Magpie Mobbing Kestrel

Hi Everyone,

Taken on Hampstead Heath, this is one frame out of a whole sequence where a magpie dive bombs and pecks at a perched kestrel. I like this one particularly because of the magpies outstretched wings and the implied connection between both birds with the kestrel staring at the magpie. What do you think?

Camera: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II
Exposure: 1/800 sec @ F6.3 (Manual)
ISO: 200
Lens: EF300mm F2.8ISL + 2xTC
Tripod
Levels adjusted to counter bright sky (CS2)

Hi Elliot,

Works very well for me as a behaviour image, have often seen similar behaviour but never been able to photograph it, interestingly while I was photographing the swallows a Kestrel perched on the top of the barn and was mobbed by the swallows, you could hear the impact as they swooped on the poor Kestrel which looked a bit awed.

Really like the diagonal composition presented.....

Excellant, love the interaction. Really enjoyable image, as Phil says great comp to.



Tim

Nice behavioural shot and I like the composition.

dennis

Great behaviour shot, Elliott. Have seen this often, but generally from too far away. Very good interaction, with the eye-contavt

Great capture!

David

Quite rare to see an action/behavioural shot that is as well-composed as this. Great work! Only possible inprovement I could imagine would be a slight change in the light direction, to give a catchlight to both birds. Actually, being really picky, maybe you could crop a shade from the right, a sliver from the left, and possibly add a bit of canvas to the bottom. Works very well as is, though.

Hi Elliot
great capture and I agree with the other comments.
John
Aberdeen