White on White ~ My Ghost Finaly Captured

[Jim Fenton]

For 5 years I have looked for this bird and have seen it soaring a handful of times.

Today, finally, it came down and sat 65 feet above me, completely backlit with an extremely bright sun through a consistent thin overcast.

This one I tried high key as that is how I have dreamed of this moment, literally for the past five years.

Nikon D300s, 600VR, TC14EII, ISO 500, 1/500, NearUniWB, CW metering, +3.3 EV applied

[Troy Lim]

Jim, Congrats on the catch. What type of bird is this?

[Jim Fenton]

This is a leucistic red tail hawk....it's the whitest one I have ever see and if it weren't for the dark eyes, would have thought it to be a total albino.

[Mike Milicia]

Big congrats on finally realizing your vision!

And great job handling the backlighting!

[Tom Rambaut]

Very nicley done and a great story. Persistence pays off in the end.

[Ronan Donovan]

Thanks for sharing this rare and stunning bird with us. Even the beak is white!
And how great to capture it after waiting so long. Any chance you'll have another shot at it? Is it just migrating through or possible breeding range? Would be great to get it against a dark background as well

[Jim Fenton]

This is a resident bird that covers a fairly wide territory however...I may have found it's nesting site late yesterday but it will take some observation time to confirm as it is buried fairly high between two large pines.

I'm hoping this is like my first experience with snowy owls...once I broke the ice, they were no longer "ghost birds" and I could find them a lot more frequently in season of course.

[Ronan Donovan]

Great news Jim! I really hope it works out for you. And as you said, perhaps it will become a frequent subject in the coming months. Stake out those two big pines for the day and find out where its go-to-perch is. Usually something pretty conspicuous so it can survey the area before entering the nest. With luck, it'll be in a clear view with some good light! Otherwise, get out your tree climbing gear!
I hope to see another post of this bird over the next few months.

[Greg Basco]

Jim, nice shot of a cool bird. Looks like you had tough shooting conditions, but I think you did a good job of getting a nice image out of this special encounter.

Cheers,
Greg Basco

[Arthur Morris]

Glad that you tracked the sucker down but the high key/backlit situation does not work for me with a white bird and the white sky.

I would love to see a more traditional image of this bird.

[Kiran Poonacha]

what a bird to capture, never seen this... TFS.