Birds of Prey....Your Pictures Wanted!

Picture this...I've pulled into the MGLG car park and am sat on my car's tailgate changing into wellies, when I spy a bird of prey gliding in the woods opposite to land on a tree near the edge of the woods - still well hidden. I scrabble round, quietly, to grab camera from rear passenger foot well. There I am, creeping across the car park looking like a member of the paparazzi with my long lens and furtive manner, battered beige bush hat with unknown suspicious stains, dubious coat of greenish hue, mud splattered walking trousers, black wellington on right foot and brown walking shoe on left foot. Quite an alarming sight for a casual walker. Quite normal behaviour for wildlife photographers.

I didn't get too close before snapping my first shot. Didn't want to scare the blighter off. It was like threading a needle. I think only the R7's eye tracking/focusing made this shot possible. It was heavily overcast, made worse by the dense wood. All results down to the R7.

I managed to creep a little closer. Again, I reckon only the R7's eye tracker made this possible. You can see small twigs between me and the bird.

The ingrate turned its head.

I moved a little closer after this shot, and managed one more not very worthy photo before the Buzzard flew off.  My God, aren't they quiet when they fly off? I mean, Wood pigeons, at half their size or less, and it's flap, flap, bang, bang, clatter, clatter, crash when they fly into trees, and the reverse as they fly out.

Well done Angus 

Well captured Angus. I have never been lucky enough to see a buzzard so close in the wild. Looks like the eye tracking did it's stuff for you nicely ...

One for Wendy!

Lovely stuff, thanks PB

I just realised I forgot to post photo of Carrion crow for comparison.

OK folks, any idea what this is? Betting is currently in favour of Sparrowhawk.  Spotted this morning on our walk, flying south from Wokingham, reaching border of Finchampstead north. We were traipsing through a housing estate at the time.

The beastie was high up, flying reasonably fast, flapping away. I only had my Canon 80D and Sigma 150-300mm lens at 300mm, craning backwards to photograph the things.

The thing was high up. This is what it looks like uncropped, with lens at 300mm.

And cropped.

Uncropped

Cropped

For comparison, a Carrion Crow which was tracking the bird of prey, but below it, perhaps 25-50 feet.

I would go for Sparrowhawk ...

I particularly like the first one. Nice and sharp for an action shot. Well captured ... Is that Jock?