Texas Crested Caracara

Gallery: AvianPosted January 24, 201685 views6 comments

I stumbled upon this Caracara just a few miles south of Fort Worth. These guys are not common in this part of Texas. In fact, this is only my second sighting of this species, and my first decent image. A beautiful and majestic raptor and a thrill to see. Processed using Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CC 2014. Comments and critiques welcome.

Canon 7D Mark II
Canon 200-400 f4 L IS
f5.6
1/800s
Focal Length 560mm (Teleconverter Engaged)
ISO 100

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on January 24, 2016 at 1:01 PM

I'd be very happy to have taken this.

I've seen them in FL, TX, and here in AZ, but my photos are all of distant birds. When I moved to AZ in 1994 seeing a Crested Caracara required a lot of time poking around on tribal lands on the Mexican border hoping to find one, but now their range has expanded over 100 miles to the north, and it is now possible to see a dozen or more on a single trip. But they are still too far away for me.

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

Comment posted by Allen Brooks on January 24, 2016 at 1:49 PM

A great shot of an impressive looking bird. The larger image needs to be seen to fully appreciate the shot.

Registered on July 27, 2011, 262 Posts, 2597 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 24, 2016 at 6:02 PM

Nice to catch it unobstructed, Jerry. I saw quite a few when I was in south Texas in February, but didn't manage any shots this good (most of them were on the wrong side of two lane roads with a 75 mph speed limit-not conducive to stopping).

devil

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

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on January 24, 2016 at 7:49 PM

Nice job keeping the bird in the clear Jerry. Great detail in the large version.

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on January 24, 2016 at 8:38 PM

Excellent, Jerry. Congratulations on getting this close. Fine work on the whites and blacks; good use of the opportunity.

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

Comment posted by David Bogener on January 25, 2016 at 11:49 AM

Wow! Great light and exposure. The background is pretty busy, but it works.

Registered on October 30, 2013, 417 Posts, 1255 Comments