Raven's Call ~ Part Four
Photographically, I was unprepared for these dark-dashing spirits of the air. The only action shots I've done with this camera have been of the dog running in the pasture--a large, bright subject moving fairly slowly against a simple background of shadowed forest or uniform pasture grasses. Ravens on Buffalo were the antithesis of that: small, black, distant, and moving at great speed against the busy backdrop of autumn foliage. And consequently, out of 70 shots, few were keepers.
But it was a learning experience, and should a similar situation arise again, I'll know some changes to make in my camera settings to increase my chances of bringing back more shots worth saving--birds that look like birds, not dark smears or shadowy shapes without edges.
The best of the lot is the shot (you can see in the gallery) from which this bird was taken as he turned to look back over his shoulder, just before diving down below our line of sight into the ravine. What's most notable to me about this image is the shape of this bird's tail: tubular. I never saw anything like it, and am certain it was no fluke. A tail in this configuration offers very little lift or resistance, and in some maneuvers, I suppose that is exactly what is required in the complex aerobatics these birds were showing us.
A little gallery of raven images is here.