![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/prairie-falcon-4743-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"prairie-falcon-4743-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nSomething a little different from me today.<\/p>\n
Readers are well aware of how much I loathe power poles in my images. And wires. And insulators. Well… this one has all three!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
1\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 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>\n This is a Prairie Falcon taking off from a pole three days ago in Box Elder County. In this case the dynamic takeoff posture allows me to overlook (at least partially) the ugly pole and hardware because my\u00a0eye is immediately drawn to the falcon.<\/p>\n Just before launch this bird had been facing to my right and away from me but at the last second (and typical of falcons)\u00a0it turned on the perch and took off in my direction. And immediately after liftoff it veered sharply downward and to my left so of course I clipped body parts and lost sharp focus on the bird in flight. Prairie Falcons (and kestrels) are so incredibly nimble in the air\u00a0that they\u00a0have a knack for doing that to me.<\/p>\n But despite the ugly elements in the image I love the curved arc of the wings, the vertically fanned tail (a precursor of the sharp turn that is imminent), those huge dangling falcon\u00a0feet\u00a0and the in-your-face direct eye contact.<\/p>\n I thought long and hard before posting this image but since I kept coming back to it I eventually decided to run with it. I promise, no more poles or hardware for a good long time.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Something a little different from me today.<\/p>\n