Bittern with lunch, or so he thought....w/repost

This bittern just caught what he thought was his lunch. Little did he know that chaos was about to occur. Moderator forgive me if this is a bit much, but I have a couple of photographs to tie into this one to tell this story. Posting to follow.

Suddenly, this hawk came out of nowhere, twice. The first time, which is seen here the bittern dropped the rodent and backed off, obviously very upset. The hawk flew up from the water and then dove back in...as seen in the next shot.

Here the hawk prepares to dive in to get the rodent which was dropped by the bittern.

Dive, dive, dive!!

Hawk with lunch...

that hawk has a serious stare on his face in the last image. it's as if he's saying- mess with me, will ya? i don't think so!

Wow, what a story--and excellent shots too add as well. All the shots are wonderful, sharp, and catch the action nicely. Well done, Ryan.

Was this today? That same Bittern, I am sure, successfully downed his lunch catch today...I'll post a shot from today in a separate thread...

WOW! That's an UNREAL series! Amazing how the Bittern sits there and watches and how deep the hawk goes in the water. I'm surprised the Hawk didn't just go after the bittern. . .

David, it was today (Sunday) around 11:15. I had just dropped my camera for a second to check my exposure and I heard the first splash. It happened so dang fast, I felt luck to get a the few shots I did off. It was a really cool day. I had my daughter with me, although she didn't really see what happened, but it was a great day to have her out there.

Here is a repost where I took more time in the crop and processing. I think it looks quite a bit better here. I rushed to get this up, so things look a little harsh I think. My apologies.

Hi Ryan- I have really been enjoying your pictures from Ridgefield. I've not been there before but am going to travel down soon. What lens have you been using for the majority of your shots? I have a 75-300 EFS but am wondering if renting something larger would be a better choice. I understand you have to shoot from the car. Is that true for all shots in the reserve? Any trip tips you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks- Michelle

Ryan,
I agree, very nice work. On top of that the sharpness. It looks like your trip out to Ridgefield was productive!

Michelle, all of the photos I've been posting have been from what is called the River 'S' Unit, which is an auto-only route this time of the year. I've used my Canon 100-400L exclusively. I'd say your lens wouldn't be too bad for the larger birds, such as the herons, bitterns, hawks, when they are relatively close, and some smaller birds get relatively close too. That being said, I would like something with a little more reach. I have a 1/4 extender, but it's a little soft with my 100-400. Renting a 300f2.8 and a 1.4x and 2x extender would be pretty effective, I've done that before and got good results.

Ryan, what an excellent series and story your photo's show from yesterday. I'm sure all the action was happening fairly fast and yet you did a wonderful job with these top notch images, congratulations!

Too add some information for Michelle and others that are considering a trip to Ridgefield NWR. The refuge is open every day during daylight hours. An automatic gate opens about 6am (I believe it remains with standard time), check the posted time that the gate auto closes, currently 5 or 6pm. The River S auto tour route is 4.2 miles and this time of year visitors are required to stay in their cars, the one exception is to park and take a short walk to a blind overlooking Rest Lake about 1.5 miles in. From May-Sep the car only restriction is lifted and visitors can pull over and exit cars while staying on the roadway. During those months the Kiwa Trail, a 1.2 loop trail is open for hiking. Restrooms are available at the Information/contact station as you enter and at the blind. Entrance fees are $3 per car with an annual pass available at the US Fish & Wildlife office at the Carty Unit north of town. Several Govt. issued parks and senior citizens passes are accepted in lieu of the entrance fee. More information can be found at the "Friends of Ridgefield NWR" site... http://www.ridgefieldfriends.org/RidgefieldNWRMain.html
While visiting if one of the volunteers is at the entrance contact station you can ask for a newly created audion CD that can be played in your car, giving some great refuge information, the CD's are then returned as you leave or available for a small donation. Hope this helps, Craig River S volunteer

Fantastic story in pictures! I think my jaw would have dropped and I'd have messed up the photos somehow with all that action.

I like the re-crop of the first shot, Ryan. I keep coming back to this series. What an experience to be there and see this, much less photograph it. And photograph it well too!

An amazing series Ryan!!! I especially like the second shot of the series...

Craig, I didn't know you volunteered there. I'll have to keep an eye out for the volunteer with the 600mm lens!

Amazing captures, Ryan! That is some great series!

Now this is what nature photography is all about. Incredible experiences!