The Business End of a Peregrine

[Grace Scalzo]

Look at those sharp claws! David helped me with the ID, this is a juvenile tundra peregrine, image from 2007 or 8. Bird was extemely confiding.

Canon 50D, 500 f4
1/1600, f8, iso500

[gail bisson]

You were just a baby when you took this!!
Lovely soft light and excellent IQ with a 50D.
Love the grasses and the complimentary BG colors.
Isn't it fun to find a GOOD image that you initially passed over?!!
gail

[David Salem]

No problem on the ID help Grace, anytime. What a great looking frame and a beautiful looking falcon. . I like the scratching pose and the good look at the foot and talons. Beautiful details and color. The perch she's sitting on is such a classic one for a Tundra Falcon as she sits on the tuft of dry grasses scanning the beach.
These Falcons have one of the longest migratory routes of any North American bird traveling up to 15,000 miles in one year. They breed and summer in the far north Tundra as far as Baffin Island and winter in Chile and Argentina. The True snow birds. When they are on the move migrating we have tracked them with transmitters traveling up to 200 miles a day and can make the journey in about a month.
The word Peregrine means "The Wanderer". Thanks for sharing.

[Enrique Patino]

Awesome image Grace. Well exposed and sharp. If it was mine, I would tone down the brights just a tad to extract more tonal contrast of this image dominated by midtones. This and Gail's images are perfect for using luminosity masks for such adjustments IMO..

[keith mitchell]

Grace congrats on finding this, love the whole feel of it, those raised awesome talons finish it nicely.

Keith.

[Roy Priest]

Grace, another great image of a Tundra. I remember the one you posted a couple of years ago, one of my all-time favourites posted on BPN.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Grace, I like your choice of comp to suit this pose, and well timed to show off the talons on the raised foot. IQ, light, sharpness and colours all spot on to make up this fine image.

[Karl Egressy]

Amazing pose, great overall image, Grace.

[arash_hazeghi]

I like the pose with the raised foot and the elements from the habitat. great soft light, it seems the critical focus point was on the shoulder, I might try to sharpen the head a bit more

TFS

[Glenn Conlan]

Super capture the sand and dried grass really make a very complete balanced image of this migrant. Well done

Glenn

[Daniel Cadieux]

I love the grassy "dune" it is perched on. Fantastic earthy tones throughout with the bright yellow foot popping nicely out of that. Vertical comp is well balanced. I realize the nictitating membrane may be covering the eye, but I would likely darken the pupil if mine as it makes the eye look a bit hazy.

[Dvir Barkay]

really nice shot with nice tones and pose

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Grace - very nice complementing tones of the dune and the falcon. It's always great to go back through files and find something.

TFS,
Rachel

[Grace Scalzo]

Thanks to everyone who looked at and commented on this image. It was fun to rework some old favs with better processing skills (that still need much work!) Arash, will do. Daniel, I'm never sure what to do when the bird's nictating membrane is over the eye. I purposefully left it here because this bird wouldn't put a claw so close to an unprotected eye. (But I see your point)