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Swampy
June 30th, 2005, 10:00 PM
So, I'm mounting a bushing on my wimberly outside and I finally get done balancing and everything. So I take the 400mm off the wimberly, turn the hood around and as I'm placing it back into my bag in my trunk, a Hawk swoops right over my head from across the street and he's got a plucked morning dove in it's talons. No sooner than I can say "oh <you know what>" and turn around to put my camera back on the tripod, another hawk swoops down and tries to take the dove from the first one. The first one is chased down to what looks like my backyard! I'm like whoo hooo! I hear them screaching at each other while I run around the side of the house. Man. They were two houses down. :(

Anyway, someone won and ended up back across the street in the tree and Connie and I were rewarded with getting to watch him eat for over an hour. He just sat there for the first 50 or so minutes. Almost done eating and the branch he was on broke off! He dropped what was left and flew down on a swingset in the neighbors yard. He was bummed.

While he was sitting there for 50 minutes, I experimeted with flash with the 400mmx2. Ended up using two 550ex flashes which worked pretty darn well in the shaded trees as well as it being sundown. A flick of a switch on each one and they were sync'ed right up with each other. Pretty cool. Anyway, Gil's shot reminded me of that, so I thought I'd share. Not one of my better hawk shots of late, but it's cool cause he's got meat. :righton:

Igor
July 1st, 2005, 12:22 AM
WOW!!! :goldcup:

Auminer
July 1st, 2005, 01:45 AM
SO NEAT! ...but it's cool cause he's got meatTalk about being in the right place...with the right equip!! I can imagine the thrill of this shoot :D Bet your Adrenalin was up. :)

Dave

Ol'coot
July 1st, 2005, 04:38 PM
Swampy,

What a great story and capture of nature in action. You were very lucky being at the right place and with your equipment with you.

Swampy
July 3rd, 2005, 09:40 PM
Thanks guys. You'd think that living in a 1/2 block square forest with a mating pair and I'm sure there's been offspring since I've moved here, I'd see this more often.

My adrenaline was up when I saw the second hawk swoop in. Only to be let down with them in the neighbors yard behind a fence on the ground. :troutsmac

Melody
July 4th, 2005, 10:31 PM
So peek over, or better yet climb we know you can do that! Oh wait it was missing a cliff or something, Ron you better tell him how to do it! :) Sheesh and don't be dropping any filters it's not high and there is no water around so you should be fine.

Great capture!

Melody

Swampy
July 4th, 2005, 10:51 PM
I already hopped one fence over with the 400+2xTC with flash mounted and tripod. Sheesh. I wasn't going to hop a 2nd!

Thanks anyway. :P

AzRich
July 5th, 2005, 05:19 PM
awesome.

Awesome that he waited for you to set up too!

jesd
July 9th, 2005, 02:04 AM
Amazing story!!!!!!!!!!!! (and great shot)

Jes

bushman
July 10th, 2005, 11:49 AM
Hi Swampy,
Great shot, which only goes to prove that in this game you have to be ready all the time. After all, even with lions in the Serengeti, they only hunt for a small percentage of the day, so to get a new angle you have to be ready when they move. I've found over the years that the mistake most newcomers to wildlife photography make is running out of film or card space at the critical moment, or not having their camera ready when something happens suddenly.
Cheers, John

Glasseye
July 10th, 2005, 02:33 PM
Been away for a couple of weeks again missed this,

Great capture Bryan, :righton: (wish I could afford a wimberly ) I'm saving for the 200-400 VR

Andy

petej
July 10th, 2005, 03:34 PM
Good shot Bryan :righton: