Birds of Prey

Posted by Mike on

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

10 responses to “Birds of Prey”

  1. Many, many years ago we went to Calloway at azalea time and it was bumper to bumper card. Then I heard they stopped allowing cars to drive the road at all during peak blossom time and instead had people on trams. This would have been maybe 30 years ago. But it sounds like you were able to explore by yourself? I only remember there were lots of native azalea, and there was a little chappal maybe near a lake?

    Reply

    • Yes! Ida Cason Callaway Chapel. You drive around the resort, plenty of parking locations to easily explore the different areas. I feel like I was a week too early and then almost a week late for the azaleas. Still a great place to visit and it is only 20-25 minutes north of me.

      Reply

      • Have you been to the Little White House? It’s in that same area I think. It’s Roosevelt’s fet away. I found it fascinating, again probably 30 years ago

      • If I ever get to Alabama (it’s been hard to get my schedule to allow it) you’ll have to come out to the lake. Did I tell you about Smith Mountain? There’s a fire tower there that you can climb and get a view of Lake Martin. Unless you happen not to like heights…then that’s not so good an idea. You could actually find the Smith Mountain fire tower on your own if you google it. It’s near Jacksons Gap (that’s probably the mailing address for that location) and Dadeville, which is west of Auburn/Opelika.

      • That would be so cool! I go to Opelika for a few stores and places to eat. Looks like Smith Mountain is another 40 minutes west. I’m not generally afraid of heights but going up a fire tower (Adirondacks) has strengthened my awareness of heights… 🙂

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