![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/northern-harrier-0552-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"northern-harrier-0552-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nOne takeoff shot and one flight shot. I think the takeoff posture I captured is pretty special, even if I did bugger it up.<\/p>\n
Occasionally I review my files from the current date on previous years as a predictor of what photo opportunities might be available to me now. Usually I don’t go back very far but this time I did and found these two harrier photos taken on the morning of November 20, 2009 that I’ve never posted before.<\/p>\n
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1\/2000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n This Northern Harrier at Farmington Bay WMA was perched on the ground directly in front of a wall of vegetation that it was facing only a couple of inches in front of the bird. I knew that unless it turned around before taking off its takeoff would likely be pretty interesting because it couldn’t take off directly into the vegetation so it would have to do some fancy wing work to become airborne.<\/p>\n So you can imagine how disappointed I was when I clipped a wing after waiting for a long time for the harrier to take off. I captured a dynamic takeoff posture, a wonderful dorsal view of all of its flared flight feathers in good light and a perfect head turn but I clipped three wing primaries.<\/p>\n But when I rediscovered the image last night I enjoyed seeing it so I thought some of my readers might appreciate a look at it too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Exactly 30 minutes later I found what may have been the same harrier again and this time I didn’t clip any body parts.<\/p>\n When I find images like these I’m always reminded (and surprised) by how long I’ve been photographing birds. I actually started my bird photography ‘career’ a little over two years before these photos were taken.<\/p>\n It’s been a wild and very enjoyable ride.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One takeoff shot and one flight shot. I think the takeoff posture I captured is pretty special, even if I did bugger it up.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/northern-harrier-0588b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"northern-harrier-0588b-ron-dudley\\"")
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