Diurnal Raptors – Page 84 – Feathered Photography

Escaped Falconry Bird – Peregrine Falcon, Again

This morning, just as the sun was peeking over the mountains, we found this Peregrine Falcon along the Antelope Island Causeway. 1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in It was feeding on a bird of some kind, possibly prey stolen from another falcon, as we saw two of them as we approached but one flew off. The falcon was intent on its meal and allowed me to photograph it for 22 minutes. The lighting was low and difficult, with the light hitting the bright breast of the bird and leaving its darker parts in shade for much of that time. Photographers will note from my techs that I fiddled with my settings quite a bit – adjusting for the quickly changing light and the removal of my tc in anticipation of take-off. It was a challenging situation for me. 1/640, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in It kept wanting/trying to eat the feet and legs of the bird but as far as I could tell the falcon never actually swallowed them. 1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This falcon is obviously an escaped Falconry bird – notice the leather falconry anklets just above the feet. Here the falcon turned broadside to the light for just a few moments. 1/3200, f/5, ISO 640, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up…

A Northern Harrier Kind Of Morning

Normally I avoid doing back to back posts on the same species but I went out shooting immediately after I published that last post and surprisingly it turned out to be a heckuva harrier morning. I’ve mentioned before that I usually have my best luck with harriers in the middle of winter, but yesterday I found two cooperative birds. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This beauty was hunkered down for a break from hunting and let me get surprisingly close. It was early morning, the light was warm, and the bird posed for me for a long time. I chose to post this almost direct look from the hawk for a reason – because out of all those images, this one shows the unique harrier facial disc best. A facial disc is a concave arrangement of feathers on the face of some birds (most notably owls) that forms a circular parabaloid that collects sound waves and redirects them toward the ears. In harriers the disc is less prominent than in owls, but larger in relative size because it extends to the neck, so it is commonly referred to as a facial ruff, rather than a disc. The large ear openings of harriers are buried in the feathers of the head and can’t be seen. The angle of the disc or ruff feathers can be adjusted to alter the focal length of the sound waves they’re collecting, which allows the bird to “focus” at different distances – a…

Northern Harrier Basking In The Rising Sun

Just a single image this morning. Normally I can never get close to a harrier perched in a tree but this one made an exception for me. 1/800, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in As I approached this juvenile male (solid rufous breast, light iris) on a cold morning, the rising sun was still behind the mountains so it felt secure in the shade as I positioned my pickup for the best angle I could get. When the sunlight finally hit the bird he was determined to soak in the warmth (rather than fly off) so he spread his tail, fluffed up and posed for me for several minutes. The light was directional but I liked its effect. I’ve added no saturation to the image. Ron

The Challenges Of Photographing Falcons On Antelope Island

There are three species of Falcons that reside on Antelope Island through much of the year – the American Kestrel, Prairie Falcon and Peregrine Falcon. A fourth, the Merlin, is mostly a winter resident. For many of us there’s something almost mystical about falcons and most bird photographers I know ache to get quality shots of them. But doing so isn’t easy anywhere and Antelope Island is no exception. In my experience there are three reasons why falcons on the island are so difficult to photograph well: The falcons are there but, with the exception of the kestrel, they’re difficult to find. For most of the year Peregrines and Prairies hang out in the remotest parts of the island that are inaccessible to us due to park rules and difficulties of negotiating such steep terrain. However, all three species hunt the causeway during winter so that’s the best chance for the photographer. Generally you just can’t get close to them. Kestrels are notorious for that trait, probably because they’re so common that lots of folks try with them. But common certainly doesn’t mean approachable. It’s not unusual to see a Peregrine perched far out on the mud flats but there’s no way to get close and if you tried they’d fly off. Prairie Falcons can often be spotted high up on the rocks around the central part of the island but they’re invariably much too far away and seldom perch near the road. Peregrines and Prairies are much easier to approach in very low light, especially just before sunup. But low light makes for crappy images. I’ve…

