Peregrine Falcon

PrescottPhotog

Hi Everyone,

Well I upgraded my Mac to Leopard OSX thinking it had been long enough with a couple releases that the bugs would be worked out.. WRONG !!
After 3 major crashes on my laptop and 1 total crash on my G5 (and all the rebuilds, luckily I had good backups) I seem to be back in business, but not on the laptop, still struggling.

So today, even though it was cloudy, I made it out for the first time in a couple weeks but I didn't get out until noon. I figured I wouldn't see anything and if I did it wouldn't turn out very well do to the slight overcast sky.

As soon as I got in place this guy came along landing in the tree a distance away. I've captured PF's in flight and have seen them zooming along at amazing speed but until today I didn't realize just how big they really are.. he/she was huge compared to what they look like in flight.

I think lunch had just finished and he just stopped to clean up. Feathers still in the beak and blood on the talons. He used the branches to get the fuzz off, looked around a bit focusing on me and then took off not to be seen again today.

Sometimes a bit of luck can boost the spirits a bunch..:rofl
Hope you like the shots.

#1

#2

#3

#4

jecottrell

Fantastic!


.

Harryb

You sure aren't having a lot of luck with your gear lately but you sure are nailing some fantastic shots.

riddim_maker

Outstanding!!!
Especially #1
Great job on the raptors as usual Chris

PrescottPhotog

jecottrell wrote:

Fantastic!

Thanks for the comments !!

Giphsub

Geeez! Awesome shot on that first one! And the others aint too shabby either!

dbaker1221

excellent shots Chris:ivar

jwear

I 'am going along with Russ on 1 -looks like you were almost shooting straight up

Maestro

Excellent shots of a very handsome falcon. Heck I'd make a trip to AZ if only to photograph the peregrine! Awesome.

PrescottPhotog

Harryb wrote:

You sure aren't having a lot of luck with your gear lately but you sure are nailing some fantastic shots.

Hi Harry.. My equipment does seem to be causing me a lot of anxt lately but this is just the system and not the whole puter. The problem is that each time it happens it takes at least two days to reinstall all the software, especially all my Adobe apps that don't play nice and just copy, you have to do a total reinstall and I have just about all of their Mac apps. My G5 is a Power Mac and my laptop is an Intel Mac so they don't play nice either.

This is the first time in 20+ years of using Macs that I have had a problem like this with an operating system. Leopard has a loooooong way to go before it is stable.

BUT.. if I can get a chance at shots like this after a problem I might have to start breaking more things around the house..

PrescottPhotog

riddim_maker wrote:

Outstanding!!! Especially #1 Great job on the raptors as usual Chris

Hi Russ.. Thanks for the comments. I almost wasn't ready when this guy came along. I got a couple shots when he took off but it is all wings and tail and no head, he went away from me and I was hoping (and ready) for him to come toward me..

PrescottPhotog

Giphsub wrote:

Geeez! Awesome shot on that first one! And the others aint too shabby either!

Hi Mike.. Thanks for looking and commenting.

PrescottPhotog

dbaker1221 wrote:

excellent shots Chris:ivar

Hi Dave.. Thanks for the comments !!!

PrescottPhotog

jwear wrote:

I 'am going along with Russ on 1 -looks like you were almost shooting straight up

Hi Jeff.. Thanks for the comment. I was actually about 30 or 40 yards away with quite a bit of water between us when he came gliding along very close to the ground and did a swoop up to the top of this dead tree, which is about 20 feet tall. I almost didn't see him at first he was so low to the ground.

PrescottPhotog

Maestro wrote:

Excellent shots of a very handsome falcon. Heck I'd make a trip to AZ if only to photograph the peregrine! Awesome.

Hi Stephen.. Thanks for the comments. I see this guy from time to time but it is usually going 150 mph. Never seen him sit still before.

I was amazed that his thumb talon.. it is HUGE, check it out. I read that this is what they use to knock birds out of the air by poking them with the rear talon and now I can see why, it is twice as thick as the front three.

Bill Pruitt

Nice shots!
Terrific images! I know what you mean... when you're feeling a little down and mother nature comes along and makes it all right again. Almost like there is a plan...