GRAPHIC – Feeding Raptor

Found this hawk feeding away on a rodent at Anahuac NWR.  These shots were taken out the car window and was able to get very close to him.  He was more interested in eating breakfast than me taking his picture.  I screwed up and had my camera set to +1 exp compensation for flight shots and didn’t adjust it until later in this series.  Got several shots that were too blown out on the whites.  Should have known better but got a little excited coming upon this scene that I didn’t pay enough attention to what I was doing.  Also had to change memory cards.  There were lots of weeds around him and some of the best graphic shots have too many weeds in front of him.  Still a good time and even got some shots of him cleaning his talons.  A car came by and spooked him which allowed for some full frame flight shots.

All taken with Canon 7d and 100-400 lens, hand held out the car window

1/800 sec @ F5.6, +1 exp comp., ISO 320, spot metering, no flash

1/800 sec @ F6.3, +2/3 exp comp., ISO 250, spot metering, no flash

1/800 sec @ F6.3, +2/3 exp comp., ISO 250, spot metering, no flash

1/1600 sec @ F6.3, +1/3 exp comp., ISO 250, spot metering, no flash

1/2,000 sec @ F7.1, +1/3 exp comp., ISO 250, spot metering, no flash