Picture Of The Week 02-16-10

Where: Richmond, VA • Dirk Drive

Notes: Persistence pays off. Many times I have made U-turns in hopes of some roadside bird still being there when I return. A few minutes, and often only moments, can make a difference in an opportunity. But, it is that once and a while exception that keeps my turn signal and break lights lit-up! Only four blocks from my house, I noticed a large bird on the wire near the school yard. This young "Red-shoulder" was sitting on the power line as this species often does. As I approached my driveway I decided, since the light was so nice and the bird so close, I would run inside and grab my camera. I chanced a lap around the block, to see if this raptor might still be there. But, as I turned the corner toward the playground, I could see it was gone. This was not a surprise and is most often the case. But as I passed its previous location, I notice the local crows moving around in a nearby tree, sure enough, there was my subject. It had moved to a different location, only a few feet from where it had been, and was sitting in an evergreen tree. This was a much more desirable perch, photographically. I pulled over, rolled down my window, turned on my flashers, shut off my motor and captured this full frame shot. As the hawk stayed a little while, there was time to try a couple if different exposure settings. So I tried different combinations of ISO speed, F-stop and exposure compensation to have a wide range of images to choose from. The snow white covered branches and green needles give it a peaceful, wintery atmosphere to this photo.