Red-tailed Hawk Lift-off

A month ago tomorrow this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk was hunting from the dark Farmington Canyon Complex rocks of Antelope Island. It would use this elevated perch, and others like it, to scan the grasses below for prey. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I could usually tell from its behavior when it had spotted something and was about to take off after it. I always hope for a take-off toward me and angled obliquely to my position instead of “dead-on head-on”. The worst direction is away from me of course and I’ll settle for a fully lateral direction. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Here the bird chose the slightly less than ideal lateral direction. A head turn toward me would have improved the shot but for some reason this hawk was more intent on the prey than it was in pleasing the photographer. But I really liked the dynamic body position at take-off. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Some folks prefer the wings-up position over wings-down but I like them both. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in I thought I’d make this final image a vertical composition to show better detail on the hawk, given the flight posture. The last three shots are sequential images in the…

Anticipating The Return Of Rough-legged Hawks

Rough-legged Hawks are a true arctic species, spending about 7 months of the year on their breeding grounds in the arctic or sub-arctic tundra or taiga of Alaska or Canada. Then they migrate south and winter in most of the lower 48 states, with the exception of the SE region and parts of California and Arizona. I love it when they’re here as I find them to be exceedingly handsome birds and I really enjoy photographing them. And yes, I’m already looking forward to their return. Every time I’m in their favorite haunts I can’t help looking for them on some of their preferred perches, even this time of year. So, feeling a little nostalgic for them on a Saturday night, I thought I’d do a post on the species. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Normally I’m not terribly fond of the Tintic Quartzite rocks on Antelope Island as perches because they’re so bright that they tend to blow out the whites but as you can see by the shadows the sun was still very low when this shot was taken so I got pretty good detail on most of the perch. And besides, I like the rounded, weathered look of this particular boulder. I do wish the out of focus sunflower heads in the foreground weren’t there but for me they’re not an image killer. 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in This is one of…

Red-tailed Hawk Banking At Take-off

This morning I’m off on a new adventure, looking for birds (raptors in particular) in a spectacular area I’ve never visited before so I only have time for a short post. In past years I haven’t had great luck with Red-tailed Hawks, even though they’re one of the most common raptors in Utah. They always seemed to be perched on telephone poles, which makes for an unattractive perch and unacceptably high angle. Even at take-off I’d generally only get blue sky backgrounds which I don’t find particularly interesting. But in the last couple of months my fortunes with the species have changed. 1/2500, f 7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, natural light, not baited, set up or called in Yesterday morning this juvenile was sitting on an elevated perch and facing away from me, which didn’t give me high hopes for a take-off shot. But it spotted potential prey over its shoulder so when it launched it turned back toward me in the process. I liked the result. The yellows in the background are sunflowers and blooming rabbitbrush. I removed a portion of the unattractive perch in the lower right corner of the frame. Cloning is something I nearly always avoid doing but in this case I made an exception. I mention it in the interest of full disclosure. I’ll make another post soon that will also feature this bird but it will have an interesting “twist” from my usual fare. Ron

Getting Close To The American Kestrel

One of the first lessons bird photographers learn (often to their great frustration) is that you must get close to your subject in order to get good detail. Very close. Even if you’re shooting with a long, expensive lens. And getting close usually ain’t easy! Large crops rob detail. I’m of the opinion that cropping away any more than about 50% of the image generally does unacceptable damage to image quality. Some species are relatively easy to approach – around here American Robins, Mourning Doves and House Finches come to mind. Other species have a reputation of being particularly skittish and at the top of that list for many photographers is the American Kestrel – a strikingly beautiful little falcon that is found throughout most of North America. For many years I’ve posted bird images on an internet avian critique forum and whenever I’d post a shot of a kestrel I’d invariably get comments that went something like this: “How in the world did you ever get this close to a kestrel? I always see them perched up high on poles or wires and whenever I even begin to get close they fly away”. Well, here’s the secret – photograph them when it’s cold. Very cold! That means in the depths of winter. It also means in the early mornings on those days when it’s coldest of all. I’ve found that many species of birds are more reluctant to fly in the cold but that tendency seems to be magnified with the kestrel. I’m not sure why but as a photographer I’m more than happy to…

Red-tailed Hawk Rejecting Intestines Of Prey

Many raptors will methodically and deliberately remove the intestinal tract of their prey before consuming it, a behavior that I’ve photographed several times with different species. In my research I’ve never been able to find out exactly why this is done – there are multiple theories but apparently no definitive answers. Maybe they tend to reject them because they “taste bad”, or because they “harbor harmful bacteria” or because they are filled with contents that are of “low food value”. Perhaps it’s a combination of factors. Recently, to add to the confusion, I’ve come up with my own working theory. The intestines of vertebrates, particularly mammals such as the rodents that many of these raptors regularly prey on, tend to be infested with a variety of parasites – including worms such as intestinal roundworms, flukes and tapeworms. The life cycles of many of these parasites are convoluted and complex but some of them lay thousands of eggs into the hosts intestinal contents every day. Eating those contents could have unpleasant consequences for predators so it seems logical to me that selection pressure might preserve such a behavior. 1/1000. f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in While I was in SW Montana a few weeks ago this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk flew to a nearby post with a vole and started to eat it. It began by opening the vole and then removing and swallowing several desirable morsels. Here you see an errant feather floating away in the breeze. 1/1000. f/5.6, ISO 640, 500…

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk Honing Its Hunting Skills

For the past few weeks I’ve been working a pair of juvenile Red-tailed Hawks with varying degrees of success. Mostly they’re just toying with me – staying just out of range or on the wrong side of the road in poor light. But on two mornings the lighter colored of the two birds put on quite a show. It chose to do its “sit and wait” hunting from a series of dark rocks close to the road and didn’t seem to care that I was there. And close. 1/2000. f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited The rocks are on the side of a small mountain with vole-laden prairie grass between me and the hawk so the bird would perch on them and then take off for prey it spotted – often in my general direction. The prey is presumable nearly always voles though these young birds are usually unsuccessful. It did catch and eat a small snake once but the action was buried in the grasses. I’ve yet to see it actually catch a vole and that makes me feel sympathy for the hawk but on the other hand all these attempts at prey have given me some nice photo ops. 1/2000. f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited Usually the setting had grass and/or rocks in the background and often it was close enough to the hawk to make focus-lock difficult but here the background was a little further away. On both days by the time the bird cooperated the sun was high enough that the…

Escaped Falconry Bird – Peregrine Falcon

Early this morning, just as the sun was coming up over the Wasatch Mountains, we came across this adult Peregrine Falcon, with prey, along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park. It is apparently another escaped falconry bird as it had obvious falconry anklets above its feet, though the actual jesses had been removed. 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This first image was taken where we first found it – along the edge of the causeway and next to the Great Salt Lake shoreline. A few seconds after this shot was taken the bird took off. 1/800, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc But seven minutes later, as we proceeded along the causeway, we found the bird perched on this highway post. 1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This shot was taken as the falcon took off from the post. You’ll notice that the leather falconry anklets, sans jesses, are apparent in each of the above three images. 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc And the last time we saw the bird it had landed far away on the large boulders lining the east side of the Antelope Island Marina. We’ve reported this sighting to the Utah Division of Natural Resources and they’ve told us that they will follow up on it. I’ve always admired the sport of falconry on several levels. Falconers generally have a deep devotion and personal attachment to their birds that I respect and they and their organizations have done a lot for raptor conservation…

