Northern Harrier

Gallery: AvianPosted January 9, 2011249 views26 comments

It was very cold here this morining as is evidenced by the frost on the face and rictal bristles of this harrier. Though at first glance it may appear that the nictitating membrane is partially over the eye, the dark line is shadow from one of the frosted bristles. It sure was nice to see the sun again this morning - it hasn't made an apperance very often recently.

7D, 1/5000, f/5.6 (probably should have been at 7.1), ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, shot from pickup window this morning, cropped to 68% of original image, very slight levels adjustment, sharpened bird, no additional processing or adjustments, natural light, not set up or baited

Larger image provided

Comments/critique appreciated

Comments

26 comments

Comment posted by Fabio Giarrizzo on January 9, 2011 at 5:54 PM

Great flight shot, perfect details and exposure- Bravo, Fabio

Registered on December 3, 2010, 90 Posts, 1614 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on January 9, 2011 at 6:05 PM

Great head-on view and great light! Like that blue sky as well.

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on January 9, 2011 at 6:06 PM

Another great Harrier shot Ron

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Dan Moore on January 9, 2011 at 6:09 PM

As always -well done.This one means business.

Dan

Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on January 9, 2011 at 6:18 PM

Love the look - details and color. Wish for a slightly different head angle to either eliminate the birds right eye, or to show the black of the right eye in addition to the black of the left eye. minor nit, but it would make a large difference.

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

Comment posted by David Schoen on January 9, 2011 at 7:01 PM

Nice to get this close. very nice sharpness and at 7.1 and 1/4000, you probably wouldn't have noticed any difference in movement but I think the DOF is fine as is.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Hali Sowle on January 9, 2011 at 7:05 PM

What an awesome shot head on, couldn't ask for better. The sharpness looks fine to me.

Registered on January 9, 2008, 36 Posts, 582 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 9, 2011 at 7:10 PM

Another classic Dudley Harrier shot, Ron. That frost is awesome.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on January 9, 2011 at 8:28 PM

Excellent. You've got aq world class collection of these harriers.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Julia Flanagan on January 9, 2011 at 9:39 PM

Had to take a second look at the larger image to see the frost - glad you mentioned it as it is very cool and I'm just not that observant! Love the powerful look of those fore wings.

Registered on November 13, 2003, 59 Posts, 986 Comments

Comment posted by Eric Diller on January 9, 2011 at 10:28 PM

Spot on.....nice shot!

Registered on October 2, 2009, 69 Posts, 434 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on January 9, 2011 at 11:01 PM

Ron, another wonderful Harrier shot! I can't even get one of these guys within 100 yards of me....I am SOOO jealous!!! Excellent work!

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Randy Bacon on January 9, 2011 at 11:12 PM

Sweet, p;ease keep posting these guys, I never tire of looking at them. The detail is incredible, I agree with Luke that I would like to see a little more of the right eye, but that is a minor issue with a great shot.

Registered on November 24, 2008, 56 Posts, 492 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on January 10, 2011 at 1:14 AM

Nobody does Northern Harriers like you Ron, another fine, fine image. I really like seeing the detail in the underwing but the sharpness and exposure is stunning over all. Ron, do these hawks follow a predictable flight path, or are they just that numerous and approachable in a particular location that you can get photos like this so reliably. I'm just dumbfounded with these great photos.

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

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on January 10, 2011 at 1:30 AM

That's the coldest looking Northern Harrier I've ever seen. I agree that a slightly higher f-stop would have brought the wing tips and tail into sharper focus, but that's a very minor nit on a fine flight shot. I especially like that you've got a nearly head-on pose. Fine work.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on January 10, 2011 at 3:21 AM

Great action shot, Ron. Outstanding detail and exposure

Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on January 10, 2011 at 7:45 AM

Ron, do these hawks follow a predictable flight path, or are they just that numerous and approachable in a particular location that you can get photos like this so reliably.

Gary - in my experience there's very little that's predictable about harrier flight paths. They do have some favorite hunting spots but those spots change almost daily. Other than that it's all pretty random. During hunting season these birds seem to slowly get used to all the hunter traffic on the dirt roads and over time they eventually pretty much ignore vehicles. So, if you're willing to shoot from your vehicle and invest crazy amounts of time and effort in the quest you'll get some nice opportunities with them - around here anyway.

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 10, 2011 at 8:23 AM

glad the sun finally came back for you, Ron. interesting angle--I like the browns showing on the upperwings. I agree that more DOF would be perfect, but pretty minor. The frost is a great touch.

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

Comment posted by KC Choo on January 10, 2011 at 9:56 AM

Love the frost on the face! A great capture, Ron!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on January 10, 2011 at 11:04 AM

Sweet frost Ron. Love the head on view. Many people don't like these views, but I love them. Hard shots to get sharp too. I agree with your assessment of closing down a bit for more DOF. Still a super intense looking shot of this bird and that is made so by being able to see both eyes IMO.

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

Comment posted by Rohn B. McKee on January 10, 2011 at 6:19 PM

Excellent Ron,
I like the bright white at wing edge. Snow on the ground must have reflected nice light onto the underside of the wings. I like the frost also.

Registered on November 18, 2008, 109 Posts, 415 Comments

Comment posted by Geoffrey Baker on January 10, 2011 at 6:25 PM

A great capture Ron.
Not easy when they're coming towards you.
Great camera work.

Geoff.

Registered on August 20, 2010, 192 Posts, 980 Comments

Comment posted by Darren Colello on January 10, 2011 at 7:31 PM

I was just observing harriers this morning, although they were around 500 yards away. Another superb image Ron, simply terrific. Well done.

Registered on July 27, 2009, 175 Posts, 1100 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on January 10, 2011 at 9:11 PM

Another superb harrier shot!

Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on January 11, 2011 at 2:05 PM

Very cool to see the frost on the harrier in the large image, well done flight shot.

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

Comment posted by Steve Balke on January 12, 2011 at 8:06 AM

I like the determined look of this bird, Ron. A little more DOF would have been good but it's excellent as posted too.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments