Picture Of The Week 05-31-10

Where: Richmond, VA • Parham Rd. & Brook Rd.

Notes: I continue to be amazed at the adaptability of some birds to tolerate the intrusion of mankind on their habitat. The clearing of trees, paving of parking lots and construction of buildings continues to sprawl across the landscape at a steady pace. Unfortunately this progression will stress the populations of a significant number of other species and they will eventually loose the battle. A few have managed to coexist within the urban and commercial expansion, but most have not. I guess in a way the mixture of lawns, the few remaining trees and pavement has actually become a new type of habitat in itself. The Red-tailed Hawk is one species that is learning to adapt to this reconfigured landscape. After an early morning walk with my partner, we took the shortcut behind a local shopping center to pick up some flowers for the patio flower pots. As we turned the corner we saw a hawk glide in and land in a tall pine along the line of trees that edge the back of the complex. Almost immediately another Red-tail joined the perch. Lori expressed, "How often do you see two hawks sitting together like that?" "Should we try to make it home and back and get the cameras?" I asked. "Let's go!" she responded. We returned to find the birds had moved, but not far from where we left them. They were still sitting together much to our delight. They stayed long enough for another trip back for the tripod and teleconverter lens. We could clearly see how much larger the female bird was. After a while a few Blue Jays showed up to harass them for a few minutes, but the Jays eventually moved on. The hawks sat until a Common Crow call alarmed them enough fly off.

Equipment: Canon EOS 40D • Canon 400mm f-5.6 Prime L Series Lens • 1.4X Converter • Manfroto Tripod

Exposure: Shutter Speed = 1/125 second • Aperture = f 9 • Exposure Mode = Aperture Priority • Focus Mode: Manual • Lens (Focal) Length = 560 mm (400 mm w/ 1.4X converter) • ISO = 200 • Aprox. Camera Distance = ~100 Feet • Date Shot: 05-27-10

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