A juvenile Wedge-tailed Eagle (
Aquila audax) that I bumped into on my walk this morning. They are usually hard to get close to but in the early morning, with no thermals to ride, they can be a little reluctant to fly. I got close enough to this one but I think the Sigma 18-200/f3.5-5.6 DC II HSM was at its limit (hand held, of course). These are a very big bird with an adult wingspan that can be more than 8 feet (2.5 metres). From my observations, they mostly eat carrion but they also hunt and kill. A juvenile similar to this one has been hunting young kangaroos near home. It swooped four times on one a few days ago, but had no success. It also came very low over a friend who was mustering sheep, apparently taking an interest in his dogs. They have been known to take a bit of a swipe at an unwary human.
Actual settings were Av, ISO 200, f10, 1/160. First pic is as it came from the K-01 (I was only shooting jpegs). You can't pick and choose the background in these situations. The bird is where it is and likely to fly at any time. Second pic is a crop which I think loses a bit because of the background. The last two are 100 per cent crops on the head. I think these are more interesting but a little bit soft because it is a bit of a stretch for the lens. I was pleased with the eyes though.
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