Enjoying a roadkill

A lot of people have been asking me to post a shot with a roadkill. Here you go. This is a full frame image of the Juvenile Caracara on armadillo.
What I have learned about this bird is that they do not like their roadkill on the grass area, they prefer it out in the open, on the road or on the edge of the road.
Did not want to disturb this juve having a big breakfast, hence part of the road is in the shot. I was laying flat on the road with a bean bag.


Camera Nikon D3SExposure 0.001 sec (1/800)Aperture f/8.0Focal Length 600 mmISO Speed 640Exposure Bias 0 EVFlash No Flash

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/...f007b7a1_b.jpg

Lots of views but no comments! I suspect the nature of the image is a little unpleasant but it is real and illustrates what I imagine is a typical behaviour. The raised foot supporting the armadillo and the flying flesh convey the story well. The bird has obviously had a good feed with that bulging crop. The BG is nicely blurred but the brightness of the road is a bit of a distraction. I'm hoping it is a quiet road if you were lying down on it to get the picture.:)

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Originally Posted by Tony Whitehead

Lots of views but no comments! I suspect the nature of the image is a little unpleasant but it is real and illustrates what I imagine is a typical behaviour. The raised foot supporting the armadillo and the flying flesh convey the story well. The bird has obviously had a good feed with that bulging crop. The BG is nicely blurred but the brightness of the road is a bit of a distraction. I'm hoping it is a quiet road if you were lying down on it to get the picture.:)

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Tony, appreciate the comment. Yes, it was a quite street although when there are cars, most drivers are driving crazy fast.
Trying to come up with a way to get better shots without the road but with the way it is around the area, nearly impossible. Will try again...

Cool shot, Troy! Armadillo is like fillet mignon to a Caracara. This juv has a very full crop. The Caracaras will often feast on roadkill in the early morning just after dawn. They will drag the kill or pieces of it to the side of the road where they are safe from cars. They eat roadkill almost daily, so they are very used to traffic and will eat close to the road if they can't drag it farther easily. The adults are usually more wary of cars and humans than the immature birds like the one in the image. I will often drag the kill farther from the road if I can and then back off and let the birds return to it. That way they are less likely to end up AS the next roadkill meal.

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Originally Posted by Jim Neiger

Cool shot, Troy! Armadillo is like fillet mignon to a Caracara. This juv has a very full crop. The Caracaras will often feast on roadkill in the early morning just after dawn. They will drag the kill or pieces of it to the side of the road where they are safe from cars. They eat roadkill almost daily, so they are very used to traffic and will eat close to the road if they can't drag it farther easily. The adults are usually more wary of cars and humans than the immature birds like the one in the image. I will often drag the kill farther from the road if I can and then back off and let the birds return to it. That way they are less likely to end up AS the next roadkill meal.

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Jim, you are correct.
I tried that before, but only issue is you will only get part of the bird. The side of the road is not the same height as the road. I need to find a spot where I can set up better. Only issue around the area is they are all private property, trespassing may get me shot!!! :D

Troy,

Many rural roads in Florida have a right of way that consists of a shoulder, flat grass area, then drainage ditch, then fence for private property. There is often a flat area on the far side of the ditch just before the fence. Frequently there are indented gate areas in the fence and earth bridges over the ditch. I try to find an area like that close to the kill so I can drag the kill to a place that is safe for the birds and is good for photography. I take into consideration the light angle, bg and fg, and the approaches as birds come and go from the kill. Safety for the birds is the main concern and great photo ops the second concern.

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Originally Posted by Jim Neiger

Troy,

Many rural roads in Florida have a right of way that consists of a shoulder, flat grass area, then drainage ditch, then fence for private property. There is often a flat area on the far side of the ditch just before the fence. Frequently there are indented gate areas in the fence and earth bridges over the ditch. I try to find an area like that close to the kill so I can drag the kill to a place that is safe for the birds and is good for photography. I take into consideration the light angle, bg and fg, and the approaches as birds come and go from the kill. Safety for the birds is the main concern and great photo ops the second concern.

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I agree..so far I heard that one Juve has been hit by a car.
People tend to speed around the rural area as they are no cops around.
Sad...

Hi Troy. You did a great job showing what this bird does naturally. The blurred BG isolates the subject nicely. Having the road in the shot does not bother me since it is where the bird prefers to eat.

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Originally Posted by Julie Brown

Hi Troy. You did a great job showing what this bird does naturally. The blurred BG isolates the subject nicely. Having the road in the shot does not bother me since it is where the bird prefers to eat.

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Thank you Julie. :)

This image tells a story and what a superb image it is. The brightness of the road helps light up the face(?) that is turned slightly. I have seen less interesting shots win competitions...so worth a thought.