Australian Kestrel with pigeon

This is a capture from August last year during a morning circuit along a local patch of farmland before spending about five hours crammed in a hide waiting for Sea Eagles to come and roost at a nearby lagoon. I was surprised that this young Kestrel (Falco cenchroides) allowed a relatively close approach while feeding on a Feral Pigeon (the common Rock Dove that is - Columba livia, which is an introduced pest in Australia). This is also the smallest bird of prey on the continent averaging around 13" in height. They live allaround the countryside and in cities etc.

Cropped 30% off the original and other than the man-made perch which I normally would ignore totally, I would love to know some QM techniques to be able to remove the dark blob in the LRC.

Camera Model Name
Canon EOS 30D
Shooting Date/Time
8/10/2008 07:58:04
Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/640Sec.
Av(Aperture Value)
F5.6
Metering Modes
Evaluative metering
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
800
Lens
EF300mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x
Handheld.....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3467/...32e7602f_o.jpg

Very nice capture, Akos. Lovely light and pose - just a pity about the perch. I wouldn't QM this - I would just use the clone stamp in lighten mode as you have a good adjacent area to sample from. Here's a rough, laptop trackpad attempt.

Excellent detail and exposure as well as being razor sharp. Like the great pose you captured in this image Akos and your timing was perfect. IMO I would be tempted to crop a little more off the right. Many thanks for sharing.

Thanks Judy and Tony. I thought clone too, but didn't even try. DOH! :) Thanks it does look much better. ;) Believe me, if it were not for the prey and feast I would have driven right on by.

One of my all time favorites to bad we don't see that many. I agree with all the above and think this image is stunning with great clarity and depth, just wonderful, congrats.

Bill

I agree with your own thoughts about the perch...but I also agree with your stopping to capture this scene :-) Nice that is still one good big feather left on the prey to confirm the identity.

A very descriptive image for sure!
What a great looking Kestrel, as for Tony's repost I'd say he did a great job. Yes, may be the perch is not the best but that's how things goes sometimes.
About Columbia livia, I guess is a Rock Pigeon and not a Rock Dove, and yes, they are a pest!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Juan Carlos Vindas

A very descriptive image for sure!
What a great looking Kestrel, as for Tony's repost I'd say he did a great job. Yes, may be the perch is not the best but that's how things goes sometimes.
About Columbia livia, I guess is a Rock Pigeon and not a Rock Dove, and yes, they are a pest!

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Thanks for your kind comments Juan. :)

According to the revised Christides & Boles 2008 checklist of Australian birds, which you can check here, Columba livia's "official" common name is Rock Dove in Australia. :)

I guess that is why scientific name use is better, as no one gets confused or start a debate. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ákos Lumnitzer

Thanks for your kind comments Juan. :)

According to the revised Christides & Boles 2008 checklist of Australian birds, which you can check here, Columba livia's "official" common name is Rock Dove in Australia. :)

I guess that is why scientific name use is better, as no one gets confused or start a debate. :)

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Hi Akos!
I guess you are right about the Latin Scientific names. I dont' want to start a debate neither, but if you go to check the www.aou.org/checklist/index.php3#colu2 you will then see what I mean.
Is the same bird, just different names in different continents. :)
Thanks for the information.