Dan P Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 Taken 11-27-2020 in late afternoon at North Atwater Park, Atwater Village, CA -- above Los Angeles River. I'm thinking this is a Cooper's Hawk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 The head projects well in front of the wings. The black / dark area on the head doesn't extend down the neck. I'm thinking you're right. I'm also thinking I wish I knew techniques to get shots of birds in flight; beyond just pointing and pivoting and pressing and praying. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 Yes to Cooper's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 Agreed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Leukering Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 Adult male Coop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P Posted November 28, 2020 Author Share Posted November 28, 2020 Thanks Guys. Charlie, for birds in flight your camera, lens and card can make a difference, but if you are shooting in full auto you are probably not going to have good results. I usually set the aperture and shutter speed manually to something reasonable for the conditions and bird's quickness in maneuvering and wingbeats. And put the ISO in auto (with max ISO preferably 6400 or more). Autofocus should be either center-weighted or spot. Then its up to how steady you can be and how good you are at acquiring the focus before shooting. I'm sure there are plenty of different methods, but I get more good shots doing that. The Cooper's Hawk caught me by surprise and I just started shooting. I was taking photos of a yellow-rumped warbler sitting in a tree and the settings were f11 and 1/200, so the COHA photos didn't turn out so good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 @Dan, thanks, but I'm looking more for getting on and staying on the bird. I can't do that with moving birds very well with binos either, so it isn't anything to do with the camera settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P Posted November 29, 2020 Author Share Posted November 29, 2020 Yes, it's not easy. A couple things that might help -- depending on how much time you have before the bird is gone. Try keeping both eyes open and follow the bird with your non-camera eye while you zero-in on the bird through the viewfinder. Also, if you are using a zoom lens, start with it zoomed out to get the bird in the frame, then zoom in once you've focused on the bird. And try to keep your camera, arms and shoulders fixed while following the bird, rotating your torso at the waist. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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