Northern Harrier

[Steven Kersting]

About a month ago I found a pair of these about 1 1/2 hrs away...made several trips since then trying to get a decent picture.

FInally got one!

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5301/5589287593_67e1792be1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skersting/5589287593/)
Northern Harrier (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skersting/5589287593/) by skersting66 (http://www.flickr.com/people/skersting/), on Flickr

But here's the kicker....this one was where I work!

I wish the shadow hadn't fallen where it did....I got a couple other decent shots in the one pass, but I thought this one the best.

Camera Nikon D3
Exposure 0.001 sec (1/1500)
Aperture f/8.0
Focal Length 800 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash No Flash
*hand held*

sharpening, shadow recovery, a very light blur of the background to get rid of noise. Not sure if the eye didn't wind up too bright.

[DanWalters]

Nice flight pose and I like the surrounding grasses. Like the way the harrier is intently looking for his next meal!

[Jeff Dyck]

A nice find Steven. The mature males seem much less commonplace than females and juveniles (in my experience anyway). I agree with your self-critique about the shadows - a clear, unshaded shot of the the face and the head turned more toward the viewer would have been preferable. While I like the environmental aspect of the image, I think it could be preserved in a tight crop.

[Dumay de Boulle]

Agree on the self critique but good on you persevering to get the image...I like the pose and the space giving the feel the bird is searching...TFS staven