![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/rough-legged-hawk-1461-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"rough-legged-hawk-1461-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nand mostly losing.<\/p>\n
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1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II,\u00a0<\/span>Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Very soon after sunrise yesterday morning I encountered this adult Rough-legged Hawk, a male I believe, perched on a wooden fence post in Tooele County. The background is mountain foothills with patches of snow.<\/p>\n He allowed me plenty of time for all the perched shots I wanted so my next goal was takeoff and flight shots. In this situation I had more than enough to think about so I thought I’d let readers in on some of the mental gymnastics I was dealing with as I waited for him to take off.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is the last photo I took before he launched. I’ve left it uncropped so readers can see how much room in the frame I had in my viewfinder with my teleconverter attached to my lens. I had two goals – to pay very<\/em> close attention to the bird so I didn’t miss his takeoff and to avoid clipping any body parts during takeoff and flight. Following are some of the thoughts and decisions that kept whirling through my mind as I waited:<\/p>\n I wished I’d already had it off but I didn’t so I didn’t take the chance. In hindsight I should have.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II,\u00a0<\/span>Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n I spent over nine minutes waiting for him to take off so I had all the time in the world to remove my tc. And I wish I had because, you guessed it I…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II,\u00a0<\/span>Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/span><\/p>\n clipped his right wing. Damn, those wings are long.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, <\/span>Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n This is one of only two flight shots I got where he was sharp and I didn’t clip or cut off body parts. And because of the wind he lifted off at a steeper angle…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, <\/span>Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n than I expected him to. I’ve cropped this and the following photo so the perch can still be seen and…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II,\u00a0<\/span>Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n the steepness of his takeoff can be evaluated. That unexpected steepness caused me to cut off about a third of his wing this time.<\/p>\n After this photo was taken he turned sharply to my right and passed by in front of my pickup so quickly in the tailwind I had little chance to get him in frame again while shooting out my window. And I didn’t.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/6400, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, <\/span>Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n An hour and 46 minutes later I came back to the same area and found him again but this time he was further away, the light was harsher and much cooler and he was side lit.<\/p>\n You win some and you lose some but on this occasion I lost more than I won.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" and mostly losing.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/rough-legged-hawk-1515-full-frame-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"rough-legged-hawk-1515-full-frame-ron-dudley\\"")
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