Streetfight-2 (split in two posts, dial up warning)

PrescottPhotog

Hi Everyone,

See my post Streetfight-1 for details on this post. This took place over about a 2 hour period. By the time I left it was almost dark and the sun was on the horizon so there are some pretty heavy shadows at the end of this post. This was pretty incredible to watch.

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Ann McRae

"now you kids come up with a way to work this out"....until you get to the last couple - then it's

"everybody was kung fu fightin'"


These are fabulous shots!!

ann

schmoo

That's so very ninja!!

Was Chuck Norris around to coach them?

PrescottPhotog

Ann McRae wrote:

These are fabulous shots!! ann

Hi Ann, Thank you for your comments. It was interesting because they didn't fight all at once, one stood to the side and waited patientely but when the more powerful one wouldn't share the other one would jump in and they would fight, he never won and would go back to the side and wait. So the shots took place over quite a while. All the time the dominant one just gorged itself then finally when he had enough he just walked over and drank half the lake.

During the fights they didn't make a noise, just talons flying. I wish shot #13, the one shot of the one bird laying on its back, wouldn't have turned out so dark, that was amazing to see, he was pinned down on his back with wings up in the air. These guys were serious.

raptorcaptor

Awesome series Chris! Must have been quite a thrill to watch.
Did they drown the coot before trying to eat it?

PrescottPhotog

raptorcaptor wrote:

Awesome series Chris! Must have been quite a thrill to watch.
Did they drown the coot before trying to eat it?

Hi Glenn, Thanks for the comments. I don't think they got the Coot because there was only one hawk there when I showed up, and the Coot was definitely already dead.

I've watch lots of Harriers and never saw one go after a coot or duck, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't. I have also seen the Coots fight and I think they would get the best of a Harrier if challanged, they are pretty mean themselves. But I got there after, so I'm not sure.

PrescottPhotog

schmoo wrote:

That's so very ninja!! Was Chuck Norris around to coach them?

Hi Schmoo, Not sure about Chuck but they definitely needed a Ref.

dbaker1221

awesome series. that had to be fun to shoot

saurora

What an amazing series! I think I would have been so incredulous at this site, I would have forgotten to take a shot!!! #15 and #16 are my picks!

bfjr

Kung Fu hawks, and darn good at it

Again great catch and series

PrescottPhotog

dbaker1221 wrote:

awesome series. that had to be fun to shoot

Hi Dave, Thanks for viewing. It was one of those rare times when I wasn't sure whether to shoot all the hawks soaring overhead or concentrate on the ones on the ground. I was totally in the open and so were the hawks.. and they didn't like that at all. The first hawk couldn't move the Coot so it just looked around for about 30 minutes before doing anything (nervous) but once the others showed up it was more concerned about protecting dinner.

As you can see in some of the photos it kept covering up the Coot by fanning out its wings and tail to hide it from the others.

PrescottPhotog

saurora wrote:

What an amazing series! I think I would have been so incredulous at this site, I would have forgotten to take a shot!!! #15 and #16 are my picks!

Hi Saurora, Thanks for you comment. All I was worried about was having something in focus since I was shooting from my monopod and the 500. Between the wind and the grass blowing in front of my lens I was having a heck of a time.

PrescottPhotog

bfjr wrote:

Kung Fu hawks, and darn good at it

Again great catch and series

Hi Ben, Thanks for your comments. As you can see from the last two shots there they definitely left with less feathers.

riddim_maker

Did they ever get around to finishing dinner?
Once again: awesome action series

jwear

that's a group of great captures welll done --right place right time

Maestro

Great series. I love that last shot.

PrescottPhotog

riddim_maker wrote:

Did they ever get around to finishing dinner?
Once again: awesome action series

Hi Russ, Thanks for viewing. Yes, the one devoured most of it fighting off all comers.. then just quit and left the others to the scraps.

PrescottPhotog

jwear wrote:

that's a group of great captures welll done --right place right time

Hi Jeff, Thanks for the comments. I'm starting to get paranoid, every time I think about not going out and do something like this happens. When I am out and thinking about calling it a day, 10 minutes later (like my eagle shots) something cool shows up...

PrescottPhotog

Maestro wrote:

Great series. I love that last shot.

Thanks Stephen, By the end I was running out of sun and the shadows really forced some severe PP'ing. I'm glad they turned out as well as they did.