American Kestrel

[jeffashman]

These are some of the smallest raptors. They are constantly on the prowl for food, and right now they are feasting on the late season grasshoppers that have become a bit more lethargic due to the colder nights.

1
nov20202101 by Jeff Ashman, on Flickr

2
nov20202103 by Jeff Ashman, on Flickr

3 Highwire act...
nov20202105 by Jeff Ashman, on Flickr

 

[K9Kirk]

Nice set, Jeff. I always have trouble capturing those little dudes up close, they're skittish as hell.

 

[NS: Nikon Shooter]

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I think this is the first time I see/observe post-processing
negative value haloing artefacts in your shots, Jeff, not to
mention over sharpening.

 

[jeffashman]

Nice set, Jeff. I always have trouble capturing those little dudes up close, they're skittish as hell.

Thanks! Yep, they will not wait around. I tried to get closer, but they took off. Later, when the weather is a bit colder, they'll stay put longer, and then hopefully I'll get better shots.

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I think this is the first time I see/observe post-processing
negative value haloing artefacts in your shots, Jeff, not to
mention over sharpening.

Yep, I actually did a very heavy crop after sharpening, so that enhanced the aberrations. The shots were at extreme distance for those small birds. I would have been better off staying put and switching to the 700mm setup. I will try that the next time I go out there, since these guys will be here most of the Autumn and Winter. Thanks for the input.

 

[jeffashman]

I changed the workflow from my normal process, because the Topaz Labs DeNoise AI and Gigapixel are not behaving, and when I open the image in LR after processing in them, it has a lavender sky. Instead, I just opened it in DeNoise AI, and then saved as jpg, which I then opened in PSE for some final touches. The sky is not as blue as it should be, but at least there is no halo.
no20202110b by Jeff Ashman, on Flickr