Amur Falcon

[Kobus Tollig]

Canon 40D
100-400mm @ 400mm
1/2500 sec, f/8
Mode: Av
Metering: Evaluative
Exp comp: -1/3
ISO: 400
AF mode: AI Servo AF
Drive: Continuous (high): frame 1
White balance: Auto
Flash: Off
Taken just outside Pretoria South Africa
All C&C welcome and appreciated

[Antonio Lopez]

I really like this image, nice color, sharpness, composition but I would like to see some cropping on the right.

[Morkel Erasmus]

super takeoff pose Kobus! nice and sharp too. is that a bit of noise inside the wings on the dark primaries?

[Fabs Forns]

I don't know my birds that well, but that looks so much like a Kestrel to me.

Beautiful take off that would benefit from selectively lightening of the under wings and some more room at the bottom.

[Hugh J McLaughlin]

Beautiful light for the blast off image. Nicely done, Kobus

[Dr.Pranay Rao Juvvadi]

Love the light, the blue sky and the spread wings and tail. I would have preferred bit more room on the left and a bit less on the right. I would leave it as is, if this is a full frame. I prefer rectangular over square frames, hence would not like to crop this just on the right.

These beautiful raptors pass right across India during their annaul migration (Dec to Jan and while returning in April) in small to large groups (in their hundreds sometimes). Since they are only on passage, we do not get many photographic opportunities. Are they seen frequently in South Africa?

[Attila Seprenyi]

Great timing. I like the wide open wings and the details on the bird.

[Randy Stout]

Kobus:

Nice image, and I agree with Fabs re: crop and lightening under the wing. If you had a frame just a second later, with the wing clear of the branch merge, that might be even better, but he may have had a less desirable wing position.

Thanks for sharing.

Randy

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Pretty falcon Kobus. I wish the perch was not touching the wing but... love the pose and sky. You could make use of the 200kb...

[Doug Brown]

Love the pose and eye contact. Nice sharpness. The underwing areas are a little dark; if anything I might have added +1/3 EC instead of going with negative EC here. Otherwise very nice!

[Phil Ertel]

Enjoyable image. I also like the pose. Good details and the tail fan is nice. Good comments above on lighting under the wings and space at the bottom. Thanks Doug for the EC comment I find that very helpful.

[Brian Barcelos]

Kobus, this is beautiful. Love the spread wings and fanned tail. I only wish the perch didn't intersect the wing. Congrats!
Brian

[Harshad Barve]

Some noise underwings Kobus for me, Rest is so good for me

Harshad

[Bruce Enns]

Very nice Kobus! Great light, pose and sharp details. I agree with a bit of a comp change to move the bird and perch a bit more into the ROT position LL and a bit of S/H lightening of the underwings. Overall a great image that I would certainly be proud to have taken.

Cheers!
Bruce

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

GReat take off mate! Love the wing spread, I would love more even if you had a slightly better HA and a bit more room in the LLC. Still this rocks.

Fabs,
My understanding is that a kestrel is still a falcon, it is just that kestrel is a common name. Happy to be told to shut my big mouth anytime! :D A bit like my Eastern Blue Wrasse I posted in wildlife a couple of days ago. It is called a Groper (you guys call it a Grouper) yet technically it is a wrasse anyways. :) Common names really are and can be a PITA.

We have the Australian (aka Nankeen) Kestrel, Falco cenchroides. So in essence, a falcon still. :)

[Gerrie van Vuuren]

Great timing! Like the full spread of wings and fanned tail. Well done!

[Stu Bowie]

Super take off posture showing the detail and colour in the wings. The fanned tail adds too. There are signs of colour noise in the darker areas of the wing, but could also be natural markings on the featheres.

[arash_hazeghi]

Excellent sharpness and details, it very resembles the American Kestrels we have here.

[Kiran Poonacha]

Beautiful one Kobus... Loved the pose and details here...

[Kobus Tollig]

Thx all for the Great comments and suggestions.
These are Amur Falcons and they come to the North parts of SA (from Johannesburg area up north) each Feb to mid March. Hundreds of them. A believe they come al the way from Pakistan.
Here is a repost(did some NR and improved the comp) and also a not so good image of the male.....This is one of the bird species where the Female is more beautiful than the Male imo

[Kobus Tollig]

This is a not so good image of the Amur Male

[Stephen Earle]

Your repost is an improvement Kobus. The shot of the male is quite good also.

[Chris Kotze]

Excellent shot well timed and captured. The repost looks great