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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

World Bird Wednesday LXII


A Close Encounter


    Part of my routine when I drive anywhere is to lay my camera next to me on the front seat dialed in and ready to catch a glimpse of the roadside hawks I see plying their trade along the way. It is fortunate I have two eyes, one to watch the road and the other to scan the treeline for a well lit bird to grace these pages with. The Red-tailed hawks that sit perched like sentinels along the motorway are wary of a car pulling off to the side of the road and except for a few blessed occasions take to wing long before a good shot can be set up. These birds are wild animals and live by harsher rules then civilized man. Frustration becomes a bird photographers faithful friend.
    Having a pillow to lay on the window ledge to support the long lens in a rock solid cradle is a must. Then it's just a matter of checking the light, focusing and clicking away. Most of these are thirty second opportunities at best. If you can organise your approach to accommodate this time frame every now and then you'll strike gold. Even if the bird flies early I'll at least take one good picture of where he was, just to have had the experience of completing the cycle of events. So much the better when the bird stays posed!
     Lately, my rough camera set up would go something like this: Canon T2i shooting in jpeg format. 400mm 5.6 prime lens set at 7.1. ISO @400 even on a fairly sunny day. Shutter speed? Just as fast as I can get it, the bare minimum at 1/400 and starting to feel much better at 1/1600 since my lens is not image stabilized. This is my starting point and I adjust from there.

Today I was leaving Detroit, fleeing the fire scene, bound for the Rio Pine and anticipating the Red-tails I would naturally see. Buzzing through an east side neighborhood in my little red five speed I down shifted to nod my respects to a stop sign and there it was, sitting on it's bloody kill, a prime Coopers hawk not fifty feet away.




The Coopers hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  is perhaps the most profoundly gifted killer of other birds that Michigan's skies have to offer. Picture yourself an early 20th century poultry farmer matching wits with this hawk and it's taste for young hens.
From Familiar Birds we quote the accounts of  Mr. Forbush in 1927 who mentions the experience of a Mr. Farley:
 
This Sunday morning, May 2, 1909, soon after 9 (apparently his usual hour), the Cooper's Hawk (or another just as bad) which is getting so many chickens from poultry-raisers here on Chiltonville Hill, Plymouth (we have lost 25), appeared, coming for the coops. Mr. Graves fired at him, but the hawk, not stopped by the report, circled within a few rods and came in again. But the second barrel sent him away, apparently hit. During this entire episode there were five people standing close to the coop. A few mornings ago also, as Mr. Graves was pounding away making another coop, the hawk caught and carried off a chicken within a few yards of him. A Cooper's Hawk two years ago in East Bridgewater behaved similarly. Four times this daring bird (with people standing near) tried to get a chicken out of a hen-yard that adjoined the mixed woods where it had its nest. The people "shooed" the hawk away three times, but at the fourth attempt, despite their cries, it carried off a pullet.


    Here in 2012 my Coopers was just as non-pulsed by my presence as theirs was in 1909. The shoot lasted just a hair under two and one half minutes. Not bad considering it was a narrow and busy stretch of road. When the sun broke out I went from 1/500th second shutter speed as in the above picture to 1/1600th and we were cookin'!
    It is difficult to make the call, is this a Coopers hawk or a nearly identical Sharp shinned hawk? I wavered on my decision. The white terminal band on the rounded tail feathers, a more clearly defined black cap, and sturdier legs gave me confidence to decide in favour of the Coopers. Both share a reputation as the bane of song birds charging headlong through a tangle of branches to capture their prey. At the end of a successful chase the plucking of feathers is followed by a leisurely if gruesome meal.



   Two first time countries visited World Bird Wednesday last week: Bolivia and the Netherlands Antilles. Welcome!
   Thanks to all who leave their kind comments on my pages and those of all the contributers to WBW. It is a great honor to have your attention and company in these busy weeks.
   I received a nice E-mail from a reader in N. America asking why World Bird Wednesday starts noonish Tuesday. That's easy to explain. Tuesday noon in the Great Lakes region of N.A. is already 4:00 AM Wednesday Perth, AU. If you think about it, the people of earth (the only ones who care about stuff like this ) experience their Wednesdays over a 48 hour period!
  One of the joys of WBW is to see our planet more clearly as a whole enity with birds as our primary teachers. I love to see the wide world through your eyes and to share in turn what I am seeing. Carry on!
   Cheers, Dave




This is the home of World Bird Wednesday. A place for bird photographers from around the world to gather and share their photographs and experiences as they pursue Natures most beautiful treasurers, the birds.

You don't have to be a Bird Watcher or expert photographer to join in, just enjoy sharing what you bring back from your explorations and adventures into nature!

World Bird Wednesday will be open for posting at 12 noon Tuesday EST North America through midnight on Wednesday.
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#1. Simply copy the above picture onto your W.B.W. blog entry, it contains a link for your readers to share in the fun. Or, you can copy this link on to your blog page to share WBW. http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com/

#2. Come to The Pine River Review on Tuesday Noon EST North America through Wednesday midnight and submit your blog entry with InLinkz.

#3. Check back in during the course of the next day and explore these excellent photoblogs!


The idea of a meme is that you will visit each others blogs and perhaps leave a comment to encourage your compatriots!


Come on it's your turn!

44 comments:

  1. great job, springman! love their color patterns and their grey overcoats!

    (and you go with your little red 5-speed!) :)

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  2. Great story today! And photos! This guy has been hunting my bird feeders quite frequently lately. So bold as to land right on the feeder not 15 feet from my office window where I capture photos of him... he doesn't even care about my movement inside. Very bold!

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  3. What an awesome encounter, Dave! It's always a treasure to get such a close look at a raptor, and you certainly made the most of your 2.5 minutes with it.

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  4. Love these photos, Springman! They're well lit and the detail is wonderful. I never get tired of raptor photos. Your preparation has paid off!

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  5. This is why you get great photos and I don't...skill and patience..I don't have either...they are great..

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  6. Wonderful images and great information on your camera settings. I've been trying to fine tune my default and this gives me a great starting point as I have the same lens.

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  7. thanks for telling us how you do it. I have pretty much the same. Camera ready in the passenger seat. But I don´t have a pillow. It is so rare to get those close encounters over here. Only once, for 2 sec. I spotted a bird in a ditch. I did not even have time to hit the brake. Usually I see them flying or high up in a tree. Great shots as usual. :)

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  8. I can not imagine how did you manage to get your third photo even you explain :)
    I will put to my post my hawk photos , they are taken through our windows :)
    nice time to you and good catches !!

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  9. These stellar shots are proof that it pays to be always prepared! Wonderful work!

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  10. Springman, Wow, great images! The only problem with road side shooting is that the buggers always sit in the most inconvenient places! I'm forever getting yelled at for pulling up sharply for a shot!

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  11. Great photos of the hawks. They are beautiful creatures. I just wish the country roads around here had even a shoulder to pull off on. Most places I'd be down the bank if I tried it!

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  12. I so very much appreciate when you include your stealth techniques, camera settings and equiptment used when capturing these great photos you always have to present. And continue too documenting the frustrastions you encounter also. It makes us feel better about ourselves. Great post as always with stunningly sharp photos. Thank you.

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  13. crystal clear photographs and it's great to read your references to ISO and shutter-speed data also, something I want to get to experimenting with more. You certainly abide by the old boy scouts "be prepared" motto, having your camera, and pillow, at the ready, fore-armed. Always so enjoyable, thanks Springman!

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  14. Your photos never cease to amaze me and these are no exception.
    Awesome shots with such detail.
    Skill and patience yes with a whole lot of talent as well.
    Excellent work!

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  15. Great photos, wow, their eyes are fascinating!

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  16. Love your Cooper's hawk, complete with meal :)

    I have this vision of you looking a bit like Marty Feldman with one eye on the road and the other scanning the tree line...hehe

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  17. Awesome shots of your Cooper's hawk, Springman! I usually do not have the stomach to witness the hawk eating its prey. I have recently found some dove feathers in my yard and I believe it was from a Cooper's hanging around here too. I always enjoy your post and photos, just wonderful.

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  18. My first thought on reading your story on this hawk is "wow". YOU HAD 2-1/2 MINUTES!!! I only wish I had time to get off a single frame on the red tails we have (mostly) around here. Very well done!!!

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  19. re CR:
    Springman, no, not much sleep. Usually up at 5-6 in the morning when it was still dark. I think we had about 10h of birding each day when we did not travel. I am now posting from day 8 so there are still a lot of species to find in my files. I´m half way. Barely! :)

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  20. Gripping, gripping, good to see that nature doesn't stop at the city limits, looks like he was enjoying his pigeon pie, or whatever it was that was on the menu...

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  21. Wonderful images of a beautiful bird.. nature in action is wonderful to see but sometimes shocking.

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  22. I'm green with envy-- this morning I totally blew a great close shot of a Cooper's Hawk, sitting on a fence only about 30 feet away. Took 5 shots before it flew, ans all disastrously under-exposed. Need to get back to using my flash for those birds that lurk in the shade! Love your photos.

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  23. My little girl pronounced these awesome! I agree.

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  24. A raptor right!! Great captures and how right that practice makes perfect!!

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  25. Great close-ups of this very handsome fellow! And a lovely essay.

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  26. Brilliant post Springman and awesome photos!
    Thanks for providing your capturing/stealth tips & settings used. I am still a little shy of using manual, especially with birds as I never want to miss the opportunity. Birds of prey fascinate me so much. I hope one day soon to capture one.
    Thanks again for hosting this link up and for your mine of information. :)

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  27. I am glad I did not leave a comment when I first read your post at 2 a.m. in the morning. I had only stayed up to log on and my eyes were closing by themselves and certainly not registering the fine detail, like the green around his beak, the wonder of hie eyes and the beauty of the feathers. I had not seen the blood and gore either . . . ah well, you can't win 'em all.

    Fabulous shots and I hope you don't mind me using them to practice my drawing.

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  28. Wow Dave, these are brilliant images of the hawks. I aspire to be a quarter as good as you, and believe I'll get there yet! Have a great week. Greetings. Jo (Kenya)

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  29. Those are awesome shots! You are so lucky :-D!
    And I do the same thing, always have the camera ready when driving :-)
    (Not that I drive much the last two years, boohoo)

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  30. Hi Dave - nice point about the time zones. Hawks can be a real nightmare to ID at times!

    Saw some comments recently on another meme that were complaining that the newest posts were being placed first. This (apparently) robbed the "early posters" of being first. It was clear somebody thought their time zone was the only one in the world!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Australia (8.05pm Australian Eastern Standard Time!)

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  31. Wow!! Incredible detail in the eyes and the feathers! I love it!!

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  32. Dave, your pictures get more amazing by the week. I can relate to the terrorizing that these hawks do, as I have both the Cooper's and Sharpie this season. So far, and knock on wood, my chickens have escaped their latest meal. I do worry about the Bald eagle that occassionally drops by though.
    Have a great rest of the week, keep those awesome pictures coming, and please stay safe.
    Gorgeous header!!
    Becky

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  33. Those Cooper Hawk images are wonderful! I love that you got them so close. I too, have my camera set on the ready along side me in the car. I see way more birds than I have opportunity to capture though. Yesterday the husby drove around a huge city block for me and the bird had flown;~ Really great work!

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  34. INCREDIBLE photos of the Cooper's Hawk! I see hawks all the time here in Tn., but never pay attention to them while they are "dining". I know now what I am passing up...
    A FANTASTIC PHOTO OPPORTUNITY!!

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  35. so,I wonder where that 'ol sofa pillow has run off to again.
    Great Header David,another beautiful WBW/Tues.
    zoom zoom

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  36. Super shots of the Cooper's Hawk's lunch Dave! I too keep my camera on the front seat at the ready but come on, you know you can't look for birds and keep your eye on the road! I have an "I Brake For Birds" bumper sticker I think you should place on your rear bumper. Email me your address and I'll send you one!

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  37. You are always outdoing yourself,wonderful close-ups of 1 of my fav birds,your header should grace the page of a mag.Incredible.Phyllis

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  38. Springman, excellent shots and excellent story. Kudos to you for being prepared! Sometimes I am, and sometimes I'm not. and sometimes when I am prepared it doesn't matter anyways. The birds are faster than I am! Well done! Thanks for stopping by!

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  39. Not image-stabilized? I am amazed at the quality of your photos. I looked into getting a 400 mm prime lens for my camera: it's way beyond my means, and heavy! Lovely images!

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  40. wow, wow, wow....what a special treat!!

    thanks springman, this is a wonderful sharing place!!

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