Landing Red-tailed Hawk

I haven’t often succeeded in photographing a landing raptor. When they take off they usually don’t come back and when they do it’s often difficult to maintain focus on them as they land because of close backgrounds. However, this immature Red-tailed Hawk gave me just such an opportunity a couple of days ago. 1/2000, f 7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 It was hunting from a huge rock outcropping and looking down over the valley in the background of this image. I spent quite a while with this bird but it was side lit and I wasn’t very optimistic about getting a decent take-off shot because I expected it to spot potential prey in the valley below and take off away from me, giving me butt shots only. 1/1600, f 7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 Which is exactly what happened. However, I saw where the bird landed far below in the valley, missed the prey and took off again so I wondered if I could be lucky enough for it to return to the same perch. I wasn’t particularly optimistic because I was so close to the rock (you’ll notice from my techs that I had even removed my tc). The problem was that as soon as the hawk took off from that distant perch it disappeared behind the same massive rock outcropping on the side of the mountain that had been its perch and if it did return I wouldn’t know it until the very last split second, as it flared up to land on the rock from behind and below it. So I prefocussed on the likely…

Swainson’s Hawks Of Montana’s Centennial Valley

On my trip to Montana’s Centennial Valley last month Swainson’s Hawks were very abundant. I found two families of them that would reliably hunt close to a road and since they had become habituated to the traffic they were easier for me to approach as long as I stayed in my pickup truck. 1/1000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This was one of two juveniles along the river at the west end of the valley. Both birds, along with their parents, would repeatedly perch on posts and poles close to my pickup. But it was very difficult to get an acceptable light angle at this location in the morning so I include only this one shot of those birds. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I had more luck with another family (two juvies and one parent) at the east end of the valley. The light angle was better and I also preferred the fence posts in this area – they were older and had more character. 1/500, f/11, ISO 500, 100-400 @ 400mm Occasionally I was able to get both juveniles in the same shot but of course that situation often brings with it a depth of field problem so I switched to the 100-400 zoom and set my aperture at f/11 and focused on the post between the two birds. It seemed to work pretty well. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I loved the “butterscotch” colors on these two juveniles – particularly this one. 1/2000,…

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk Take-off

Recently I’ve had several opportunities with a pair of Juvenile Red-tailed Hawks that like to hunt from some elevated rocks that look down over some prime rodent habitat. It’s nice for a change to find them on natural and attractive perches rather than telephone poles or even fence posts. Don’t get me wrong, I like a rustic old fencepost as a perch but I do enjoy these natural rocks for a change. 1/8000, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc (inappropriate techs for this shot, hadn’t had time to change them yet) The birds scan the grasses below them for prey and if you watch their behavior and body language carefully you can anticipate take-off. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 640, 400 f/4, 1.4 tc I could tell this bird had spotted potential prey below (a vole, most likely) so I was ready to fire off a burst as it launched. I’m always happy when I can get a wing position like this one. 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 640, 400 f/4, 1.4 tc In the very next frame of the burst I got a similar wing position as it lifted off of the rock and luck played a significant role in that fact. The burst rate of my Canon 7D seems to be just about the same speed as that of the wing-beats of raptors this size as they take off, so there was a very good chance that the wings in both shots would be in the much less desirable horizontal position. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t. Observing and photographing these two birds has…

Goofy Red-tailed Hawk

When I first encountered this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in Beaverhead County three weeks ago it was eating a vole on top of this fence post. Soon after it finished the rodent it began to act a little strange. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4 In these first few shots it may look like the hawk is simply shaking or “ruffling” its feathers but I’m convinced that wasn’t the case. I’ve seen many birds perform that feather maintenance activity but what was happening here looked quite different. I remember telling Mia while it was occurring that it looked like the bird was “dancing” on top of the post. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4 The hawk went through some strange gyrations and postures that were different from what you see with a simple “shake” and they lasted an unusually long time (I have many shots of the behavior). This tail-up posture, for example, is reminiscent of defecation but the bird didn’t defecate and the wing position isn’t what you would normally see during defecation anyway. 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4 The bird wasn’t shaking to get these unusual feather positions either – instead it seemed to be deliberately and relatively slowly (compared to shaking) erecting its feathers. I have 8 – 10 shots that are very similar to this one and they’re not all in sequence. 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4 Then the bird decided to take off from the post… 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4 but…

Category: Diurnal Raptors