The harrier was trying to perch on the cattail and finally had to give up.
Anything. I liked the habitat aspect of the shot and cropping tighter had some quality issues I did not like, so I went with this.
Is this a composite: No
R5, 500mm + 1.4 TE, f/5.6, 1/1600, ISO 3200, It is a pano crop and 58% of the ff width.
You have certainly found an excellent spot for shooting raptors. This is a nice look at behavior in this species. Excellent color. I do wish I was able to see the image larger on my large monitor.
Really cool, David. I’ve seen large birds try to land on ridiculously small perches and it’s usually hilarious. This image conveys that feeling.
Great behavioral catch! I love the amount of very pleasing environment you included. Would also love to see it bigger.
Thanks @David_Schoen, @Dennis_Plank, @Diane_Miller for your comments. I am curious about the comments for a bigger image. Were you thinking of a bigger file size or a tighter crop so hawk was larger? Or were you thinking photo would look better at a bigger physical size? I can tell you bird does not have a lot of fine detail.
I meant just a larger file size. I’ve been posting at 2500x2500 pixels, which gives a second step slightly larger than the first one you get when clicking on the topic picture. Just a chance to peer into details better and a better look on a large screen.
Wonderful setting and pose of the harrier. With these ‘cigars’ one also gets a sense of bird size, which is not that big. Lovely atmosphere in the image. Cheers, Hans
Thanks Hans. Much appreciated.
