty-taloned. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in So it soon flew off and I was able to get some shots as it did so. I like the dynamic take-off posture in this image, though some may find that the relative sharpness and bright…

Category: Diurnal Raptors