Northern Harrier - male

Gallery: AvianPosted December 13, 2009235 views22 comments

This is the same harrier as in my post of 11-25-09 but I thought this take-off posture was different enough from that flight pose that it warranted another look at the bird. This is the first wing down-beat of take-off. He was perched on the clump of grass beneath him.

All the image detail sure ate up a lot of kb here.

7D, 1/3200, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, shot from pickup window on 11-24-09, cropped to 50% of original image, not baited

Comments/critique appreciated

Comments

22 comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on December 13, 2009 at 8:11 PM

Ron, the larger image really does it for me on this one. What I like about this image is the great look at the proportions of the bird; the wings, the tail, and the head and body. I shows how this bird can move along and hunt at relatively slow speeds and yet be able to turn and dive in an instant with those large winds and tail. I also like the detail and the plumage of the male.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by John Kerr on December 13, 2009 at 8:22 PM

Very cool shot. I like the capture of the wing position and great detail in the eyes.

Registered on October 28, 2009, 111 Posts, 1070 Comments

Comment posted by David Williams on December 13, 2009 at 9:31 PM

Ron, these males are one of my favorite raptors, but they are so hard to capture compared to the females and immatures. You've done a great job with this guy....the eyes are really good and you get a feel for what is happening. Great job.

Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on December 13, 2009 at 9:48 PM

Jeeez Ron, you sure do see a lot of these birds. I would bet every one from our area has flown south now .
A very different ( almost 3d look ) to this shot. A beautiful male with striking yellow eyes.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Conway on December 13, 2009 at 10:17 PM

Ron,

I really like this. The wing curves are so graceful. I have not been out at all and have not visited here for sometime but am glad I stopped in to see this.

Peter

Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on December 13, 2009 at 10:32 PM

Really impressive Ron - great detail and clarity around the face. I'm still tying.

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on December 13, 2009 at 10:41 PM

Awesome to get a photo like this of a male. I've seen 1 adult male since I started photography, it was quite a ways away.....

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on December 14, 2009 at 1:54 AM

Gosh, that is a very dynamic looking wing posture. The yellow eyes really pump up the excitement as well. F8 was a great choice for f-stop as the entire bird is very sharp. A lot of things have to happen just right to get a shot like this I am sure.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on December 14, 2009 at 3:53 AM

Well done getting him to take off in your direction Ron. The down ward wind and tail make for a most pleasing image.

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on December 14, 2009 at 7:33 AM

Ron,

I think this take off pose is fascinating, it shows how large the wing span is, how the tail is used for balance and the power in that first downward beat of the wings.

Beautiful exposure control, these males are more challenging to expose properly than the females & juvies and you hit it spot on here.

I love the setting and the details present in it.

An outstanding image as posted.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on December 14, 2009 at 7:57 AM

a unique angle for the take-off shot--I like it a lot. Love all the detail in the setting. These males sure seem hard to find.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on December 14, 2009 at 8:56 AM

This is really nice. Love the view from slightly above the harrier. Wing position is killer. The larger version begins to do this justice.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on December 14, 2009 at 10:40 AM

This is another gorgeous raptor shot from you. I love this best because of how close he is to the ground, the full face view, and those downturned wings. Great light too to top it off.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Graham Brown on December 14, 2009 at 11:41 AM

This really does show the size of those wings and I bet it takes a lot of energy to get airborne. Unusual to see such an image at takeoff but it's a nice perspective though. Graham

Registered on November 20, 2007, 275 Posts, 1365 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on December 14, 2009 at 12:16 PM

Outstanding image, Ron! Great detail and position of the bird.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on December 14, 2009 at 4:42 PM

Great shot, with terrific pose of the subject.

D&L

Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on December 14, 2009 at 5:14 PM

Very nice perspective not seldom seen with the way the wing span is showing, well done.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on December 14, 2009 at 5:38 PM

Impressive image. Those wings are magnificent, full of power and those eyes nail it.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on December 14, 2009 at 6:41 PM

Stunning shot. I like Wayne W.'s succinct comment. I would add that I like having the habitat as BG and the visible spread tail. I'm struck by take-off direction too (toward you as mentioned in an earlier comment). Was the wind a factor? Would it have been difficult to take off in the opposite direction? I'm wondering if you and Mia have domesticated these harriers.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on December 14, 2009 at 6:46 PM

Thanks Dave.

"Was the wind a factor?"

No, in this case it was not. This bird took off towards us because it was trying to get at a junco that was momentarily perched on the hood of my truck, believe it or not. If you study his eyes carefully in the larger image I think you can tell that he's actually looking about three feet to my right where the junco was on the hood. I explained what happened in my post of 11-25

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on December 14, 2009 at 8:28 PM

Wow Ron really cool POV i love it

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on December 14, 2009 at 11:20 PM

My!!! This is a killer shot Ron!

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments