Bird Whisperer

Posted by Dornbrau (Colorado Springs, United States) on 1 April 2007 in People & Portraits and Portfolio.

Every summer I am treated to the amazing aerobatics of the nimble nighthawk. On the evening that this picture was taken 10 of the birds swooped in for playful fly-bys while my son tossed bird seed out to them. They were hunting insects and had no interest in the seed but seemed to be interacting with my son. They flew around him for over an hour without showing any agression.
This image is actually a compilation of 4 shots. I wanted to capture the frenzy of feathers but the birds were too fast for me and I never got more than one in any shot. And yes, those are braids and beads in my son's hair. We had just returned from a day at the annual Renaissance Festival and he was still in costume.

* Colorado Springs

NIKON D70
1/1600 second
F/5.3
42 mm

colorado
nighthawk