The next day I decided to try the trails on the other side of the Chattahoochee river and I wasn’t disappointed.
Upright gray-haired wildlife – male
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 800, 600mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Palisades West Trail looking up the Chattahoochee River
1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 800, 150mm f/5-6.3, natural light
When I arrived at the trail, I headed to the water to looking around and it seemed kinda of barren of wildlife, so I decided to walk the trails. As I was walking back, a gentleman asked if I had seen the hawk fly by and I said no. He said it just flew by him and towards the trail to the left. So I walked in about 50 feet and there he/she was. About 30 feet up a tree. Of course, my luck, it had it’s back to me.
Red-Shouldered Hawk
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 600mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
So I decided to wait and see what it was going to do. The hawk didn’t do much except look around for his next meal for about 20 mins and my lense being 4.3 lbs., holding that at a 45 angle for 20 mins sure was not easy. And of course, I missed the take off as I rested my arm a second. But he didn’t go far to find a small snake in the brush.
Red-Shouldered Hawk eating a snake
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 600mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Red-Shouldered Hawk eating a snake
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 600mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Red-Shouldered Hawk take off from the ground
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 600mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
After his take-off from the ground, I had walked around to his new perch and it gave me a very good close-up of him/her facing forward.
Red-Shouldered Hawk
1/125, f/6.3, ISO 800, 600mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Not too long after, he/she spun around and landed a short distance away and quickly came back to the same branch with a grasshopper in his talons. He proceeded to tear it’s legs off and eat them and then swallowed the body whole.
Red-Shouldered Hawk
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 400mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Red-Shouldered Hawk
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 400mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Red-Shouldered Hawk
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 400mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Red-Shouldered Hawk eating a grasshopper
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 600mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Red-Shouldered Hawk
1/1600, f/6.0, ISO 1000, 380mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Red-Shouldered Hawk
1/1600, f/6.0, ISO 1000, 380mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Song Sparrow
1/640, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 600mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Song Sparrow
1/640, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 600mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Northern Cardinal
1/640, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 600mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
Mallard Ducks – male/female
1/640, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 600mm f/5-6.3, natural light, not baited, called in or set up
equipment list – Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD on a Nikon D610
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These were awesome!