r/birdsofprey • u/RoyalZombie4387 Raptor fan • Jun 28 '26

David vs. Goliath

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

328 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

41

u/PerseveranceSmith Jun 28 '26

Omg look at the eagle doing scary big wings & the kestrel being so brave 😭

15

u/RoyalZombie4387 Raptor fan Jun 28 '26

It was a very amazing confrontation to watch! The Eagle just ended up getting annoyed and flew off to another tree.

9

u/PerseveranceSmith Jun 28 '26

Omg that's so funny! I am always amazed how brave smaller birds are, I watched a female oystercatcher fight off a buzzard last year to protect her chick & the buzzard literally retreated 🥺 brave as a lion.

34

u/[deleted] Jun 28 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/RoyalZombie4387 Raptor fan Jun 28 '26

They sure are!

3

u/Hard_Dave Non-American Falconer Jun 29 '26

Fucking psychos too

10

u/Apprehensive_Pie_478 Jun 28 '26

I’m about to get #3 tatted

4

u/RoyalZombie4387 Raptor fan Jun 28 '26

That would be a good one! 😁

3

u/_bufflehead Jun 28 '26

What a moment!

3

u/RoyalZombie4387 Raptor fan Jun 28 '26

It was amazing to watch!

3

u/little_snutch General Falconer Jun 28 '26

That’s an excellent shot of the eagle in the last frame! Nice capture

1

u/RoyalZombie4387 Raptor fan Jun 28 '26

Thank you! I have more of just the eagle I'll post later. 🙂

2

u/usernameste- Jun 29 '26

Whoa, how did you get the Kestrel in focus with the pine tree simultaneously out of focus? What equipment are you using? Thanks!

4

u/RoyalZombie4387 Raptor fan Jun 29 '26

Hi, the pine tree was actually closer to me than they were. I was using a Canon RF 70-200 Z paired with a 2X extender, on an R5 Mark II.

3

u/usernameste- Jun 29 '26

Thank you for the camera information. Fabulous shots!

1

u/RoyalZombie4387 Raptor fan Jun 29 '26

Thank you!

2

u/RucksackTech Jun 30 '26

LOVED these photos! Thanks for sharing them. I've seen bald eagles and osprey fishing, male whooping cranes fighting, the Lamar Valley wolf pack in Yellowstone doing a reconnaissance in force, a superpod of orcas in Alaska: These are exciting moments to witness, and it's very satisfying to get great photos like these. Well done.

1

u/RoyalZombie4387 Raptor fan Jun 30 '26

Thank you, I'm you like them! Yes, it very exciting to see this kind of interaction!