lift off

Swainson’s Hawk in the Centennial Valley

By Mia McPherson, on May 15th, 2013%

Adult Swainson’s Hawk calling

Swainson’s Hawks are one of the three Buteos that I see with regularity on my visits to the Centennial Valley of Montana, Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks are the other two. I photographed this adult Swainson’s Hawk in the evening last year on the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge after a rainy afternoon, the light was low and I had to bump my ISO up to 1250 to get enough shutter speed for flight shots and because of that I could detect a touch of noise in the background so I applied Noise Reduction to the background of all three of these images.

The Swainson’s was calling to another Swainson’s off in the distance and since it had just defecated I was waiting for the hawk to lift off.

Swainson’s Hawk at the moment of lift off

And lift off it did! This sort of reminds me of the Olympic diver images we see that have just their toes left on the diving platforms. The talons have just left the fencepost and there appears to be a determined look in the Swainson’s Hawk’s eye. I do wish the light had been just a bit better so I could have completely froze the action but sometimes that motion blur helps to emphasize the feeling of motion.

Adult Swainson’s Hawk calling while in flight

As the adult flew it also started calling and flying towards the other Swainson’s in the distance.

By the way, the light colored areas in the background is a mist hanging over one of the lakes within the Red Rock Lakes refuge and the bluish colored area is part of the Centennial Mountains.

Mia

~I’m out of town but will be back soon, please feel free to share this post with your friends and family!

Swainson’s Hawk just after lift off

By Mia McPherson, on May 2nd, 2013%

Swainson’s Hawk just after lift off

This is an adult Swainson’s Hawk just after it lifted off from the barb wire on top of a fence on Antelope Island State Park a few days ago. I love the position of the feet & talons, the flared tail and the position of the hawk’s right wing. I do wish though that bird had looked more towards me.

I did clone out some of the barded wire at the bottom of the frame in this image.

Bird photography isn’t a cake walk, you can have all the gear, know how to use it, know what settings to use and you can still get images that aren’t “great” because the subjects are alive, they don’t always fly off the way we hope and they don’t always do what we would like them to do.

But that is the part of bird photography that keeps it exciting.

Mia

Female American Kestrel in the West Desert

By Mia McPherson, on April 28th, 2013%

Female American Kestrel perched on a mound of dirt in the west desert – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

A few days ago I spotted this female American Kestrel on the road to Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, and I do mean in the road. She almost didn’t move even when the pickup was 20 feet from her as we rolled to a stop. I don’t know if we were in Tooele or Juab County at that point but it did seem to be an odd place for an American Kestrel to be, miles from the closest cliffs or mountains and in an area were the vegetation was almost nonexistent. She flew up from the road and landed on one of the trail markers for the Pony Express and from there across the road to perch on a small mound of dirt.

American Kestrel female about to lift off from a mound of dirt in the west desert - Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

I took four images of the female kestrel while she was on that mound of dirt last Wednesday and I hoped that my exposure was going to work because I didn’t have time to change it before she lifted off and flew out over the arid desert. This was my last image of her before she left and I love the pose she left me with along with the memories of an American Kestrel in the west desert of Utah.

I don’t know why she was there but I am very glad she was.

Mia

Tale Of A Red-tailed Hawk

By Mia McPherson, on April 26th, 2013%

Perched adult Red-tailed Hawk

This is a rather short tale about a Red-tailed Hawk although the tail of the Red-tailed Hawk is no shorter than any other Red-tailed Hawk. It is just a tale of a perched Red-tailed Hawk adult …

Adult Red-tail lifting off

Who lifted off from its lofty perch…

Red-tailed adult with wings spread out

To soar and survey its kingdom…

Red-tailed Hawk adult flying by

And to give me a look at its regal eye as it flew past me in its royal plumage.

Mia

More Red-tailed Hawk images

Male Long-billed Curlew lifting off

By Mia McPherson, on April 2nd, 2013%

Male Long-billed Curlew lifting off – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

I photographed this male Long-billed Curlew last week as he was starting to lift off. It has been wonderful hearing their calls again and seeing them poking around in the new growth of grasses. They are selecting mates already.

I found some Long-billed Curlews in a new location in Tooele County, that was pretty exciting. I’m happy that they are back, I guess you all can tell!

Mia