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Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch |
Subject: Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)
Place: Arlington, AZ, USA
Date: March 24, 2002
Equipment: Nikon N90S, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (= 600/5.6),
hand held
Film: Fujichrome Sensia 100
Exposure: aperture priority matrix metered, natural light, no
compensation
Scan: Minolta Dimage; about 70% of frame
Commentary: One of the signs of spring in AZ (along with temperatures
in the 90s and the first rattlesnake of the year) is the passing of
migrant Swainson's Hawks. While out birding I spotted a few hawks
sitting in a plowed field a few 100 yards away. We counted about 6 on
the ground, then noticed a few birds overhead. I only had time to
grab the camera and lens from behind the seat so I was forced to hand
hold the 300/2.8 and 2x. Taken on auto focus and auto exposure, with
the lens wide open to maximize shutter speed. The cropping makes the
hawk bigger in the frame for web viewing, plus eliminates the dark
corners that become obvious from vignetting and the uniform blue
sky.
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