Happy Hunting Harrier Sequel: 6 Departure and Epilogue

December 13, 2019
by Michael Scandling
comments 24
California / Nature / Photo Log / Photography / Wildlife

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She flew off to try her luck further down the levee. We tracked her as far as we could see — far out of camera range — till she dove behind the next levee and disappeared.

For a few minutes.

Then she took off from the far side, rose over high the levee, kited, and dropped like a stone. A moment later she rose again, this time with her prey.

That was her Thanksgiving dinner.

And we went home to prepare ours.

(Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR zoom. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.0; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)

The Author

California based fine-art photographer featuring abstract, impressionist, and minimalist seascapes — near and distant — and floral-based images. Fine-art photography can be seen at www.amagaphoto.com All original images on this blog are copyright 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 Michael Scandling. All rights reserved. No images on this site may be copied, duplicated, reused, published, or re-purposed in any way without express permission from the copyright owner, Michael Scandling.

24 Comments

      • Steve Gingold says

        I assume you shot bursts so I would imagine you had a hard time determining which stood out over the others. Funny how a few moments can stand out for years. I am sure you’ll remember the experience for the rest of your days.

        BTW, seeing that you are still awake as I am getting up tells me why you shoot more sunsets than sunrises. And also how early I get up.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Michael Scandling says

        Thank you. I don’t usually shoot too many bursts. I watch through the finder and choose my moment. You’re correct about getting more sunsets and sunrises. Astute.

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  2. Steve Schwartzman says

    The words harrier and prey reminded me of this stanza from Alfred Noyes’s poem “The Highwayman”:

    “One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I’m after a prize to-night,
    But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
    Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
    Then look for me by moonlight,
    Watch for me by moonlight,
    I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way.”

    Nothing barred your way to getting these action pictures.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • Michael Scandling says

      A wonderful passage. No, nothing barred me from getting news photos except for availability: the harrier didn’t appear until very close to the end of our walk. I was already prepared to go home empty-handed. Just goes to show you.

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    • Michael Scandling says

      It sure did. Fortunately we live in in an area where we have lots of access to amazing birds. I just happened to show this series. There have been others. Stay tuned. I’m sure there will be more as the opportunities arise. And thank you very much. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

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      Reply
  11. melissabluefineart says

    Can’t think of a better way to spend Thanksgiving than watching this magnificent bird. So beautifully captured.

    Liked by 1 person

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