Red-tailed Hawk juvenile in low light conditionsRed-tailed Hawk juvenile in low light conditions – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/1600, ISO 640, +2.0 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 314mm, natural light, not baited

In the winter I shoot a lot in fog, smog and low light conditions here in northern Utah but if you follow my blog you probably already know that and have heard me mention it a time or two (or four or a hundred). While I would prefer the sweet golden light of dawn or the warm tones found in the setting sun sometimes I just have to make do with what light I have.

The juvenile Red-tailed Hawk was photographed a few days before Christmas when the light was low, there was plenty of snow on the ground, there was fog hanging in the air and the occasional snowflakes were falling down. This Red-tailed juvenile has been hanging out at Farmington Bay for some time now so perhaps if I cross my fingers, do a sun dance, carry a lucky penny, rub Buddha’s belly, burn some sage and blow out some birthday candles (doesn’t matter whose cake it is, right?) I will get to photograph it in decent light.

My queendom for some sunshine! (And birds at the same time)

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Red-tailed Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.