Feasting

15 responses to “Feasting”

1. 

   Cynthia E. Wood

   Nov 29, 2008 at 5:52 pm

   awesome shot.

   Reply
2. 

   hvhe1

   Nov 29, 2008 at 9:07 pm

   Fantastic shot. That fierce look in his eyes.. I can feel it even here.

   I really like your animal photo!
   You are invited to post this photo to Spectacular Animals, invite only
   http://www.flickr.com/groups/spectacular_animals/
   Please add the tag SpecAnimal to your photo
   Please include a link to the photo when applying for group membership.

   Reply
3. 

   TomiTapio

   Nov 29, 2008 at 10:22 pm

   Way cool face and pants.

   Reply
4. 

   caitlinburke

   Nov 30, 2008 at 6:17 am

   Yes, excellent pantaloons!

   Reply
5. 

   pegleg000

   Nov 30, 2008 at 10:43 pm

   Great shot! That is a superb lens. I assume tripod mounted?

   Reply
6. 

   jurvetson

   Nov 30, 2008 at 11:09 pm

   Thanks. But no, it was a freehand shot.

   The hawk took two swoops down before making the catch.
   After the first miss, I discovered an entire family of quail that were remaining totally silent (to me at least) right next to me. After the catch, the hawk landed on a precipice along the jagged bluffs. I was able to watch the whole meal from the other side of a steep gully. So I was close, but safely separated by a chasm. Amazingly, after the meal, the hawk flew over the chasm and landed just a few feet away. She stared at her observer for a while before flying off. It was a magic moment.

   P.S. Voles sure are interesting… Prairie voles are rare among mice for their "faithful marriages" (pair bonding, mongamy, and joint rasing of the young). Other voles and mice exhibit none of those traits. Tom Insel has done some fascinating experiments to genetically regulate the number of oxytocin and vasopressin receptors (which link to the D2 dopamine receptors associated with drug addiction) in the vole brain. Mating causes a release of both hormones, but the right receptors have to be in the brain for the pair-bonding to follow.

   In short, Tom was able to switch monogamy on and off.

   Monogamy may boil down to the length of a DNA sequence in a promoter switch at the front of a particular receptor gene.

   Reply
7. 

   Kevin Baird

   Dec 1, 2008 at 12:39 am

   Delicious shot! Sharp.

   Reply
8. 

   Vox Sciurorum

   Dec 1, 2008 at 2:04 am

   The hawk seems to be smiling.

   Reply
9. 

   pegleg000

   Dec 1, 2008 at 6:25 am

   Handheld at 400mm! You must lead a clean life;-) I have trouble at 50mm. ::=))

   Seems like that monogamy sequence was turned off in the general population about 50 years ago (if it was ever "on"). Serial monogamy seems to be more the rule today. Polygamy recapitulates monogamy? Naw…

   Reply
10. 

    Tall Bob

    Dec 1, 2008 at 9:29 am

    WoW!!! Superb image and photography!!!

    An Awesome Shot Award
    You are invited to add this image to An Awesome Shot!
    ~CONTESTS~ Enter/Vote now
    Please tag the photo with "AnAwesomeShot"

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11. 

    MistyDaze

    Dec 2, 2008 at 5:17 am

    Gorgeous! This definitely brings to mind another one of your amazing RTHA images. 😉
    Seen in Spectacular
    Animals.

    Reply
12. 

    Jody and Phil

    Dec 4, 2008 at 7:06 pm

    This looks like it was taken at the exact same place and time as a photo you posted a year and a half ago. Is this new? Even the plants look in the same condition:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/226587515/in/set-80773/

    Reply
13. 

    jurvetson

    Dec 4, 2008 at 10:07 pm

    Yes. Same bird too!
    (You can see the time stamp of the photo in the right column of the page)

    Reply
14. 

    woozy wealth

    Jan 9, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    Awesome shot!!

    This Predator was Seen In :
    
    Predator and Prey

    Reply
15. 

    Dr Cristina I Zapata

    May 29, 2011 at 5:17 pm

    Vivo en El Cazador, Escobar, Pcia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, – Google Maps -34.306512,-58.769952 – y hay un halcon igual a este durmiendo en uno de los arboles del jardin. Maravillosa foto !!!! saludos, Cristina Zapata

    Reply