Red Shouldered Hawk

coastalconn · Dec 20, 2012

This was one beautiful hawk I saw today, Their eyes are very dark when they become adults... Hawks will have to do until I can find some Eagles. At least 3 more months until my Ospreys return... Happy Holidays all!

1

Red Shouldered Hawk by krisinct, on Flickr

2

Red Shouldered Hawk by krisinct, on Flickr

3

Red Shouldered Hawk Portrait by krisinct, on Flickr

thetrue · Dec 20, 2012

#3 is by far the best IMO. He's hunting - for the ladies!!!

For the record, I never realized birds have shoulders. Call it ignorance, or just plain stupid lol

DannyLewis · Dec 21, 2012

number 3 is really nice. Do you mind telling me what camera and lens you shot this with? It seems I get good sharp pictures but when I crop I seem to lose picture quality. #3 is sharp and has been cropped pretty tightly but no focus loss or quality. Thank you for your time

coastalconn · Dec 21, 2012

DannyLewis said:
number 3 is really nice. Do you mind telling me what camera and lens you shot this with? It seems I get good sharp pictures but when I crop I seem to lose picture quality. #3 is sharp and has been cropped pretty tightly but no focus loss or quality. Thank you for your time

Hi Danny, I shoot a Nikon D300 with a Tamron 200-500. The third shot is from a little under 30 Feet. I shot it at 500mm, F8, ISO 400, 1/320th, +1 EC, handheld. The D300 image size is about 4300x2800. This is cropped down to 1727x1165, so it is a pretty substantial crop. I shot this first at F6.3, but I didn't have enough DOF to get the whole face in focus... Hope that helps!

DannyLewis · Dec 21, 2012

It does help. ALso tell's me that Tamron has some pretty good glass. From what I have been seeing they out do Sigma. Nikon is a pretty good camera, I use a Canon but see alot of really sharp crisp photograph's coming from Nikon. Thank's for your time. ALway's enjoy seeing your work (fun) Merry Christmas to you and your's.

WesternGuy · Dec 21, 2012

CC, great shots. I like the first one best of all. There seems to be a colour shift from #1 to #2. Any reason for that?

WesternGuy

BlackSheep · Dec 21, 2012

That third shot is fantastic!

sm4him · Dec 21, 2012

I especially like the first and last shots--the way he's looking backwards over that red shoulder at you is pretty cool!
I agree with WesternGuy that the second one has a different color cast--it's a good picture, just looks like maybe a different time of day or place?

Looks like your skill with hawks is equal to your osprey skills--but what happened to the owls?!?

I've gone out owl hunting four times now. I stink at it. I find all these great places where owls SHOULD be..but no owls. They hate me. :lol:

I've heard the crows fussing at something in the trees, but both times, they've been on the OTHER side of the river, rendering my 70-300 useless.

Last time I went out, I saw a bunch of great big birds up the hill from me. I slowly made my way up the hill, only to finally get close enough to realize they were just vultures. THEN, I saw a hawk in a hill a little further off. I walked really carefully towards it, and did get a few pictures before it flew off, but they were all terrible. Every other day I've had off, it's been rainy and windy. Nature is against me getting good bird shots. :lol:

ryanforster · Dec 21, 2012

coastalconn · Dec 21, 2012

Thanks everyone! The hawk flew like 30 feet between each shot. The first one was lit up directly in the sun. The second shot it had moved deeper into shadows, and the third even deeper into shadows and they were all taken from different angles roughly N, then NW then W as I walked around the hawk...

Ysarex · Dec 21, 2012

First class work as always -- :thumbup::thumbup:

If you're looking for eagles you should come pay me a visit. The Mississippi valley in the winter is prime eagle territory. I'm not a bird photographer and in no way equipped to take such photos, but I sure see a lot of eagles now along the river. It used to be we'd see them over winter, but now they're here year round. Got a major nesting area just up the river at Clarence Cannon NWR. I was driving along the river two winters ago near Chester IL. and stumbled on over 200 eagles roosting in the surrounding trees, I had a camera but no long lenses. I knew people would be skeptical when I told them I saw 200 eagles at one time so I snapped this: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8215/8294587700_49f4fba72f_b.jpg You can count 40 eagles in just that frame and I was basically 360 surrounded by the same density of eagles/trees. I think the introduction of invasive Asian carp species into the river has a lot to do with it. The carp school together and they feed on the surface. You can actually see pools behind some of the dikes where the water surface is kind of squirmy looking. They're a plague for the river, but they're a feast for the eagles. The carp infestation is worst in the Illinois river. The small town of Grafton IL. at the Illinois/Mississippi confluence has turned itself into an eagle watching tourist mecca in the last few years complete with little bistros, wine shops and trinket stores -- it's the foundation of their economy now.

This article is dated: American Eagle - Bald Eagles in the Upper Mississippi River Valley | Nature | PBS and the 2500 eagle figure is probably off by at least 50 percent. I believe we have over 5000 eagles winter in the Upper Mississippi now and that number is rising.

Joe

Krisjan · Dec 21, 2012

Your first shot is fantastic! I know what you mean about eagles too I am hoping that it won't be long until they are back here in central Illinois.

coastalconn · Dec 21, 2012

sm4him said:
Looks like your skill with hawks is equal to your osprey skills--but what happened to the owls?!?

I've gone out owl hunting four times now. I stink at it. I find all these great places where owls SHOULD be..but no owls. They hate me. I've heard the crows fussing at something in the trees, but both times, they've been on the OTHER side of the river, rendering my 70-300 useless.

Last time I went out, I saw a bunch of great big birds up the hill from me. I slowly made my way up the hill, only to finally get close enough to realize they were just vultures. THEN, I saw a hawk in a hill a little further off. I walked really carefully towards it, and did get a few pictures before it flew off, but they were all terrible. Every other day I've had off, it's been rainy and windy. Nature is against me getting good bird shots.

My Owls have disappeared

They have been fixing the damage on the trails from Sandy and mulching downed trees, I think it scared them away, haven't seen one in week

I think Vultures are really cool! Next time you should try to grab some portraits

There is a reason that most say wildlife photography is the most difficult! You have no control over your subject, the light or the weather