I was photographing this Northern Pintail at the refuge as he relaxed on some grasses next to a slough. His image looked good in the viewfinder when he suddenly jumped up and into the slough. Looking away from the viewfinder, I caught a glimpse of a Northern Harrier that had swooped down and buzzed the pintail. The pintail did not appreciate the interruption and voiced his anger as the the harrier made a high level fly-by before leaving.
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canon 7D
canon 600mm f4.L
F/8 1/180 ISO 125
auto window beanbag lens rest, CS5, LR3, NIKs suite
Beautiful shot, Craig, and a pretty cool experience, too! Great detail in the subject and very enjoyable complementary colors. The perspective makes Pintail look like it's all head-- and protest-- maybe good for the "angry" caption and story.
The last few months I've been admiring your wildlife images and I couldn't comment. You have been posting some fine images and this is no exception. Nice work!
Posted by Craig Strand on March 23, 2012 at 12:33 AM
Thank you Catherine and Erik for your comments. The unseen part of this photo is I (and others) usually find it difficult getting close enough to pintails for a detailed closeup. I guess it was just a lucky day.
Regards, Craig
Posted by John Williams on March 27, 2012 at 9:08 PM
Wonderful shot Craig! Your bird photos are so top-notch these days; this is no exception. Love the story behind the shot too.
Discussion
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canon 7D
canon 600mm f4.L
F/8 1/180 ISO 125
auto window beanbag lens rest, CS5, LR3, NIKs suite
Regards, Craig