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![\"prairie](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/prairie-falcon-8097-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"prairie-falcon-8097-ron-dudley\\"")
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\u00a01\/1600, f\/9, 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 I found the young female Prairie Falcon along the Antelope Island causeway as she was cleaning up after an obviously fulfilling and bloody meal, probably a duck. Her crop was bulging to the point that it made me wonder how much she could eat before it was in danger of bursting. The lower portion of her body was drenched, probably from her earlier pursuit and capture of the presumed duck. And there were duck bits still clinging to her feathers and upper legs (those bits can best be seen in the photo below).<\/p>\n What strikes me most about this shot is her left foot in silhouette. I think her formidable talons in silhouette appear at least as menacing as they would if they had good light on them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a01\/1600, f\/9, ISO 500, Canon 7D, 500 f\/4, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n If you prefer your talons well lit, here she’s inspecting her right leg and foot before cleaning them. She certainly had her work cut out for her. Her crop was so full it looked like the bulge was making it difficult for her to bend her upper body enough for her beak to reach her raised foot.<\/p>\n I also like this photo for its excellent look at the tubercle or ‘cone’ inside her nostril. The tubercle is a bony, cone-shaped structure that acts as a baffle, slowing down the air rushing into the lungs as falcons pursue their prey at breakneck speeds, allowing them to breath more normally.<\/p>\n These photos were taken in early morning in late November so it was cold. As I had her in my viewfinder one of my thoughts was how cold she must be, especially because she was wet.<\/p>\n But her crop was full so she didn’t seem to mind. There was plenty of fuel in the furnace.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Showing feathery and bloody evidence of the work talons are cut out to do. (2 photos)<\/p>\n![\"prairie](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/prairie-falcon-8060-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"prairie-falcon-8060-ron-dudley\\"")
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