![\"northern](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/northern-harrier-6146-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThis\u00a0image was taken in what I thought\u00a0were\u00a0probably impossible conditions to get a sharp shot.\u00a0 Normally it isn’t a shot that I’d even attempt.<\/p>\n
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1\/8000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Yesterday morning I was driving about 25 mph\u00a0on a\u00a0rough and bumpy\u00a0dirt road (Farmington Bay WMA) as this Northern Harrier flew alongside of me.\u00a0 It was hunting along the road in the same direction I was going\u00a0and if I stopped the\u00a0hawk would be long gone.\u00a0 I just kept looking at the bird\u00a0out the window in frustration and finally decided to steer with my knee,\u00a0stick my lens out and fire\u00a0away, knowing full well that\u00a0I’d most likely get blurry shots if I could even get and\u00a0keep the bird in my\u00a0viewfinder with my pickup bouncing around like\u00a0it was.\u00a0\u00a0 Anyone with experience with\u00a0super-telephoto lenses knows that at 1120 mm (500mm lens x 1.4 tc x 1.6 crop factor of the\u00a0Mark II) my work was cut out for me.<\/p>\n I was\u00a0surprised that I got several sharp to very sharp shots of the bird under these conditions.\u00a0 This one is among my favorites because the banking flight posture allows a good look at the dorsal plumage in good light.\u00a0 I believe that it was the combination of my super fast shutter speed (1\/8000 sec) and the very efficient and advanced image stabilization (IS) of the relatively new Canon \u00a0EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM lens that allowed me to get the sharpness I did under those conditions.\u00a0 And the\u00a0impressive autofocus capabilities of\u00a0new 7D Mark II sure didn’t hurt.\u00a0 About my only job was to get the bird in the viewfinder.<\/p>\n Well… and to stay on the road.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This image was taken in what I thought were probably impossible conditions to get a sharp shot. Normally it isn’t a shot that I’d even attempt.<\/p>\n