Since there were a few of you who like bird photos and said I could keep posting them, I figured this time, I'd go with a theme of raptors! ; Always a favorite category of bird for me - so mean and athletic looking, and intense - especially in flight. ; So here are some favorite raptor captures over the winter/spring birding season (all shots w/A580 DSLR and 300mm F4 APO lens w/1.4x TC): Osprey looking for prey: A rare visit by a merlin...not often seen around here: Another osprey...this one quite close to the camera: This osprey has a fish: Osprey making a turn: Sneaky close-up view of a red-shouldered hawk trying to hide deep in the branches: Another red-shouldered hawk sitting on a tree stump in light rain: Red-shouldered hawk, going up: And that's where he was going: Female northern harrier watching from the dense tree cover: Red-shouldered hawk fly-by: The wee little kestrel, one of the prettier hawks and smaller too: And I've even done a couple of raptor captures with the NEX-5N while out and about - sometimes with the right lens, sometimes with the wrong one! This red-shouldered juvenile I caught with the 55-210mm lens and 1.7x teleextender: And this one was definitely unexpected and caught me with the wrong lens! ; Walking to the Swan bus stop from my Boardwalk villa this past February, I had my NEX-5N with me and the Konica 40mm F1.8 mounted when I suddenly noticed a large raptor swooping down over the water - I realized I was seeing a bird I rarely ever see - an adult bald eagle - and had to get a shot of it. ; 40mm manually focused on a flying bird might be the worst possible lens scenario you could ask for, but at least I could document that a bald eagle was spotted there: Comments, questions, critique welcome.
I am thinking that is the same bald eagle I saw soaring over Epcot. Prey must be plentiful around there. Nice set of photos. Still waiting for real Spring weather up here. ; Been cold, rainy and windy.
Indeed - prey around Disney is good for eagles. ; This one was swooping down on some moorhens, who were throwing a verbal fit...that's actually how I first thought to look to the water, as I heard the moorhens in full panic. ; Then I noticed the big dark shadow moving over them as they huddled under the boat dock ramp. Around my area, northern harriers are very well known for terrorizing moorhens and other water birds...I've watched a northern harrier kill 4 moorhens within a 30 minute period - he didn't even need them for the food - he was snatching one, bringing it to the trees, snacking on the choicest parts of the bird, then dumping a good 80% of the bird down to the water to let other creatures finish the job, and then he'd go out and snatch a fresh one. ; The moorhens just went from screaming in terror as he approached, to squawking and chattering nervously when he left...probably knowing he'd be back again soon!
nice work Justin. I love raptors here is a few I have gotten I am Osprey. one of the greatest fishers on earth by LW_NJ, on Flickr eagle by LW_NJ, on Flickr osprey by LW_NJ, on Flickr turkey-vulture by LW_NJ, on Flickr Merlin by LW_NJ, on Flickr
Very cool Howie. ; I often look through your raptors - you get some good ones up there. ; We're not currently in the good season for them - the hawks are just returning over the next month or so, as during the summer we just have a few cooper's hawks and red-shouldereds. ; In the winter, the northern harriers return, sharp shinned, kestrels, merlins, and the occasional eagle if we're lucky.
thanks Justin. yea we get the hawks now and an occasional peregrine. looking forward to getting some peregrine shots I hope. my favorite bird. the harriers are like trying to shoot a roller coaster going 300 mph. tough bird to shoot as they move up and down and change direction so fast. I have gotten some shots over the years but not many. for eagles I go to conowingo dam and plan on going again this year in late Oct when they are there in numbers and hope to get better shots this time with the d7100. faster focusing sure helps
more raptors. hopefully others will join in this thread Justin love at first bite by LW_NJ, on Flickr coopers-hawk by LW_NJ, on Flickr miss NJ by LW_NJ, on Flickr
Here are some more raptors down my way: Hawk dropping down on some prey: This is as close as I get to bald eagles at home - about 3/4 mile - uber-mega crop and still a speck in the frame: Red-shouldered hawk sitting in the rain, not bothered by my proximity: As I got closer, he became a little more bothered with my proximity, enough to keep an eye on me - I was about 25 feet away:
