Australian Kestrel

[John Cooper]

This Australian Kestrel was nesting only 15 feet above the ground, very low for this species. Prey brought in for the young chicks ranged from small insects to reptiles. On this occasion a small nestling has been brought in, possibly one of the quail species.

EOS 5, EF100-300 F5.6L, ISO 200, !/200 sec F11, Sunlight from the left side plus fill flash minus 2 stops, Hide/tower, tripod.

[arash_hazeghi]

Very nice, The Australian specie is handsome! nice details and I like the food item which adds more drama!, fill flash helped with harsh light but still some shadows left. I wish he was on a shorter perch that did not extend behind the bird but the view of nest is nice too.
TFS

[gail bisson]

This is very poignant John.
Excellent view of the kestrel and the chick.
Light is harsh but fill flash really helped and the action portrayed far outweighs any issues I have with light.
Excellent IQ as well.
Gail

[Greg Oakley]

Stunning image John! The pose is super and the prey in mouth is brutal but beautifully graphic,
Cheers Greg

[christopher galeski]

very nice capture John,love the prey in the beak,sharp were it needs to be.thanks.

[Karl Egressy]

Stunning image, John. Excellent looking back pose, great detail and the poor litle nestling in the beak tells the story.

[Randy Stout]

John:

Good story telling image, sad but real. Good use of fill to help quell the shadows. I would consider toning down the luminosity of the trunk below the bird, would help it seem less harsh.
Your tower gave an excellent shooting angle once again.

Cheers

Randy

[Stu Bowie]

Hi John, good look back pose, which in turn shows off the food item. If the space on the RHS wasnt showing off the nest, I would have maybe cropped that away, but of course, you are showing off the view of the nest. Another vote for toning down the area below the feet.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

A compelling image John, and your execution is excellent. Good call on the DOF, excellent use of flash to minimize shadows. Love the nest cavity and the clean bg too.
I've been MIA last few months, so missed the story on the hide/tower that you mention.

[Shawn Zierman]

Excellent natural history image, and great use of fill flash.
The avian prey is REALLY cool. Is this the male or female?

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

John this is awsome yet I mourn for the little baby. Nice that the kestral stopped to look around

[John Cooper]

Excellent natural history image, and great use of fill flash.
The avian prey is REALLY cool. Is this the male or female?

Thanks for the comments Shawn - As a guess I think this is the feamale. ID rests on the tail - Females have chestnut tails barred black, while the male's tail is off-white or pale grey tipped white and a broad black band near the tip. Easier to ID when the tail is fanned out.

[Jim Crosswell]

Another excellent image John! The tower hide has really been working out well allowing you and us to see things we may never see otherwise. Look forward to seeing more images.

[dankearl]

Very nice. The Kestral looks great and the prey made me do a double take.Excellent.

[Satish Ranadive]

John:
Another magnificent image of this beautiful kestrel with kill form your great tower set-up.Excellent IQ,very nice colors and details.
Love the nice look back pose.

Regards,
Satish.

[David Salem]

Great job John. Your setups are putting you in a perspective that very few have. Love the detail and the chick prey item is very cool. Well done!