After something of a break I spent some time at one of my favourite haunts up by the racecourse. On the few occasions I have been there recently it's been quiet, and today seemed to be following the recent pattern. I did at least manage this shot of a female blackbird in full flight., which was nice to get.
And then a little while later a sparrowhawk flew overhead, though at too great an altitude to get more than a quick reference shot.
It was getting close to the time to leave when finally I spotted something a little more interesting. Indeed I had almost reached the car park when I saw it.
The kestrel (a male) then dropped down into the corner of the parking area 🙂
From there it became a game of fence-post hopping, with me always trailing a safe distance behind.
And a good close-up as it finally flew out across the fields.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens.
10 Comments
It looked somewhat annoyed with you 😛
Beautiful bird, annoyed or not! 🙂 And the blackbird is nice too, actually. They might be a common species but they're often rather a challenge, what with all their skulking under dark bushes.
Oh, so nice photos!
Anonymous writes:
That last shot is just great!!
Marilyn
Adele, I'm always really pleased to get blackbirds in flight. They are so fast and usually hit shade before I can get a focus, but this one had a fair distance to travel.
Cynthia, thanks!
Marilyn, that last shot was just as the dog-walker approached. I could see what was going to happen. I missed the take-off, but was able to track the kestrel as it cam past me.
Darko, I was doing ok until a dog-walker came along the path. That did spook the kestrel!
Erwin, thanks!
Wonderful Photos :up: