Eagles, Falcons, Hawks, Owls

I went to Cotswold Falconry Centre yesterday. They’ve got falcons, eagles, hawks, kestrels, vultures and more owls than I knew existed. Fantastic place. Really enjoyed it. Must go back again with my son. The nice thing about it is that many of the birds are on tethered perches so can be photographed without having to go through glass or cages.

I took about 200 shots. I have to say the flying shots were total garbage, but that was to be expected. My AF cannot keep up with a falcon. 😀

I picked out one shot that I thought was really nice. This was the female Golden Eagle called Xena. It was shot with a Sigma 105 EX 2.8 Macro lens from about 4ft away at about f/5 and 1/640.

Xena - Golden Eagle. Click photo to enlarge.

This was the best shot to start with, I’ll put up some others later when I’ve had a chance to go through and sort them all out. But for now I’d better get back to work. 🙂

This was a Chilean Eagle.

Chilean Eagle - click to enlarge.

This next one is a Lanner Falcon.

Lanner Falcon. Click to enlarge

I got to hold and fly this barn owl. He was lovely. Quite hard to photograph white on a bright day.

Barn Owl. Click to enlarge

Bateleur Eagle - Matabele

Bateleur Eagle - Matabele

Turkey Vulture

Another falcon

Bald Eagle

Gyr Saker Hybrid Falcon.

Eagle Owl