Picture Of The Week 01-31-11

Where: Glen Allen, VA • Berrymeade Court

Notes: Good things come to those who wait. All though we were not waiting for this particular bird, we were sitting in the blind patiently. In a nearby residential backyard, we were waiting for an unusual species that had been reported. We had been there just over an hour, when we heard the slapping of wings on the ground, only feet from our position. We could not see what had caused the commotion because that side of the blind was zipped shut. Apparently this small hawkt had made an attempt at grasping a Junco that was feeding on the ground to our left. Then, to our surprise, this "Sharpie" flew up to the privacy fence that surrounded the property and sat. Then, to our delight, it flew up to a better position in a tree directly in front of us. The light was soft enough to provide good details in the white belly feathers of this young raptor, but not so strong that it overexposed them. There predators are commonly seen hanging around songbird feeding stations in search of an easy meal. One way to deter this from becoming a habit for hawks is to make available peanuts (unsalted and in the shell) for Blue Jays. The Jays in turn, will hopefully chase off any hawks that regularly survey the feeder area.

Equipment: Canon EOS 40D • Canon 100-400mm Zoom L Series Lens • 1.4X Converter • Manfroto Tripod • 3' Shutter Release Cable

Exposure: Shutter Speed = 1/60 second • Aperture = f 5.6 • Exposure Mode = Aperture Priority • Focus Mode: One Shot • Lens (Focal) Length = 680 mm (340 mm w/ 1.4X converter) • ISO = 800 • Aprox. Camera Distance = ~XXX Feet • Date Shot: XX-XX-10

©2010 Robert W. Schamerhorn. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.