In Search of Owl

Based on several tips I received recently, I dragged myself out of a warm Saturday bed before sunrise. On the road at 6am, drive across town, hike 1/2 mile in 17 degree Fahrenheit air temp in near darkness. Arrived on site and ready to shoot just as the sky starts turning pink.

Nothing :( Oh, well - that how it goes most of the time.

But I did get these "other" shots to salvage the morning. A nice warm breakfast later at Tim Hortens sure hits the spot :p


Same old same old - manual focus, manual exposure, full frame (except the 2 soaring RT's and kestrel which are cropped slightly).

In the evening, I did get another chance to practice a close fly-by sequence.

Only these two came out OK out of 5. Manual focusing with 600mm. Full frame. Getting dark so the 1/250s was a tad too slow.

I love those kestrels! They are one of coolest looking birds. Great i m a g e s as always Loupey.

First image is wonderful nothing like dawn and dusk colours, but the 2nd from last shot in first batch is wonderful, as iv said before your Kestrels are beautifully marked and the positioning on the end of the branch is great composition.

I have been practising manual technique, and although i feel AV (for me) on fast moving subjects is more reliable,(probably because thats all i have used for my photography) im determined to know how to work it, i just still cannot get a fast enough SSpeed for my subjects, say running dogs for example, and for moving subjects like that you have to be so quick in getting everything from exposure, SSpeed, and especially focus spot on, i know its just practise but when i use my 100-400mm normally on about 350mm i am getting a SSpeed of about 60/100, hence very blurred dogs.

Sorry seems this reply doubled itself, have deleted text here.

Loupey. this is a red-shouldered hawk you have here. That a good bird to find!

Copy - thanks. Yeah, I've got to say that those little guys are my favorites too. Beautiful and elusive - so rewarding to capture on "film". I like that fact the kestrels will perch more-or-less on the exposed part of the tree (unlike cardinals and red-tailed which need the support of the stronger and inner branches). Still, for this shot, I had to move around a bit to find just the angle to place him in the open region of the background tree. Thus the "annoyed" look from the subject :D

Bev - you'll get the hang of it :thumbsup: Like you said, it's all in what you're used to doing. After a while, it'll be second nature. The great thing about manual - you can pick up any brand camera and start shooting it effectively.

Paul - that's great! For me, any hawk from a distance falls into 3 group/types - a RT, a harrier, a Cooper/Sharp Shinned. Thanks for the ID! My Birds of Ohio field guide doesn't even have the Red Shouldered listed - I've got to get a real guide :)
Funny thing is, I was mad at this guy at first (hawk not paul) because as I was making my way slowly towards this tree with a kestrel on the very top, this hawk came down and nearly landing on top of the little guy. The kestrel didn't seem too alarmed and just moved down the tree a little. But as I took a few more steps, the hawk took off and so did the kestrel.

Great captures Loupey ! I too would like to get some shots off at an owl. They just fascinate me, as do eagles.

Wonderful shots as always Loupey. The markings on the kestrel is amazing, I love number 4, how it's perched on the end of the branch and the way it's turned it's head is perfect.