Actually 2 STFC in flight. I was blessed to witness several in flight courtship displays between this male and female. The male would fly into the nest tree and call out. The female was sitting in the nest (not on eggs yet) and would call back. They would then both take to flight. They would fly way up high and begin twirling around each other as they descended. The entire time this was happening they both were very vocal.
Of course...I wish the males head was visible in this frame, that would just be great, but as it is...I do like his pose..
D300, 600VR, f/5, ISO 400, 1/4000th SS, -.7EV (pushed up in post, a mistake on my part).
Great birds. Would've been nice to see the head but that's a pretty good view of feather patterns. Having some separation between the two would have been nice too. I think this would look good with a vertical crop.
I do have a few frames that show both their heads while in flight. Getting ready to post one of those now. The best news is...last night...one was seen hunting in the same field as these were taken last year! They are about 3 weeks late...but I hope the mate is there too. If so...this will make the 5th year in a row they have nested in this spot. So...with some luck...I hope to be able to add to my file on these species with some shots this year!