Northern Harrier

Gallery: AvianPosted December 10, 2009277 views22 comments

Circus cyaneus

Taken this morning where the temps started off at about 3 degrees Farenheit, the birds were slow taking to the air but then became quite active at times.

D200, lens resting on window of pickup, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 400, 200-400mm VR F/4 with 1.4x TC, natural light. This is 39% of the original image.

As always, I sincerely appreciate your comments & critiques. Thank you for looking.

Comments

22 comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on December 10, 2009 at 6:38 PM

Quite good for so large a crop. The bg is soft and muted. Well put together.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on December 10, 2009 at 6:55 PM

Mia, I think this is your best Harrier shot yet. The clearest look at the face and some very complimentary colours in the BG. Lovely !

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on December 10, 2009 at 6:58 PM

Ditto what Nick said

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on December 10, 2009 at 7:17 PM

This is what I'm after (minus the snow)! Great shot Mia - really sharp, perfect wing position and the face really stands out.

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on December 10, 2009 at 8:13 PM

I love the composition here, Mia! The pastel colours seem to make this more of a painting than a photo - well done!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Harbour on December 10, 2009 at 8:18 PM

Very nice, Mia. I like the details in the face and eye, the flight pose, and the snowy out of focus bg. Excellent

Registered on January 4, 2008, 113 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Neil Rossmiller on December 10, 2009 at 8:47 PM

Hi Mia,
This is beautiful! It really held up well for such a tight crop and the composition is well done.
cheers
Neil

Registered on October 30, 2009, 156 Posts, 749 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on December 10, 2009 at 9:12 PM

I would be very happy with this Mia, beautiful angle on the Harrier and you have nice sharpness. Agree with the others that it has held up to the crop quite well. With such a nice background you could get away with a looser comp possibly?

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Olsen on December 10, 2009 at 9:16 PM

Very nice Mia....Making me jealous with all the Harrier photos!!
The photo shows the harsh envirn these birds live through during the winter months.

Registered on October 19, 2006, 306 Posts, 1571 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on December 10, 2009 at 9:29 PM

Hauntingly attractive image, Lia. Nice detail and lovely colors. Strange position of the right wing.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on December 10, 2009 at 9:44 PM

Terrific looking image - I love this! The snowy background setting is wonderful, as is the body position of the harrier.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on December 10, 2009 at 9:56 PM

Ditto what Nate said.
I'm glad the tip of the beak is against one of the white areas of the wing, illustrating the sharpness of the image.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Kirk Greene on December 10, 2009 at 10:25 PM

BRRR..3 degrees. Very nice, sharp image. Looks you you have found a great place to photograph harriers. The crop held up nicely.

Registered on May 12, 2004, 191 Posts, 1578 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Twaddell on December 10, 2009 at 10:36 PM

I, like the others, am amazed that this held up so well for such a large crop! I really like the eye in this one, as it is so sharp. The wing position is very nice too. I have had to work all of this week, and have been unable to get out.

Registered on August 16, 2007, 199 Posts, 2132 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on December 10, 2009 at 10:47 PM

Very nice flight image, Mia. I like the way the bird works with the bg and the wing position is great. Winter foliage really seem to work well with this species.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on December 11, 2009 at 7:07 AM

Mia, I really like the BG and the great angle of the bird. Great action here with great colors. A very pleasing image.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on December 11, 2009 at 2:32 PM

wow--nice pose and very sharp--the eye looks fantastic. a fine wintery scene.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on December 11, 2009 at 9:39 PM

As others have said, that eye is spectacular Mia. I really like the way the beak and facial features stand out, even against the wing as background. I suspect that's partially a result of reflected light from the snow. Love the snowy setting and the sense of habitat.

I would have loved to have gotten this shot. I was there. Could have. Didn't.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on December 12, 2009 at 12:44 AM

Amazing detail for such a heavy crop. Excellent color palette that captures winter without being cold. The light, techs and composition are really exceptional. Very nice.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Avi Hirschfield on December 12, 2009 at 5:04 AM

MIA

This is absolutely fantastic your colour palette is tops and the eye contact is great .
Yes this is one of your best shots that I have seen

Registered on November 1, 2003, 518 Posts, 2114 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on December 12, 2009 at 10:38 AM

This is one of those images that really works. The bg and subject colors compliment each other. Love the crystal clear eye.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on December 12, 2009 at 2:24 PM

I love how clear the eye is even though it is small in the image and a cropped image at that. Beautiful image with a great sense of motion.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments