This time of year there are lots of hungry sparrows and passerine birds...winter is a time of feeding. So, I keep an ample supply of food about the yard. The only down side is that the frenetic activity in the yard is observed by accipiter eyes. A young coopers makes many attempts at the small birds. Most of the time she misses; she is clumsy and has not learned to be stealthy. After an abortive attack she will sit and sulk on the fence. She is not intimidated by me so I get to take shots from an open window while sipping a hot cup of coffee on a 20 degree day.
There was but little choice in how to present this image. I was using a 500mm + 1.4 T/C and she just filled the frame; could not get the whole bird in. So, Portrait was what I settled on.
EXIF
Camera: Canon 30D
Lense: Canon EF 500 IS L + Canon 1.4 T/C (effective focal length 700mm)
Mode: all manual
Metering: average
Exposure 1/640 @ f 7.1: fill flash 1/4 power, Better Beamer ext.
ISO 400
White bal: custom 5400K
Self critique: perhaps a bit more canvas to the right
I'm new to this forum as I just discovered it. This is the first image I've viewed here and I think it is a wonderful image. Clarity and feather details are exceptional and the bokeh is colorful and makes the bird pop. Focus is spot on! Very nice Mark!
Very nice portrait, I like the gradation to dark in the BG and the excelent detail. I'm OK with the frame onthe right, but would crop a bit from the left instead.
Lovely portrait Mark with awesome eye contact and detail. The BG is very pleasing and I agree with Fab's suggestion of cropping a tad off the left side. Many thanks for sharing.
Coopers Hawk (Juvenile)
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