{"id":85257,"date":"2020-05-16T05:01:40","date_gmt":"2020-05-16T11:01:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=85257"},"modified":"2020-05-16T07:25:13","modified_gmt":"2020-05-16T13:25:13","slug":"pale-male-red-tailed-hawk-taking-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/16\/pale-male-red-tailed-hawk-taking-off\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Pale Male’ Red-tailed Hawk Taking Off"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Red-tailed Hawk by any other name…<\/p>\n

Six days ago I posted several flight shots of this unusually pale Red-tailed Hawk that were taken two days prior to that. At the time, in my typically awkward attempt at gender equality when I really don’t know the sex of a bird, I referred to this one as a female. But in Laura Culley’s comment on that post she said “I’d bet my last bippy” that it’s a male and I know few people more knowledgeable about red-tails than Laura which explains why I now believe this bird is actually a male.<\/p>\n

Then because he’s so pale Chris Sanborn was reminded of the famous, and also unusually pale, male Red-tailed Hawk that took up residence in New York’s Central Park for perhaps as many as 30 years that most folks simply called Pale Male<\/span><\/span><\/a>. So that name is now stuck in my head for “my” bird. Perhaps I should more rightfully call him Pale Male II but now things are getting complicated and besides I generally have some serious hesitancy in naming wild birds.<\/p>\n

But as I compose this post that moniker is firmly in my head so for the moment at least I’ll let it stand. Now if I find and photograph this hawk again this summer as I hope to, readers will have some context when I refer to him as Pale Male, as I probably will.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

1\/2500, f\/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

I like this shot very much in most ways but not all. His takeoff posture is right up my alley and for my tastes the lichen-covered rocks are an appealing and natural launching platform, especially with the blue sky background. He’s plenty sharp enough and his takeoff direction works well with the angle of light. And yes, there’s a catch light in his eye.<\/p>\n

But I’ve always been overly sensitive to whites that are just a little too bright to show great detail and there’s some, just a few, of them in his left wing even though I brought them down during processing as best I could. As you can tell by his shadow the photo was taken with the sun low in the sky (early morning) so the light was far from harsh but I still think a few of the whites are lacking some detail and it niggles at me.<\/p>\n

I suspect it’s more “my problem” than a significant issue with the image and I like it very much otherwise so in the end I decided to run with it.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Red-tailed Hawk by any other name…<\/p>\n

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