American Kestrel

[Alan Murphy]

American Kestrel

Upper Texas Coast

D800, 300/2.8, ISO 500, f6.3, 1/4000

This was taken last week where we had close to 200 Kestrels swoop at my decoy owl in one afternoon. At times there were up to 7 Kestrels at one time doing loop flights over the owl. This image was taken at the top of the loop where the bird flies over backwards to start it's dive at the owl before moving on. The D800 is a very capable camera for shoot fast action. I may miss a few frames a second, but to get 36MP on an action shot is so much fun.

[Jim Crosswell]

Great image Alan! I like the diving pose, exposure, IQ and composition.

[annmpacheco]

Spectacular, kudos to you and the kestrel! So clean. thanks !

[Bill Dix]

Amazing. Hard enough to stop these guys in flight in any pose, but the diving pose is terrific. I may have to go out and buy an owl (but they might frown on it if I set it up in my local preserve where the Kestrals hang out.) Were you in a blind?

[gareth thomson]

Great shot. Well framed, great details, perfect timing. How much did you have to crop Alan? And how many megapixels are in that crop? Looks like the reduction in frame rate is well offset by the amazing resolution of the D800. Were this mine, I would be turning cartwheels like that kestrel. (gt)

[Haim Ziv]

This is a killer shoot!

[Alan Murphy]

Amazing. Hard enough to stop these guys in flight in any pose, but the diving pose is terrific. I may have to go out and buy an owl (but they might frown on it if I set it up in my local preserve where the Kestrals hang out.) Were you in a blind?

Bill, yes I was in an open front blind and in 3D camouflage. FYI: All this is covered in my new eBook.

[Alan Murphy]

Great shot. Well framed, great details, perfect timing. How much did you have to crop Alan? And how many megapixels are in that crop? Looks like the reduction in frame rate is well offset by the amazing resolution of the D800. Were this mine, I would be turning cartwheels like that kestrel. (gt)

Hey Gareth, the image is 3024 pixels on the long side. The original RAW image was 7360.

[Austin Thomas]

Excellent image Alan and an interesting technique. Do the Kestrels learn that the Owl is "fake" over time?

Thanks for sharing.

Austin

[Nico Steenberg]

What a diving pose. Perfect exposure and sharpness with a super comp. Awesome stuff !

[Alan Murphy]

Excellent image Alan and an interesting technique. Do the Kestrels learn that the Owl is "fake" over time?

Thanks for sharing.

Austin

Austin, during migration, Falcon's will make a few passes at any predator owl that is perched in the open. They move on after a couple of passes at the owl whether it's real or fake.

[Miguel Palaviccini]

Very nice Alan! I just bought a D800 and havent had a chance to put it through it's paces. Do you have an e-book for purchase (or blog post) on some of the AF settings that you like to use most? Either way, I look forward to buying your new e-book soon!

[Alan Murphy]

Very nice Alan! I just bought a D800 and havent had a chance to put it through it's paces. Do you have an e-book for purchase (or blog post) on some of the AF settings that you like to use most? Either way, I look forward to buying your new e-book soon!

Hey Miguel, I don't have anything for purchase that has my AF settings, but I can tell you what they are.

Continuous High Speed shooting (CH)
AF continous
d21 AF points
(a1) Both AF-c and AF-s in "priority release"
(a3) Focus tracking = normal, sometimes off

Hope that helps.

[Steve Wasson]

Excellent image! Bought your new eBook the other day, and its excellent, too. Thanks for sharing!

[Miguel Palaviccini]

Hey Miguel, I don't have anything for purchase that has my AF settings, but I can tell you what they are.

Continuous High Speed shooting (CH)
AF continous
d21 AF points
(a1) Both AF-c and AF-s in "priority release"
(a3) Focus tracking = normal, sometimes off

Hope that helps.

Thanks Alan! That's exactly what I use (except I use AF-S "focus release" - and now that I think about it, I'm not sure why). I've played around with the (a3) setting, but not enough to change it from the default. Thanks for the tips!

[Karl Egressy]

When you think that you have seen it all, Alan comes up with yet another amazing shot and sets a new standard.
Striking image, Alan.

[CM Prince]

Great image as always Alan! I also purchase your second book last week. Why don't you sell these owls also, I would purchase one.

[Jeff Sorbie]

WOW! Great shot Alan. Love the detail and the intensity of the photo. I purchased your newest ebook last week and cannot wait to try out some of your new methods.

[Frank Schauf]

A great dynamic image, congratulations, Alan.

[Marina Scarr]

Over the top diving pose you acquired here, Alan.

[gail bisson]

I am running out of superlative words!
Tack sharp and love the diving pose.
Gail

[Nancy Bell]

Holy moly! Totally awesome!

[Robert Holguin]

Wow!!! Stunning image.
Love the diving pose.
Very well done.

[arash_hazeghi]

Jesus! a kestrel with a 300mm lens!

You have mastered this art! nuff said :)

[Craig Brelsford]

Alan, you've laid it all out, from technique to equipment to final result. This kestrel is amazing. I'm wavering between adding Nikon's 300 mm F/2.8 lens or the 400 mm F/2.8 lens to my collection. I see you often shoot with the 300 mm lens; what besides its cheaper price recommends it over the 400 mm? Do you use the 400 mm F/2.8 lens?

[Alan Murphy]

Alan, you've laid it all out, from technique to equipment to final result. This kestrel is amazing. I'm wavering between adding Nikon's 300 mm F/2.8 lens or the 400 mm F/2.8 lens to my collection. I see you often shoot with the 300 mm lens; what besides its cheaper price recommends it over the 400 mm? Do you use the 400 mm F/2.8 lens?

Weight!!! The 400/2.8 is probably to heavy to hand hold. Thanks Craig.

[Craig Brelsford]

Weight!!! The 400/2.8 is probably to heavy to hand hold. Thanks Craig.

Thanks, Alan. You're right; the 400/2.8 is heavy; it's about as big as the 600/4. Interesting that you talk about the 400/2.8 being too big to hand-hold. I hold my 600/4. Perhaps you're meaning that the 300/2.8 is so light that you can move it with minimal effort and much flexibility.

[Satish Ranadive]

Alan Boss:
Cracker shot.Absolutely superb image.What a great action captured....just love it...

Regards,
Satish.