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Bill Ferris

Bill Ferris

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Winter is my favorite season for raptor photography. The Sun hangs low in the sky late into the morning and a fresh snowfall transforms a field of winter grass into a giant reflector. Mormon Lake, about 25 miles southeast of Flagstaff and one of only two natural lakes in the state of Arizona, is my favorite place for bird photography. Eagles, hawks and falcons hunt along the east rim overlooking the lakebed. My favorite raptor is the northern harrier. A mated pair has been wintering at Mormon Lake for the last few years and this year they've been particularly active. Please, enjoy this sampling of the photography I've been doing of this pair and their offspring.

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Hi Bill,
your story and explanation indicates to me that this is 100% wildlife with no hide. Right?
I also have experienced countless situations where I would have liked to be closer to the subject. This might be the fate of the 100% wildlife photographer. They are always trying to get closer.....
Some shots seem for me to be a pretty tight crop. If this is the case I would have gone for a less tighter crop.
My favorite is clearly the last one although the whole set is well captured (y) 👏
Mike from thats_wildlife

PS: Sorry for having that lot of comments. But I would often have liked more substantial comments for my images as "very nice" or something similar. Therefore I think you might find my comments of any use to you.
 
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Bill Ferris said:
Winter is my favorite season for raptor photography. The Sun hangs low in the sky late into the morning and a fresh snowfall transforms a field of winter grass into a giant reflector. Mormon Lake, about 25 miles southeast of Flagstaff and one of only two natural lakes in the state of Arizona, is my favorite place for bird photography. Eagles, hawks and falcons hunt along the east rim overlooking the lakebed. My favorite raptor is the northern harrier. A mated pair has been wintering at Mormon Lake for the last few years and this year they've been particularly active. Please, enjoy this sampling of the photography I've been doing of this pair and their offspring.

View attachment 109608View attachment 109609View attachment 109610View attachment 109611View attachment 109612View attachment 109613View attachment 109614View attachment 109615
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Bill, Great set! 👍👍👍I love shooting these guys as well. Where I shoot the sun doesn‘t always cooperate, so many times the sun is in my face. That’s not a good combination.
 
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thats_wildlife said:
Hi Bill,
your story and explanation indicates to me that this is 100% wildlife with no hide. Right?
I also have experienced countless situations where I would have liked to be closer to the subject. This might be the fate of the 100% wildlife photographer. They are always trying to get closer.....
Some shots seem for me to be a pretty tight crop. If this is the case I would have gone for a less tighter crop.
My favorite is clearly the last one although the whole set is well captured (y) 👏
Mike from thats_wildlife

PS: Sorry for having that lot of comments. But I would often have liked more substantial comments for my images as "very nice" or something similar. Therefore I think you might find my comments of any use to you.
Click to expand...
Hi Mike,

Thank you for viewing the collection and for commenting.

Yes, all were shot in nature at the Mormon Lake Overlook in northern Arizona. In my experience photographing raptors from this location over the last ten years, the most successful technique for getting closer is to pick the right place to set up and wait for the birds to come to me. I was seated at the edge of a thicket.

Good storytelling through photography includes diverse mages; each telling part of the story. Since the subject is the northern harrier, I wanted to include photos of the mated male and female and at least one of the juveniles. I also wanted to show a variety of orientations, with different wing and body positions, and backgrounds. The one photo I considered including but chose not to is of a harrier with the San Francisco Peaks - the tallest mountain range in Arizona - in the background. In hindsight, the set may have been stronger with one of those images included and perhaps another with more of the environment visible in the background.

On balance, though, I'm pleased with the set documenting this elusive raptor.

Thanks, again, for sharing your critique.
 
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Bill Ferris said:
Winter is my favorite season for raptor photography. The Sun hangs low in the sky late into the morning and a fresh snowfall transforms a field of winter grass into a giant reflector. Mormon Lake, about 25 miles southeast of Flagstaff and one of only two natural lakes in the state of Arizona, is my favorite place for bird photography. Eagles, hawks and falcons hunt along the east rim overlooking the lakebed. My favorite raptor is the northern harrier. A mated pair has been wintering at Mormon Lake for the last few years and this year they've been particularly active. Please, enjoy this sampling of the photography I've been doing of this pair and their offspring.

View attachment 109608View attachment 109609View attachment 109610View attachment 109611View attachment 109612View attachment 109613View attachment 109614View attachment 109615
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Incredible shots!!!
 
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In Prescott AZ Willow Lake area we have one or two (depends on the year) female northern harriers. They generally hunt the south and west shores. This area is a city park and ia well used by hikers and mountain bike riders so the resident harriers are not particularly fearful. I have never seen a male in the wild :) Folks here say these female go the Phoenix area to mate. Very nice series! Attached image of a harrier hunting Willow Lake.
 

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