Merlin after sunset

[Morris0]

The sun had set and the best light was gone when I spotted something flying toward me. From the distance I identified the glide as a gull yet when it got close I realized my error and it was too late to make a flight shot. I took 3 images, the first from a bad angle. Then I stepped back and got one straight up and it just fit in my frame. Then I took a couple of steps back and got a nice angle. The two I'm sharing needed clean up to remove very distracting branches and leaves. I tried to find a better view and had to look down to avoid tripping on roots. When I looked up the merlin was gone. This is the closest I've been to these little falcons.


1) From directly below


2) A couple of steps back

Comments and suggestions welcome,

Morris

 

[DDoram]

Nice Morris

Dale

 

[Morris0]

Nice Morris

Dale

Thank you Dale

Morris

 

[rgs_45]

The sun had set and the best light was gone when I spotted something flying toward me. From the distance I identified the glide as a gull yet when it got close I realized my error and it was too late to make a flight shot. I took 3 images, the first from a bad angle. Then I stepped back and got one straight up and it just fit in my frame. Then I took a couple of steps back and got a nice angle. The two I'm sharing needed clean up to remove very distracting branches and leaves. I tried to find a better view and had to look down to avoid tripping on roots. When I looked up the merlin was gone. This is the closest I've been to these little falcons.


1) From directly below

Comments and suggestions welcome,

Morris

This is GREAT! He/she looks shy and trying to hide. Thanks for sharing.



-Rich

 

[Morris0]

The sun had set and the best light was gone when I spotted something flying toward me. From the distance I identified the glide as a gull yet when it got close I realized my error and it was too late to make a flight shot. I took 3 images, the first from a bad angle. Then I stepped back and got one straight up and it just fit in my frame. Then I took a couple of steps back and got a nice angle. The two I'm sharing needed clean up to remove very distracting branches and leaves. I tried to find a better view and had to look down to avoid tripping on roots. When I looked up the merlin was gone. This is the closest I've been to these little falcons.


1) From directly below

Comments and suggestions welcome,

Morris

This is GREAT! He/she looks shy and trying to hide. Thanks for sharing.

-Rich

Thank you Rich,

Morris

 

[dspoel]

Very nice and cool to be able to photograph them at short distance. Usually they fly by quickly before one can react.

You could try and send in the ring number and color, even if it is only partially visible.

 

[JEO126]

Hi Morris,

Very nice closeups. That band is readable, so definitely an opportunity to report it. Also, to my eye, that bird looks like it might be a juvenile peregrine falcon. The plumage looks right for young peregrine and the proportions seem a bit different from the more-compact merlin.

Several years ago I got a shot of a banded juvenile peregrine falcon at a park on Long Island Sound in Connecticut. The banding pattern was similar to yours - black over green. After a bit of online research and an email exchange with a wildlife biologist at the Connecticut DEEP and her counterpart in NY I learned that particular this falcon got her start high above New York City on the Met Life building. They even sent me a picture of her (second from the right) with her siblings from the banding. Would be interesting to learn where yours is from.

Best,

John



November 2016:



June 2016:



--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeo126/

 

[Morris0]

Very nice and cool to be able to photograph them at short distance. Usually they fly by quickly before one can react.

You could try and send in the ring number and color, even if it is only partially visible.

 

[Morris0]

Hi Morris,

Very nice closeups. That band is readable, so definitely an opportunity to report it. Also, to my eye, that bird looks like it might be a juvenile peregrine falcon. The plumage looks right for young peregrine and the proportions seem a bit different from the more-compact merlin.

Several years ago I got a shot of a banded juvenile peregrine falcon at a park on Long Island Sound in Connecticut. The banding pattern was similar to yours - black over green. After a bit of online research and an email exchange with a wildlife biologist at the Connecticut DEEP and her counterpart in NY I learned that particular this falcon got her start high above New York City on the Met Life building. They even sent me a picture of her (second from the right) with her siblings from the banding. Would be interesting to learn where yours is from.

Best,

John

November 2016:



June 2016:



--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeo126/

Thank you John,

We get both so I'll check

Morris