Bird of Prey, Port Isaac, Cornwall, UK

[pgosling]

This was taken whilst walking along the cliff path at Port Isaac in Cornwall.

It was taken at my cameras maximum zoom (18x).



Exif:
Camera Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd
Exposure 0.002 sec (1/450)
Aperture f/4.5
Focal Length 84.2 mm
ISO Speed 64
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

Tell me what you think!

And if anyone knows what type of bird this is that would be appreciated too!!!

[Desertbird]

Definitely an accipiter, from the falcon family. You, my friend, have caught yourself a male kestrel. See the gray on it's wings? Kestrels are one of the only birds of prey with sexual dimorphism (differences between males and females other than size), and male kestrels have the gray on their wings and head, where females have brown all over.

Nice catch!

Edit: fun fact you may like; kestrels, especially the common kestrel found in the UK, can see ultraviolet light and can follow urine trails of their prey

Sorry, I get really into birds of prey, I used to volunteer at a raptor refuge for 4 years

[pgosling]

Many thanks for the info Desertbird.

The only other birds around were seagulls, just happened to spot this one and it stayed still long enough for me get my camera out!!!

[pgosling]

Any other comments on the shot?

Any ways I could have improved it (apart from being a bit closer and having more time to shoot)??

[Exiztence]

It's a great shot. I don't know how big the photo is in full, but maybe you could've cropped some of the top and right side away, so the composition comes out a bit better.
Maybe make it pop a little more by adding some contrast and more colour and you'd have a great photo.

[pgosling]

Many thanks for that.

I thought the best way would be to crop it with the bird centered, I'll have a play around with the original and try a few different crops and also with the contrast.

Man thanks again!

[karen_s]

Great catch. Always cool to find a new bird to photograph. I think you did a really nice job. Bird photography is hard even with the priciest of cameras and lenses.

For improvement of this image, as the previous poster noted, a simple crop might help. It's not wrong to place a subject in the center as that sometimes works, but generally, following the "rule of thirds" will give you a more dynamic composition. (If you are not familiar with the rule, check out this article in the Tips and Tutorials section of DPS ... "Rule of Thirds".) I would agree with Exiztence and opt for placing the subject (the bird obviously) closer to the upper right third. This creates a space to the left for the bird to move into along with creating a space below to look into.

I think you could also ad a tad of contrast or up the blacks a smidge to make the bird more dimensional and stronger against the background.

And one thing I have learned about birds, they are seldom cooperative so be patient and shoot lots and lots of pictures. I probably shot 1000 before I got a nice shot like yours.

Hope that helps a bit.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by Desertbird

Definitely an accipiter, from the falcon family. You, my friend, have caught yourself a male kestrel. ...

Holy cow. An American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) in the UK?! I mean, here, they're common as anything, but over there, that's gotta be one unusual sight.

[pgosling]

Thanks for all your comments - its a great help.

I managed to get this one shot off before it turned and flew off (I got it turning too - but its a bit blurry).

I don't know what bird it is, but I'm guessing that it would be quite uncommon to get an American Kestrel over here???

I'm really new to photography and am quickly finding out that it is very addictive!!!!!!!

[fedfooda]

great shot!