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Hi All,

Fond this birdy near local golf club. Looks like a hawk to me but I don't know exactly what it is



Comments? Critique?

Lovely shot Hlop. I'd like to see more detail in the shadowy area around her right eye but, apart from that, this is a winner for me.

I'm pretty sure this is an adult female Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides), one of our most common raptors. Where females and juveniles have a rufous (reddish) head, the adult males have pale grey. Juveniles have darker streaking on the breast; this one seems quite light which leads me to believe it's probably an adult. I could very well be wrong though!

Gorgeous bird nonetheless and beautifully captured. Well done!

What lens did you use?

(More photos: http://www.birdphotos.com.au/nankeenkestrelweb/)

Very nice Boke! Great composition. The image does look a tad soft though. Were you handholding a big focal length?

I think that's a bit personal don't you Craig?

hmmmm.... really need to be a bit more careful don't I

Thanks for comments, guys!

Shot with 80-400VR at 400 handheld.

Mikhail - this is a very well caught pic, as said a tad soft but I like it. You can always tell a raptor by the beak - built to rip meat apart.

Manta got the bird type exact, according to my Slater's field guide to Aussie birds. Nankeen Kestrel, (aka Australian Kestrel.)

The pole she is sitting on has seen better days

Nice portrait of a bird of prey in repose.

Interesting fact -
The Nankeen Kestrel is the most widely recorded bird in Australia.

Hi hlop
hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of doing a quick PP job on the eye in shadow....



What do you think ??

In PSCS, I selected the shadowed area, used "Shadow/Highlight adjustment", a little brightness contrast, some clone from the Lt brown feathered chest (under the beak's shadow) then blurred the edges of the selection....

Nice job Dave. Amazing what PS can do when you start with a high quality original as provided here by Mikhail.

Where you find these critters I don't know. I've been trying to find some birds of prey but haven't had much luck.

Go bush young man...

Sometimes you don't even have to go too far. They're very prolific around any open pasture areas. Particularly now with everywhere so dry and the prey taking more chances in order to find water.

Aussie Dave wrote:Hi hlop
hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of doing a quick PP job on the eye in shadow....

........
What do you think ??

In PSCS, I selected the shadowed area, used "Shadow/Highlight adjustment", a little brightness contrast, some clone from the Lt brown feathered chest (under the beak's shadow) then blurred the edges of the selection....

Well done Dave! I really like it

Dude, I was in an open pasture area (Koroit) a few weeks back. Not one spotted.

Being from a "little" further north I'm not familiar with the region Darryl. These guys are pretty widespread though so I'm surprised you didn't see any. Only a handful of species venture south into northern Victoria but the Nankeens range certainly extends that far. MIght be other reasons for it; seasonal migrations, food source, breeding habits, etc. Better mnds than mine could probably point you in the right direction, specific to the Victoria region.

Oh and it's been a long time since anyone called me "dude".