Shaheen Falcon

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Photographed recently at Karnala fort. Was more of a trek than a bird watching trip, but managed a few shots and some lovely raptor sightings from the top. Looking forward to making another trip with enough time to spare for photography.

The Shaheen falcon (Falco peregrinus peregrinator) is the resident Indian counterpart of the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus peregrinus). Saw a pair of these falcons foraging and carrying food to the nest. We couldn't see the nest as it was on a high-up ledge, but we could hear the chick(s?). This one has something in its talons, not sure what it is...

Camera Model Name Canon PowerShot SX10 IS
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv (Shutter Speed) 1/250
Av (Aperture Value) 5.6
Exposure Compensation +1 1/3
ISO Speed 100
Cropped slightly and sharpened a bit.

Thanks, C&C welcome.

[Bibhav Behera]

I like the composition. The backlit wings look nice. Would have been better if you had some eye contact. Thanks for sharing Abhishek. You are doing great with your PnS :)

[Mrudul Godbole]

The wing position is nice. The backlit feathers look good. Seems it was directly overhead. What is the dot on the top of the frame? Thanks for the information. Look forward to more.

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Thanks a lot both.

Bibhav: Agree abt the eye contact... Didn't have much time for photography... managed to grab a few shots. Have some with better eye contact, but this one is the sharpest and hence posted it. Also got some record shots of the nest on a ledge... unfortunately there is some distracting graffiti on the rocks around... :(

Mrudul: I hadn't noticed the dot... don't know what it is. Perhaps a bird flying higher up...

[Praveen Siddannavar]

Wow! this is nice Abhishek, if you had got this closer it would have been great, however the details are still not that bad

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Praveen: Thanks for the reply. I shot this at a comparatively shorter focal length of 58mm (= approx. 320mm on a full frame dslr) as they were very fast, and difficult to keep in the frame at higher focal lengths. :)

[Sabyasachi Patra]

You have to try like clay pigeon/ trap shooting. You have to predict and move your camera accordingly. Needs a lot of practice. Not easy to catch them with longer focal lengths. Can't believe that people have done graffiti near the nest. Look forward to more when you get time.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Can't believe that people have done graffiti near the nest.

Sadly so... :(. Unfortunately Karnala, in spite of being a bird sanctuary, is much more popular as a mountaineering destination. People have reached even the most inaccessible ledges to do graffiti work... :( The falcon pair has been nesting there for quite a few years now. Hope the nest is not disturbed and they continue to live there.