Australasian Harrier

[Tony Whitehead]

Captured this morning at Lake Okareka. I like the way this shows the twisting motion as the Harrier weaves over the reeds trying to locate prey. I would prefer a better view of the birds left wing. BG is OOF hillside with tree ferns.
Nikon D300
Nikon 500VR+1.4x
ISO 400, 1/800 f5.6
comments always appreciated.

[Chris van Rooyen]

Beautiful, moody shot and pin sharp as well, background is particularly effective. Agree on left wing position but to me that is a minor aspect. I remember seeing these guys when I consulted in NZ acouple of years ago. Is the 500/4 new?

[Marc Mol]

Great in flight pose Tony, complimented with a nice BG and sharp where it needs be.

[Rob Drummond]

Love the background Tony and the twist in the body combined with the small head turn really make it special.

cheers
Rob

[arash_hazeghi]

Love the head-on position and nice BG. Exposure is very good too.

[Kiran Poonacha]

loved the out of frame interest of the bird adds well here, nice pose and details.. congrats..

[Bonnie Block]

Beautiful motion and intensity portrayed. Makes you look twice!

[Stu Bowie]

Tony, I like the scanning posture, and good to see the outstretched wings, and fanned tail. The harrier is separated nicely from the BG, and I agree with your self critique - seeing more of the left wing would have been great. Still, well captured.

[Dave Leroy]

I really like the choice for pose, not one often seen. Bg is also quite unigue. Very nice. Dave

[Danny J Brown]

Hi Tony: I love the way the harrier is rim-lit and the colors are soft and beautiful. The bokeh really takes the shot on home. Great photo!

[Tony Whitehead]

Thanks for the comments everyone. Danny, I agree the bokeh of the lens is lovely.