Female harrier nest robber

[Bob Smith]

I got a close as I dared without spooking this pheasant nest robber and I couldn't circle to get up-sun of her because I was on a road so all I could do was wait 'til I had a head turn with some sun on the right side of her face..
Canon 7DII,Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro,ISO800,f/6.3,1/1000, Enduro tripod, 50% crop

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[Tim Foltz]

Bob, interesting behavioral shot, wish the light was behind you but nature doesn't always cooperate.

-Tim

[Daniel Cadieux]

Now there is a scene we don't see every day! You had tough lighting conditions for sure, but you did the best you could considering the limitations you had. You must have been close with that macro lens - too bad you did not have a long lens with you...

[Arthur Morris]

Yes interesting and yes the light was a b----. I would love to hear about the situation. Were you in a blind? Did the harrier eat all of the eggs? Were you waiting for the pheasant to come back to the nest?

with love, artie

[Arthur Morris]

ps: the WHITEs on the eggshells look toasted ... with love, artie

[John Mack]

Interesting situation you encountered here, at least you made the best of the situation you were in.

[Bob Smith]

Now there is a scene we don't see every day! You had tough lighting conditions for sure, but you did the best you could considering the limitations you had. You must have been close with that macro lens - too bad you did not have a long lens with you...

My Bad Daniel---the lens is the actually the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary, so I had pretty good reach . I was on a farmyard access road with fences or vegetation on both sides, which kept me from circling out to the left. I first saw her from about 70 yd. away and started a slow incremental approach fully in her view but at about 25 yd. distance she started getting nervous so I didn't try to get any closer (which I otherwise might have done but, as you point out, this was such a unique shot content wise that I didn't want to risk losing it---and in fact she did leave when I tried a closer approach after getting 40 or so images).

[Bob Smith]

Yes interesting and yes the light was a b----. I would love to hear about the situation. Were you in a blind? Did the harrier eat all of the eggs? Were you waiting for the pheasant to come back to the nest?

with love, artie

No blind Arthur---I had parked my truck at a bend in the road that lies about 20 yd. from a tree with an eagle nest in the farmyard (containing two chicks) and had been on top of the truck shooting those babies and the mother ( not a nest molestation offence as the nest and occupants are constantly exposed to the comings and goings of farmers and equipment ) when I saw the harrier land in the edge of the field just off the road. I got on my tripod and started moving closer until I could see she was messing around with something and thought maybe she'd caught a mouse. Only when closer did I make out that it was eggs she had. Sometimes you could see the yolk dripping from her beak. As to the whites I thought the feathers on her right leg were toast but the eggs seemed more like poached to me. It was strange place for a pheasant nest in terms of it's proximity to the farm activity and road but most of the pheasants on Westham Is. are pen raised so maybe not. I made a mistake scaring her off in trying to get closer. I should have let her finish her meal, although you can see in the images that she'd already eaten three of the eggs.

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Bob, Thanks for sharing the story. With love, artie