Hark 2020

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I'm still dealing with a knee/leg problem but felt I could walk a little today. So I went out looking for potential leaf images for the weekly challenge.

Any leaves around here are brown and lifeless. When I saw this scene, it literally sucked the breath right out of me. It took me back to my college days when I had a Literature class. We had to read and analyze poetry. In the same sense that poetry contains hidden meanings, this image speaks of great sadness.

Some of you know I take photos of memorial benches to remind the families their loved ones are not forgotten. When I saw this view, I immediately perceived the withered leaves to represent the lives of loved ones who have passed. And in the distance, the memorial benches represent the hearts that are broken. The juxtaposition of the two really hits hard and fills me with a sadness I've never experienced when taking bench photos. This image gives me great pause.

_DSC0040 low res.jpg
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Well...I learned my lesson. :beguiled:

Yesterday I came upon this juvenile Bald Eagle but had trouble keeping steady. So I shot it with a higher-than-I-needed shutter speed which translated into a high ISO. And what that means is more noise. :(

_NIK1441 low res.jpg


So I changed my settings (lowered my shutter speed) and tried to steady myself better - keep in mind I have a stressed hamstring along with chronic tendonitis in my forearms. I also removed the circular polarizer from my lens - and I'm a sticker for using one. But here was today's result. There's definitely much less noise to deal with although yesterday's image was brightened slightly more than today's.

Most likely I won't use a CP filter on this lens. The tradeoff is much better without it since there is more light reaching the sensor when it isn't in use.

_DSC2572 low res.jpg
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
In this photo, I thought for sure it was getting ready to take off. It crouched down as though it was going to spring off the utility pole. It adjusted its wings, ducked its head a little, and began to move its tail. But nope. It didn't take off. :eek: So what did it do? :indecisiveness:

It let loose a huge load...if you know what I mean. ;) But it gave me a great photo. :encouragement:

_DSC2583 low res.jpg
 

Roy1961

Senior Member
Contributor
i have a "post your crappy pics" for those kinda shots Cindy, and i find a few drinks will steady you up a bit. :rolleyes::D:encouragement:
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Although I didn't see the juvenile eagle today, I did see this Immature Red-Tailed Hawk. There was a bulldozer moving forward and backward maybe 20 to 25 feet in front of the hawk. I was surprised with how long the hawk stayed put. This was also shot thru a chain link fence. I pressed my hood right up against the fence to keep my camera steady. That allowed me to lower my shutter speed MUCH more than when I shot the eagle the other day - and resulted in a MUCH better ISO.

Plus I enabled Easy ISO to allow the ISO to display inside my viewfinder. The other day I couldn't tell what ISO was being used by Auto ISO.

_DSC2647 low res.jpg


_DSC2650 low res.jpg
 
Last edited:

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I updated the info on the hawk. In a PA Birder's Facebook group, I was told by several people this wasn't a Cooper's Hawk. They say it's an Immature Red-Tailed Hawk. It didn't have a red tail - I took a photo of it on an electric wire showing its back. Definitely no red tail. And its tail isn't as long as a Cooper's Hawk. But the sheer size of it made me think it was a Cooper's Hawk.
 

Marilynne

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
I updated the info on the hawk. In a PA Birder's Facebook group, I was told by several people this wasn't a Cooper's Hawk. They say it's an Immature Red-Tailed Hawk. It didn't have a red tail - I took a photo of it on an electric wire showing its back. Definitely no red tail. And its tail isn't as long as a Cooper's Hawk. But the sheer size of it made me think it was a Cooper's Hawk.

Looks like a Coopers Hawk to me.
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/coopers-hawk

Here's the Red Tailed
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_hawk

 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor

That's what I thought although it was chubbier than the Cooper's Hawks I've seen. Here are a couple of Facebook comments from members in a birding group.

Cindy...it is an immature Red-tailed Hk, the belly band gives it away, the immature bird does not have a red tail...hope that helps.

Nice shot. Also look at the tail, not long enough for an accipiter.

I dunno about belly bands or accipiters. I wonder if @BackdoorHippie might be able to offer some insight.

In the meantime, I'll edit a lousy pic that shows the bird from the back. The image might yield additional info.

EDIT: Below is a view of the back of this hawk.
 
Last edited:

Marilynne

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
That's what I thought although it was chubbier than the Cooper's Hawks I've seen. Here are a couple of Facebook comments from members in a birding group.





I dunno about belly bands or accipiters. I wonder if @BackdoorHippie might be able to offer some insight.

In the meantime, I'll edit a lousy pic that shows the bird from the back. The image might yield additional info.

EDIT: Below is a view of the back of this hawk.

Let's ask [MENTION=10762]Kevin H[/MENTION] if he knows.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Juvi Red Tailed 100%

Thank you so much, Kevin. :encouragement: I really need to learn the subtle differences between hawks. This one reminds me of Chewbacca - and I recall photographing a similar one a year or two ago.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Pretty sure this is the same immature Red-Tailed Hawk I photographed the other day. The chest markings are almost identical. Plus it was in the same area.

_DSC2791 low res.jpg


_DSC2799 low res.jpg


I took my eyes off the hawk to watch the cars driving past (I was standing on the opposite side of the road). Within that time, it flew to my side of the road and landed maybe only 20 feet away. Since I didn't have any time to react, I took the shot below. It was overexposed a little, but since it was RAW, was easy to fix in Adobe Camera RAW. No crop to the image below. I simply couldn't fit it in my viewfinder and didn't have time to move backwards. Whatever it was going after managed to escape. There were a lot of leaves and debris on the ground so not surprised. It flew off quickly and went back to the wire so was fortunate to get this one photo.

_DSC2805 low res.jpg
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Lot of truth in this KitKat advert


Wow, that's going back a LOT of years! I vaguely remember watching this commercial on TV. ;) The only difference with me is I don't do stakeouts. If I don't see any wildlife in an area, I move somewhere else. Who knows how long it will be before one shows up. For those times, I switch to looking for landscape scenes.

For some reason, I'm having a hankering for a KitKat bar....:loyal:
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I have more of this guy/gal but wanted to post this one! :beguiled: Who's having a bad hair day? We've had several windy days here.


_DSC3097 low res.jpg
 
Last edited:

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Here is another one of the Red-Tailed Hawk. The icicle formation that comes after the hawk reminds me of a wispy feather. The longest icicles were at least a foot long.

_DSC3086 low res.jpg


_10K2199 low res.jpg
 
Last edited:
Top