Sunday, May 18, 2008

Nighthawk Photo

When Gus read my post on Friday he said, with all the confidence of a husband and a male, "I'll get you a nighthawk photo honey." So, off we went to the park Saturday evening to get a photo of a nighthawk. It was awhile before they showed up. We watched the sunset, the shadows fade into twilight and then, here they came, swooping over the field. Gus tried all different settings, snapping away. This was the only shot that came out.

(Nighthawk photo by Gus 5-17-08)

Can you see the fluttery wings with white spots at the corner of the photo? The nighthawk swooped in front of one of those inflatable jumping things that parents rent for their kids. Someone had one set up at the edge of the park. This is the only shot that came out. We had at least 40 black voids on the digital when we got home. Still, I like the abstract quality of the shot and I certainly appreciate Gus' valiant effort. Apparently we are on a steep learning curve here. We'll try again. Meanwhile, I am throwing down the gauntlet. Can you capture a good photo of a nighthawk? Send me your link and I'll add it here!

Seabrooke sent this link to her photo of a Common Nighthawk.

9 comments:

Kathryn and Ari said...

I love the aesthetics of Gus's photo, even though I know you were looking for something a little more identifiable.

We hear nighthawks around here sometime, but I've never actually seen one before. I'll keep my fingers crossed alongside you that another blogger has one to share.

Seabrooke said...

I think Gus' photo is more interesting than a typical, traditional bird photo. I love the colours, it reminds me of a sunrise.

I've seen nighthawks in a number of places, but the only photos I got were from a grassland area I stopped at in Minnesota last year. They were flying during the middle of the day, which made getting photos much easier!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rustyblackbird/2502505983/

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

Gorgeous picture. I love the layers of colors. I've only seen nighthawks once in my life. I took pictures that were so distant and soooooo blurry that I deleted them. I knew they would be bad, but I took them anyway, just to check the I.D. on them.

Ruth said...

I have never seen a nighthawk, but I really like the picture!

Doug Taron said...

What a cool photo. A nighthawk ghost! In September, we will often see thousands of them wheeling and diving at sunset as they mass for migration. It's quite a spectacle,

John Theberge said...

Even though you can't make out any detail of the nighthawk this is still a nice photo with the wonderful abstract colors.

Aunt "B's" Backyard said...

Cute story Kathie!!
What beautiful color combinations.
Great try, Gus! You will get it, I know!

Anonymous said...

Kathie, it has been ages since I have been blog hopping, so I just got caught up today. WOW, your blog is A*M*A*Z*I*N*G, even more so than when I last read it!!! You and Gus make a fabulous team!! I am not one bit surprised that you now have such a big fan base - you are SO talented and it is a joy to read/see the latest :).

Kathie Brown said...

Kathryn and Ari, we keep trying. Maybe we need a caninaturalist to help us!

Seabrooke, thanks for stopping by and leaving that link. I've added it to the post. It's a very clear shot. I could easily see the shape and the white wing spots. Hopefully I will get some more links or some more photos!

Sandpiper, even in the day it's hard because they fly so fast. I did have some photos from Utah when they perched on my backyard fence but they are stored on the old computer. We still need to transferr data and I'm too busy taking new photos!

Ruth and Ocean, thanks!

Doug, I would love to see that sight!


John, thanks. That's what I thought. Gus was going to delete the photo! He's a good photographer but sometimes I have to yank him out of his black and white detailed world of business and remind him of his artistic side.


Aunt B, Gus usually reads my comments so I'm sure he'll be glad to read yours! Thanks from me also.


Jess, Nice to hear from you again. I know you are a busy mom with your own scrapbookideas to keep up with. Your comments are very much aprreciated.