Birds of Prey

Callaway Resort & Gardens

I had been looking forward to the weekend. Although Sunday was supposed to (is) bring rain, Saturday held a lot of promise. I wanted to go back to Callaway Gardens. My previous visit was a little early for the azalea blooms. I was also hoping there would still be some tulips to capture too.

It was a great morning! I arrived as the park opened and immediately noticed the azaleas. This was going to be fun. My first stop was the Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl. It wasn’t the explosion of color I had envisioned in my head but totally worth the stroll through the trails.

I managed to time my exploration so I could attend the Birds of Prey show at the Discovery Amphitheater. The last few visits I missed the first show at 11am and the second show isn’t until 3pm. I brought the long zoom lens for this very reason.

It was a very good show. They not only showcased a few of the birds they are caring for but did a good job educating the audience. For a photographer, there are a lot of opportunities to capture the birds in flight. I didn’t have my camera setup for the action shots but was able to get a few really nice close-ups.

I’ll be going back for the action shots… 🙂

Red-shouldered Hawk
Nikon Z6 II, Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD, 1/250s, 109mm, f/8, ISO 100

Great Horned Owl
Nikon Z6 II, Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD, 1/200s, 300mm, f/8, ISO 400

Red-tailed Hawk
Nikon Z6 II, Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD, 1/800s, 232mm, f/8, ISO 400