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Northern Harrier
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Northern Harrier

by Ron Dudley

Gallery: AvianPosted December 17, 2010278 views23 comments
This male was hunting and "playing" with several other harriers and would occasionally come relatively close. I do wish the beak wasn't in front of a dark part of the wing but it doesn't bother me a lot.

7D, 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 800, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, shot from pickup window on 11/18/10, small exposure adjustment in ACR, cropped to 50% of original image, noise reduction to background, no additional processing or adjustments, natural light, not set up or baited

Larger image provided

Comments/critique appreciated

Comments

23 comments
Comment posted by Michael Twaddell on December 17, 2010 at 5:52 PM
Beautiful image!
Registered on August 16, 2007, 199 Posts, 2132 Comments
Comment posted by Richard Teller on December 17, 2010 at 6:16 PM
Great image Ron. I like everything about it.
Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments
Comment posted by Richard Ditch on December 17, 2010 at 6:31 PM
Excellent as posted. Great banked position and a nice hint of the habitat in the background.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments
Comment posted by Doug Gilham on December 17, 2010 at 6:48 PM
Another beautiful image Ron. Love the eye on these birds. Like the fact that you can see the talons while it's in flight too. Great comp, detail and techs.
Registered on September 20, 2009, 77 Posts, 489 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on December 17, 2010 at 6:49 PM
Another awesome harrier Ron. Love the position of the bird and the detail in the larger version. Exposure is spot on. Great BG for this bird. Your usual excellence.
Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments
Comment posted by dan elster on December 17, 2010 at 7:50 PM
You must be the premier harrier photographer in the world. Every time one screams by me in a blur, I think of you Ron. Stunning. :toast:
Registered on September 23, 2005, 299 Posts, 2443 Comments
Comment posted by Derrick Lipinski on December 17, 2010 at 8:12 PM
Another awesome Harrier flight shot, Ron. :smile:
Registered on October 5, 2007, 58 Posts, 2039 Comments
Comment posted by Robbie Knight on December 17, 2010 at 8:17 PM
wing tips, retrices, feet, eye and great color. Thanks for sharing Ron
Registered on April 10, 2010, 30 Posts, 135 Comments
Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on December 17, 2010 at 8:38 PM
wow, Ron. I really love this one. great angle, fantastic look at the eye, beautiful setting. wouldn't worry much about the bill--this is a beauty. glad your harriers are back for the winter. :toast:
Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments
Comment posted by Harshad Barve on December 17, 2010 at 9:00 PM
excellent image on all counts
Registered on July 25, 2010, 39 Posts, 210 Comments
Comment posted by Simon Bennett on December 17, 2010 at 9:01 PM
Perfect nabk and head-turn. Nice background too.
Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments
Comment posted by Keith Bauer on December 17, 2010 at 9:01 PM
Another one of your patented harrier shots. Great exposure . Nice to worry about little things like the beak merging with the wing. Yes, it would be stronger without that issue, but this is a superb image with or without it.
Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Marquart on December 17, 2010 at 10:06 PM
Nice as usual Ron, nice background, good eye contact, nice'n sharp. :toast:
Registered on October 24, 2009, 126 Posts, 799 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Gulash on December 17, 2010 at 10:49 PM
Terrific photo Ron. :toast: :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments
Comment posted by Dusty Veideman on December 17, 2010 at 11:46 PM
Wow, this is wonderful! All summer I tried to get a shot like this.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 295 Posts, 547 Comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on December 18, 2010 at 12:03 AM
Beautiful!
Next time, though, ask him to raise his head just a bit so the beak is more defined. :biggrin:
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Archer on December 18, 2010 at 2:44 AM
Great Catch Ron :cool:

Ken Archer
Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments
Comment posted by Mia McPherson on December 18, 2010 at 9:17 AM
A wonderful image as posted Ron, beautiful pose, background, light and eye contact.
Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments
Comment posted by mark cillo on December 18, 2010 at 10:27 AM
Stunning image! :toast:
Registered on July 27, 2008, 143 Posts, 1483 Comments
Comment posted by Geoffrey Baker on December 18, 2010 at 7:22 PM
A beautiful image :smile:
The bird stands out really well and the detail is brilliant.
Well captured.

Geoff.
Registered on August 20, 2010, 192 Posts, 980 Comments
Comment posted by Howard Cheek on December 19, 2010 at 8:05 AM
Beautiful image Ron..Everything looks excellent, from top to bottom.
I especially like the bit of slant here, it works very well for this comp IMO.
Merry Christmas :wavey:
Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments
Comment posted by Luke Ormand on December 19, 2010 at 3:01 PM
Just awesome - though the 50% crop does show a bit especially on the head (though the eye is captivating)
Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments
Comment posted by KC Choo on December 20, 2010 at 11:23 AM
A trademark, Ron!
Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments