Since I just got my new Z9 camera about 2 weeks ago, I’ve spent more time shooting birds. This is always the time of the year when the Juvi peregrines start exiting the nesting area and start hoping about. For a few days they hop fly. They are now taking to the air but only for 5-10 second flights and the landings are mostly comedy. But they learn quickly and I suspect that in one or two more days they will be playing with each other in the air doing talon grabs and rolls and just having a terrific time with their newfound freedom. And another day or two later they will be doing in air food exchanges with one of the parents. So, there’s a lot to look forward to in the coming days with these crazy cast of characters.
But for now, they just want to be fed. Often. And they are very demanding. Mom is patient and diligently goes about feeding the three youngsters who, at this stage of development, still have quite a bit of white undercoat. It’s rather cute, don’t you think? Anyway, I cropped in pretty tight with this shot here to show you just how demanding these little juvis can be and how mom just turns her cheek to it all. This is a small outcropping with some vegetation that clings to the near vertical cliff face. The ocean is below. Hope you enjoy the interaction here. Thanks for stopping by.
Specific Feedback Requested
Any and all feedback is most welcome.
Technical Details
Z9, 100-400mm Z lens with 1.4 teleconverter, ISO 640, 1/2000, f/8, 560mm, cropped significantly. Hand held.
Hi David, very nice behavioral image showing intriguing interaction between chick and adult. I’m fine with the tight crop emphasizing this interaction. Very nice image quality and I like the surrounding vegetation. Well done.
Keep 'em coming! That’s a winning location and I’m looking forward to seeing what you describe about their maturation. Great light here and the details are incredible. Bravo!
Hi David
The crop work and the image quality is very good, I am not a fan of box frame, (o-well that just me). I am looking forward to some in-flight sot. Nice work.
Peter
@Allen_Sparks, @Vanessa_Hill, @Kris_Smith, @linda_mellor, @terryb, @David_Bostock, @peter, @Diane_Miller
Thanks very much for your comments. Peter, I certainly understand not being a fan of the box frame. It’s not for everyone and I get that.
These guys certainly are fun to watch and they grow up in just a blink of an eye. Each day there is an amazing leap forward in growth and ability.
As they get more and more comfortable with flying, the chances of getting them doing something close to your location drops significantly. That’s because they no longer need to go back to the nest. It makes it really tough to get shots that reasonably close but that’s also the challenge and the fun of doing this. If it were easy it would get pretty boring pretty quickly.
Diane, I may only have 1 or 2 more sessions with these guys as I still work full time and can’t get down to the coast everyday. I’ll have to wait again until the weekend and I’m sure they will look different and be flying like seasoned veterans. I’ll certainly post if I get something interesting though. Thanks again everyone. And now that I have my Z9 I’ll be more active in the avian community here instead of just the landscape community.
