Hawk about to stall...?

Managed to grab this shot shortly before winter holidays...hope you like it as it was a real rat to capture!

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Nice pose, was he going after a real rat?

canonloader wrote in post #6981533
Nice pose, was hje going after a real rat?

Nope, bits of chicken thrown by the local "I love hawks" chap!

That's really cool that it will get that tame and there are people who will feed it.

canonloader wrote in post #6981547
That's really cool that it will get that tame and there are people who will feed it.

Actually, the ol' guy comes almost every day around 4:30~5pm and chucks bits of chicken for the birds. I say "birds" because typically about 15~20 hawks turn up for the free feast.

My only problem is that I'm usually on the road when all this happens, but from July this year, I'll be moving my business 100% into the city (Kagoshima, southern Japan) so really hope to get much better at capturing these wonderful creatures....
(Watch this space....)

What an opportunity. Maybe he will let you get in close. Suggest that he throw them so the birds are facing the sun for you.

canonloader wrote in post #6981564
What an opportunity. Maybe he will let you get in close. Suggest that he throw them so the birds are facing the sun for you.

I know. Trouble is, they're almost too close to photograph as, at 20cm ~ 10 metres from me, I end up spinning around like a yo-yo!

But I'll keep at it!

Do they come to the ground or snatch it in mid air? What an opportunity.

Duane N wrote in post #6981595
Do they come to the ground or snatch it in mid air? What an opportunity.

Hey Duane, actually, they "try" to snatch it from the ground, but you know something...they're really bad at it! We're talking one "hit" per 3 attempts or worse!

Maybe it's because it's being taken from stone slabs (the park next door to me!) and not water ways.

But yes, it really is a fantastic opportunity. Just need to be home earlier to catch them....but I'm working on that!

Ahh...I didn't think of them grabbing it from the hard ground. Makes sense so they don't hurt their talons.

Duane N wrote in post #6987029
Ahh...I didn't think of them grabbing it from the hard ground. Makes sense so they don't hurt their talons.

Actually, I've been able to watch them as they grab (but not quick enough on the shutter...yet!) and they look a bit like us when we grab something that's moving. The whole leg seems to accelerate backwards to match their flying speed forwards - relative to the ground, that is - so that it (the leg and foot), just momentarily, is almost stationary, relative to the target...but still, they miss a lot!

Hope that makes sense.

Oh, and there's a sushi shop near the port where the owner occasionally tosses bits of fish up to the hawks, and they do catch it mid-air. But I've only seen him feed them twice, and both times I either couldn't stop the car quick enough, or stupidly, didn't have my long-lens...

As they say in Japanese: 頑張ります。。。 (I'll keep trying...)

Would anyone mind if you got in on it? I think I would get a welders glove and hold the chicken or fish straight up over my head in the gloved hand, and let them take it from there. You could set up on a tripod, prefocus and use a wireless remote to get the shots.

This is what falconers do, although these guys may not be that tame.

canonloader wrote in post #6987110
Would anyone mind if you got in on it? I think I would get a welders glove and hold the chicken or fish straight up over my head in the gloved hand, and let them take it from there. You could set up on a tripod, prefocus and use a wireless remote to get the shots.

This is what falconers do, although these guys may not be that tame.

Thanks for the idea...it certainly sounds like a plan......which I'd rather not do! These guys are almost 2 metres across the wings and completely wild. They just know a good meal when they see it.
I also paraglide as a hobby and have had an angry "mum" come at my helmeted head once in the French Alps....nope, I think I'm safer being as much "in the background" as far as the birds are concerned, as possible.