Hawk At Work (Click to enlarge)
Hawk-eying (Click to enlarge)
Just when you thought it was safe for your four pound dog or puppy to hang out in your yard…
I barely had my eyes open this morning when I saw, more than heard, a commotion in the bamboo. I put down my coffee, pointed and said, “Something! Something! Something!” Old woman shorthand for, check the dogs! Count heads!
Our home is populated by small animals and Julia, a normal sized Foxhound-type dog. The dogs have free entry/exit privileges through a doggie door. Because they’re all less than 15 pounds, except for Julia, who is about 35 pounds, it’s always concerned me that although we live in a subdivision, what I would call the ‘burbs’, Louisiana is a place that is more like a horse than a piece of land. It will always be wild. All accounted for. Whew! Then what?
I’ve made jokes about how we have to take back our yard from the jungle on a weekly, daily schedule, or the natural, untamed elements will own the spot. I don’t care if you’ve concreted your drive or installed an in-ground pool, the wildness of Louisiana will not be deterred.
That’s why I love Louisiana. That’s also why it is imperative that we take seriously the hazards for our small pets that are ever present in our own backyards.
The prey? A small bird hiding in the bamboo. The bloodless, frighteningly efficient execution was over in less than 3 seconds. The dance of celebration went on for another 30 seconds (pictured left). The surprisingly delicate consumption of the hapless Chick-a-dee took less than 15 minutes. At meal’s end, one scathing glance at the photog (pictured right), then off! The only evidence of the wild-kingdom struggle was a few downy feathers.
I got these, and other more graphic shots, lying on my stomach with my 80-400mm 5.6 lens stuck through the doggie door. What a great blind the utility room became. Across the yard was what appeared to be an immature Red-tailed Hawk. My dozing dogs, luckily inside, were awakened by my sprawled legs interfering with their morning nap. They thought this was a great time to play tickle-all-over while I was on the floor where they could reach. If they suspected what was just on the other side of the door, the photographic opportunity would be over.
This 22″ long, 50″ wing-spanned guy or gal was undisturbed by my clicking camera, a mere 30′ from his or her picnic area. I would guess her/his weight to be 4 pounds. I give you these statistics because I want you to compare this wild creature’s size to the size and weight of that beloved pet on your lap. These animals can fly away with anything of less weight than they are. They can do damage to larger animals with their sharp talons and beak.
This is not to say we should be afraid of these primordial and beautiful creatures. We simply need to respect and protect. Respect them, and protect our small family members. Also, love and appreciate a land which still supports this life.
Let’s talk about the photographic elements of these captures. The one on the left – 1/160, f5.3, ISO 800. How in the world is any bird, even the least bit in focus at that shutter speed? It is shocking, really. This was in the beginning, when I was pressing buttons, changing settings, viewing the histogram, and shooting as quickly as I could. Expose right, expose right (see Shoot Right for explanation), I kept screaming in my head. At ISO 800, the Nikon D200 will be noisy. It can be fixed if I expose right.
The image on the right – 1/320, f5.3, ISO 800. By this time I had quite a few captures, though none of them great, I was sure, but I felt I had time to change things up a little more. I changed the mode to Shutter Speed Priority. I found that I could shoot at 1/320. The camera picked f5.3 and it’s a fairly decently exposed image, though still not as noise-free and tack sharp as I would have liked.
Neither capture is really worth celebrating, except as a topic for discussion. So let’s discuss.
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