Results 1 to 14 of 14

Thread: American Kestrel

  1. #1
    Lifetime Member David Salem's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Riverside, CA
    Posts
    6,664
    Threads
    276
    Thank You Posts

    Default American Kestrel

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    I hope everyone has been well.

    We've had a rather slow season out west this year. The beginning of the season started off pretty normal with a handful of Kestrels, Shrikes and Phoebe's hunting dragonflies and crickets, but the time the first cold weather hit, everything left in a hurry. Only a few Red-tailed Hawks and Harriers were left for the duration of the season. It's been unusually slow all over the south west according to reports from other friends. I Hope we get a better migration next year!!

    This was taken at the very beginning of the season and unfortunately this cooperative female didn't stick around for long. Fortunatly I got a couple good ones of her before she split.

    D5---850mm---f5.6---ss1/4000th---ISO640---Handheld from truck@ 7:45am---50% crop

    Thanks as always for looking and for your input. I appreciate it.

    David
    Come join me for a Custom Raptor Workshop starting this November 2019- January 2020.
    P.M. me to inquire on dates, pricing and availabilities. Thank You.
    www.davidsalemphotography.com

  2. #2
    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    SW Michigan
    Posts
    14,127
    Threads
    821
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    David:

    Great pose with excellent eye contact, nice dorsal view. Very sharp on head and tail, do wish for a bit more DOF so the wingtips were in focus. Excellent color harmony in the bg. Well framed!

    Good to see you posting.

    Cheers

    Randy
    MY BPN ALBUMS

    "Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy" Sir Isaac Newton

  3. #3
    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Princeton, NJ
    Posts
    12,487
    Threads
    1,892
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Spectacular flight pose and good colors. Sure, a little more DOF would be nice, but a great shot as posted.

  4. #4
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Uk
    Posts
    503
    Threads
    84
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    As said, great display of it's fine plumage, next time just need that bit more depth of field.

    TFS

  5. #5
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Stockholm, Sweden
    Posts
    292
    Threads
    38
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Obviously a real stunner!
    Vertical comp, the light and the pose are spot on. Really like how the colors of the bird and the background compliment each other.
    Already mentioned by others but the one thing I wish for is that those wingtips were sharp. That unsharpness gives some sense of movement though!

  6. #6
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Ithaca, NY
    Posts
    10,421
    Threads
    1,708
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Gorgeous. Love the dorsal view with that flared tail. The light is great as well. Background is spot on as well.

  7. #7
    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Manchester, England
    Posts
    3,251
    Threads
    314
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Simply sweet Dave, beautiful light and the wing spread is superb. Even your poor years blow our good ones into submission!

    Mike

  8. #8
    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Nova Scotia
    Posts
    12,731
    Threads
    910
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Welcome back stranger!
    Lovely flight shot of this kestrel.
    Perfect light, HA and wing and tail position.
    I am OK with the bit of ?wing blur of ?DOF blur but would also like a tack sharp lower wing.
    This is a killer capture. I just find my eye going to that damaged wing tip on the primary of the bird's left wing. Nothing you could do about it of course.
    Keep posting- you are missed!
    gail

  9. #9
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    San Mateo, CA
    Posts
    3,643
    Threads
    398
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Such a fabulous action capture! You show this lady perfectly! Don't mind the blurred wing as all out viewing attention goes right to the perfectly sharp head.

  10. #10
    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    San Francisco, California, United States
    Posts
    18,553
    Threads
    1,320
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    this is probably the best Kestrel shot I have seen, most folks can try a million times and not get one frame like this wish it was mine.

    TFS
    New! Sony Capture One Pro Guide 2022
    https://arihazeghiphotography.com/Gu.../Sony_C1P.html


    ------------------------------------------------
    Visit my blog
    http://www.arihazeghiphotography.com/blog

  11. #11
    Lifetime Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Adelaide Australia
    Posts
    485
    Threads
    87
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Agree with all above .Good to see you back David . Interesting comment about the wing tip but sometimes these imperfections show it's a rough game out there they play to stay alive.

  12. #12
    Lifetime Member David Salem's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Riverside, CA
    Posts
    6,664
    Threads
    276
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks for the comments everyone!! I appreciate it.
    Come join me for a Custom Raptor Workshop starting this November 2019- January 2020.
    P.M. me to inquire on dates, pricing and availabilities. Thank You.
    www.davidsalemphotography.com

  13. #13
    Lifetime Member David Salem's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Riverside, CA
    Posts
    6,664
    Threads
    276
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    This is not a DOF issue, just a little motion blurr from the quick wing movement.
    I have shot literally thousands of frames like this to only wind up with a handful of real rock stars, this being one of them. Depth of field is not a big concern in shots like this. The main concern is actually capturing the bird in the frame!! The head being sharp is the next prerequisite. Everything else from there is just how the cookie crumbles. Thinking that you're going to worry about DOF in a shot that literally takes milliseconds is not realistic and stopping down is only going to slow things down ensuring a soft frame.
    Thanks again
    Come join me for a Custom Raptor Workshop starting this November 2019- January 2020.
    P.M. me to inquire on dates, pricing and availabilities. Thank You.
    www.davidsalemphotography.com

  14. #14
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Eagle Mountain, Utah
    Posts
    2,709
    Threads
    475
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Superb Image. Like the eye contact and wing position.

    TFS

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics