harrier and coot

Excellent

Great shot, Monte!  I hope the coot got away.

Marvelous shot...as is your custom. We've all missed you! Glad you're back!

Beautiful capture. Sharp and nice background. Regards, Wobby.

Super catch always Monte

Ann

Best regards

PDE

I like the opposite orientation of the two birds, the predator and the prey. I see aparent indifference in the owl's eyes for the prey's suffering. The background has an interesting but not too intense color pattern that complements but not overwhelms the foreground.

Has the harrier caught the coot? Or is the harrier just investigating it? I am afraid I don't find the image very appealing. The two birds might almost have no connection. How far apart were they? If I was a birder, perhaps, I would understand its appeal (clutching at straws here). Their alignment makes the photo lack depth (front to back). Perhaps the harrier is circling the coot? Why the space on the right? As to seeing indifference in the harrier's eyes: well that would probably be true and not surprising. Do harriers prey on coots? I wait to hear what people like about this image.

Like Robin, I'm itching for a little more sense of the real narrative here. Clearly that's not a happy coot. On the bright side, The Harrier and Coot would be a good name for a pub.

Right, or the "The Coot and Owl" (per Supriyo).

Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking :-). Thanks for catching that.

Given the shallow depth of field, I don't think they would be too far away from one another to have both birds in near focus, but then I am not that experienced with telephotos. I would let the photographer explain where the harrier was relative to the coot when taking this image.

I still find the opposite facing of the two birds interesting. So are their postures, the harrier's high and confident, the coot's: face down and stooping. I agree, harrier catching the coot in it's talons would have given a more dramatic scene, but then we have seen great examples of such images repeatedly in the past.

I support leaving space on the right to make the subject off centered and giving the harrier room to move.

I'm not that carried away by animal photos like these, but I can appreciate a professional shot like this of Monte here. I like the sharpness of the main subjects and the perfect mastering of the background colorful blur. I surely for the composition which gives breathing room to the right.
I thought a harrier was either a dog or a military jet. I understand that it is also a hawk. Learing every day !

I love the background, although the birds do spoil it somewhat.

Perhaps the image supplies all the narrative we need. It seems to imply, at least, that the harrier's talon's are sunk deep enough into the coot's body so that it can be carried away. Also, please note my agreement with Anders' remarks about the image's technical merit.

P.S. From Monte's workspace - http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=18179806&size=lg

Well that one is a much more exciting picture and makes much more sense as a stand alone image.

Like Michael, I think the other photo in Monte's portfolio is much more intriguing, dynamic, and communicative. Both are technically excellent. Obviously, it is impossible to pose these critters, so Monte had to make the best of what they offered, and demonstrates an outstanding ability to capture the moment. I must ask myself why the Elves would choose this image over the other for discussion? Anders, the Harrier fighter jet is named for this bird.