20120419

Kestrel

My apologies for the lengthy gap since my last post. The last few weeks have not been great – my father died after a long battle against cancer and my wife has been into hospital a couple of times, but is now much better. To get back into the swing of things, here's an interesting angle on one of my favourite birds. It was using the uppermost branch of a tree to scan for small mammals without the need to expend energy hovering in flight. Most of the time, its head was bowed, moving methodically from left to right in search of likely prey. Every once in a while, however, it would raise its head to the horizon, providing this unusual perspective on a beautiful little raptor. I only wish the light had been kinder; don't be fooled by the shutter speed – today on the North Norfolk coast it was a bleached out grey day offering little in the way of depth and contrast.

Canon 1Ds MkII, Canon 100-400mm IS L USM lens, 1/1,000th sec, f/5.6, 400mm at ISO 500

11 comments:

  1. Nice little birds of prey the Kestrels, I wish I could get closer to the pair on my patch. Good to see you posting again Tim, after your sad loss.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very nice shot Tim, and my condolences on your loss. It can be a very hard time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am very sad to hear your news Tim, I had wondered where you were. I hope that your wife has made a full recovery.

    I have never seen a Kestrel in that position previously, usually I see them hovering before plunging. Pretty little things, lovely markings.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sincere condolences Tim, thats a pretty rough time you have had.
    Very unusual shot of a Kestrel.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We're very sorry to hear your sad news.

    We've missed your photographs. Thank you for sharing this stunning kestrel picture.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Best wishes Tim, sorry to hear of your sad loss. I hope your wife is tons better soon. That Kestrel looks to be right over your head!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks all for your kind comments – Tim

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, I am very sorry about the loss of your father and I hope your wife is feeling better!
    Lovely capture!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Please accept my sincere condolences on the recent loss of your father. Great to see you back doing what you do best.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Tim, thought you hadn't been around for a while. Sorry to hear about your loss. This is a lovely perspective on the kestrel - one of my favourite birds too.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow !!! That really is a good shot of the Kestrel .

    ReplyDelete