Female Kestrel - on a mission

Subject: Kestrel F (Falco tinnunculus) Baited
Camera: Canon EOS R5
Lens: EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4x III
Exposure: 1/2500 at f/8 ISO2000
Original format: Landscape, almost FF

Steve


Note: The subject is fully wild and completely unconstrained. Besides the potential impact of my presence, nothing has been done to intentionally alter or affect the ongoing behaviour of the subject.

The mouse is dead and bred for snakes and I cannot see any difference between this and using sound recordings. It is now help the food intake for the female who is on the nest with eggs.

Steve:

I love the pose combined with the rocks. Makes me think they are doing yoga. Sharp with a nice level of contrast( not too high)

Tones in the background compliment the bird and rocks.

Well captured.

Randy

Cheers Randy, I work hard to get the various colours & tones as close as possible and keeping a sympathetic backdrop helps to push the subject. Yes the wall adds texture and again, something different to the soft plumage.

Cheers
Steve

Nice shot Steve, accurate colours good details and an interesting pose.

A walking Kestrel ... not bad :bg3:
Framing is good as are the details well shown ...
Personally I think the colors are a touch on the magenta / red side ... matter of taste . Missing some Oomph ... for my liking

TFS Andreas

Gotta love that walking pose, and I like that the "floor" is rocks (I thought it was an old weathered fence from the thumbnail). A couple of bits of debris could be cleaned up on those rocks IMO, and perhaps a touch more deeper blacks to the bird? Sharp as can be, excellent BG, and well-balanced composition.

Nice shot Steve, accurate colours good details and an interesting pose.

Click to expand...

Cheers Jon, using multiple perches means you get them to search and hunt, the female came down only once as she was on eggs and thought she knew where the food was, she had to hunt and scoot around the various locations creating some interesting captures.

Thanks Andreas.

Gotta love that walking pose, and I like that the "floor" is rocks (I thought it was an old weathered fence from the thumbnail). A couple of bits of debris could be cleaned up on those rocks IMO, and perhaps a touch more deeper blacks to the bird? Sharp as can be, excellent BG, and well-balanced composition.

Click to expand...

Up here we call them Dry stone walls, used for years, solid and weather resistant unless the sheep have a pop at them, but hard to breech it.

As I said to Jon she thought she knew where the food was and was busily hunting hence the HA and walking over the wall. The debris, normally I would loose it, but here I left it in. Blacks, always contentious, if there is an almost 100% in a shadow then that's the OK for me as I never lift the shadows.

F/10 isn't my choice, its the lens with the TC, much prefer to shoot more open which helps defuse the BKG better, but again, its all down to planning and giving good separation and trying to avoid BKG that compete with the subject. Keep to EF glass, just as good, better results and cheaper, unless weight is an issue, but I doubt that.

I'm not putting any descriptors in now, as folk were spending more time location this than the image.s o keeping this to a minimum which is a shame, but...

BTW looking forward to catching up with some old BPN friends at the end of the month so will say hi on your behalf. :wave:

Steve Kaluski said:

BTW looking forward to catching up with some old BPN friends at the end of the month so will say hi on your behalf. :wave:

Click to expand...

Awesome, and I say hi back in advance

For sure, it was a given. :cheers: