Red-shouldered Hawk with Harbor Seal

[Rick Bowers]

Red-shouldered Hawk with Harbor Seal - Monterey, California, USA - June



This hawk was catching mice for its young in a nearby nest. To get far enough away to shoot I stood on a road and as I was finding a good angle the Harbor Seal was prominent in the background. Not your usual bedfellows. The BG is light overcast sky reflected in the Pacific Ocean.


50D, 500, 1/100 sec; f/32; ISO 640

[Tony Whitehead]

Well spotted to get this interesting juxaposition, Rick. I find the seal distracts a little from the Hawk due to it's size and similar colours, so I hope you got some other frames isolating the bird only against that lovely blue BG. Lovely sharp focus and I really like the plumage texture which conveys the hard-working parent working to feed it's youngsters

[keith mitchell]

Hi Rick.
Agree with Tony the Seal really does distract from this super shot of this fine looking Hawk.

Keith.

[Daniel Cadieux]

I like the idea you were going for here, and I certain many of us would have tried to experiment with the situation (including me) but I think in the end I do agree the seal distracts. Perhaps if there was more separation between them and with the seall ooking towards us? The hawk and perch are amazing though and I'm sure you got lots of opportunities.

[Marina Scarr]

I love what you were going for here, Rick, but must agree with the others. If the seal were more separated, I think it would have worked better. Lovely hawk portrait!!!