Brilliant shots especially number 1. What lens were you using?
with all the foregoing comments Kaz... ...the victim was a Collared Dove...
Great captures...
Thanks Luke luckily I still had my canon 500f4 + 1.4 convertor set up from the day before so it was a bit of a panic when I thought I have no time to get the tripod so grabbed a small table and leaned on that for support because times like these you have to act quick luckily he stayed about a bit I got some really gruesome shots and he picked it clean
Wow, all that action in your garden.. Are shots #1 and #2 in the wrong order? the eye being closed in the first and open in the second is making my mind wander.. :shake:
err, isn't he a she?
Subperb shots though. I've heard they usually only stay in a garden to eat if they are comfortable and feel safe (although with bigger prey, I guess they don't have much choice!). We've had one eat a woodie in our garden before, fantastic to watch. Woodie didn't put up much of a fight - a few seconds at most
Are you sure.... looks to me like a wood pidgeon!
err, isn't he a she?
not sure if its male or female will have to ask Ven that one
Good shots. On the first photo the 'dove's' eyes are closed, on the second they are open?
A stunning set indeed Kaz, beautiful. What was the f# and shutter on those?
Thanks Rich I was glad they came out so well to be honest the top of the garden was in shade the shutter speed was sometimes down to 1/200 and then sometimes went up to 500 so it varied tried to keep the ISO to 400 but sometimes went up to 800.
Thanks Ven on the sexing the bird hubby thought it was a female especially for taking a dove it was a bit hard to start with because it was still alive but thats the photographer in us we have to get the shot
He is definitely a 'She' bird Carol/Kaz... relatively easyily told in this pick by the browny colouring to the back and wings against the male's that will be slate greyish...
A good sized meal for the female of the species but the Collared Dove is generally a bit too big for the much smaller male Sprawk...
The male's biggest prey species will normally be Starlings although it will give a Blackbird a go if it's easy pickings...
HTH...
Not that its important really (but at least the bump keeps these excellent shots near the top of the subforum )
But the sprawk is definately a male. Females never have rufous on the underparts. Or at the absolute most very little rufous. Certainly not to this birds extent.
Size wise Females dwarf Collared doves whereas Males and Collared Doves are in the same size range.
A good example is from wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Accipiter_nisus_female.jpg