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1\/4000, f\/7.1, ISO 320, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\nThere’s only two things in the photo, a natural rock cliff and a calling wild\u00a0raptor.\u00a0I think the fierceness of the pose is enhanced by the slightly raised head feathers and I like how the profile of the\u00a0cliff seems to merge with that of the bird. The hawk stands out quite well despite the similar colors of bird and background.<\/p>\n
The relaxed posture of the right foot seems to\u00a0contradict the\u00a0alert and\u00a0aggressive countenance of the\u00a0bird,\u00a0giving the hawk the appearance of confidence in its ability to meet some unseen (by us) threat.<\/p>\n
But in reality this bird (photographed a month ago)\u00a0is very young, only recently fledged, and is probably calling to its parents or a sibling. Its crop is bulging which probably accounts for the unusual appearance of some of its breast feathers. The cliff is very close to perfectly vertical and though this hawk found a safe place to perch there\u00a0I suspect it might be a bit intimidated by its precarious position – especially because it was still learning to fly and it’s a long ways down to the ground.<\/p>\n
But I like the illusion. Even fledgling raptors can look pretty damned fierce.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
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For me this image epitomizes nature in the raw and it does it without blood, guts or gore.<\/p>\n