A couple of recently fledged Sharp-shinned Hawks discovered our bird feeders with all the Pine Siskins and Goldfinches yesterday. I’m not exactly sure when they came in, but from the time I saw them and took the first frame until they left was 1 hour 50 minutes. They were in and out over that time, though never gone for long and were not bothered by my presence. I took a few frames through the porch screen then slowly opened the door and there was no disturbance at all. My wife even came home from an appointment at one point without disturbing them. Unfortunately, they were never together except for one to tell the other to get out of it’s new found larder. Given the fact that I watched half a dozen chases over that time without seeing them catch anything, I suspect they were pretty new at the game. I haven’t seen them back today, but this seems to happen fairly often with both Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawk juveniles.
Unfortunately, the favorite perch was the old split rail that we hang our feeders from, which is a little oversized for these birds. On the plus side, this session started out in the rain then continued with overcast skies, so harsh light was not a problem (though a little sun-through-the-clouds would have been a nice bonus).
I liked this pose for the intensely focused look. I originally processed it a a horizontal to give that stare more room, but then decided to try a vertical crop instead. I thought I’d post both to see which you folks prefer.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Anything.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Which version do you prefer. If possible, why?
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
7DII, Sigma 150-600 C @ 500 mm, hand held, f/8, 1/640, iso 1600, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. Taken yesterday at 12:37 pm.