Well I have to say this probably will be one of my top encounters as a photographer.
I found a tree that a pair of Cooper Hawks use as a perch and was focusing on a Juvie Male waiting for it to take off. All of a sudden I see the male looking up so I took my eye off the lens to see what was happening. I couldn;t believe what was coming at me a male Harrier being chased by a Female Juvie Coopers talk about excitement I managed to only get a few shots of the Harrier as it was so close I clipped a few frames but managed this shot I was surely happy about the outcome.:D
Stunning dorsal view of a normally shy bird. Sweet light and BKGR. The tilt of the wings could not be more perfect for this pose. Head angle perfect. Sharp as can be on the eye. Searching for a negative? The tips of the tail feathers are worn. All in all, killer-fantastic.
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A great shot Jim! The sharpness and detail of every feather is super! I also like the head turn. The only thinG (and this doesn't detract from the shot) is that the bird seems to be flying away, as the close wing is farther forward than the far wing. I'd still kill to have this in my files!
Absolutely stunning image. Bird flying away has been mentioned though... The harrier looking back at you in that pose most certainly would have put it way ahead of the top. Very nice background too... Any noise reduction and/or blurring? JR
From the images I've seen of this Raptor (and photographed myself but distant) it's hard to show any detail in the feathers because they seem to be "soft" overall and hard to pull out detail...you managed to do it with this one. Love the sharpness, light, BG, eye and the wing spread..basically everything about it. Well done.
Male Northern Harrier " Grey Ghost"
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