Sugar Land, Tx Jun 18, 2011
Two minutes after this image, the female was sitting on the peak of my roof. In my peripheral vision I saw the outline of a large bird emerge from the trees. A red-tailed hawk. The hawk hit the cardinal with a violent force accompanied by a thunderous boom, as if the hawk had weighed 300 pounds. Worthy of a cartoon sequence, bird feathers exploded into a puff ball and the hawk with the cardinal in his talons disappeared into the woods. (Entire sequence 2-3 seconds, and not recorded by image)
Afterward, a couple of other interesting things happened. Within 10 minutes, 4 black vultures began to circle overhead. It was an earlier arrival than I imagined. Also, for the rest of the morning all the other bird's behaviors changed. No one used their "favorite" staging perches. The blue jay was especially careful, popping out of the bushes one visit, then the tree or fence line next. They also didn't linger on the perch dining on my fine offerings-they took one nut and flew away to consume it in the dense forest that borders my yard.
Be careful what you say. Those words could be your last.
D3 ISO 640. 300/2.8f4 1/4000s Gitzo with Wimberly head. Natural light. About 30% FF.
Comments
24 commentsRay
-Cam
That's very unusual behavior for a red-tail: I've never seen them go after small birds. Could it have been a Cooper's Hawk?
Ken Archer
There has been an extreme (official weather service rating) drought here and I've seen quite a few behavioral changes over the last 2 months. New birds here, old ones gone. That may account for this "unusual" behavior.
May
But I'm not surprised to hear the Bluejay was the most cautious. Corvids, as a class, are very intelligent.
I've never tried shooting at F/4. But the fast SS speed is what you need for these. More room around the subject when shooting and keep it at ISO 640 or below.
Well done!
This picture is absolutely superb, the action the detail, the eye-contact, and the story it tells. Exceptional work as always, many thanks for sharing :^)