[dogdots]

I will be returning to this place again where this Hawk hunts. Its a prime hunting area for him as it is by a grain bin. I was wondering what would help me to get a better picture, be it lighting, angle, etc.

[Dabhand16]

The problem with this sort of shot is the habitat. There are twigs and branches in front of the bird and the sky in the background is not doing you any favours.

If you can get a bit of time to look around this site you could try to find some places where you can shoot that are clear of foliage and branches in the front, and have sufficient space behind so that you can throw the background out of focus. Also preferrably with no sky in the background too. Be aware of what direction the light will be shining from - you dont want to be shooting into the Sun.

If you are moving around it will probably deter the bird from settling in one place, so it might be worth finding a spot and staying put. Put some raw meat on or near the site and it might give you a more than even chance of attracting it to you rather than trying to chase it around.

[dogdots]

Thank you for the help Dabhand I wasn't aware of much when taking this picture. It was just "get the picture" kind of thing. I did notice the branches in front when I was taking this picture, but I couldn't do much about that unless I did move around some and I was afraid to It was a big birdie and he was eating something gross. I didn't want it to drop on me.....ish Guess the girl in me kicked in

[JMitchell]

I actually think that is a really good shot, and don't find the leaves too distracting, as they vary in colour so greatly to the hawk. Well captured, and the processing (if any) / the contrast is good!

[Markulous]

Nicely comp'd with the bird in the corner - works well.

Don't really have a problem with the location - leaves/branches give a sense of the environment. However, not keen on the burned sky - exposure compensation would take care of that!

[Charlotte]

This is a good shot. I would suggest a viewpoint which is level to the bird, if you can, so you're not looking up at it; here you've got a good view of its underside, but it's his top side, head + face that we're more interested in seeing. Your DoF here is pretty good, keeping it shallow enough to blur the BG but wide enough to get the whole bird in. I think the foliage here is fine, but you wouldn't want it any thicker. Try + leave a good space around the whole bird (you can always crop later), as this is quite tightly cropped at his tail. I like the shape of the branch that he's standing on, it creates a lovely subtle curve to add interest to the shot. Exposure: his R thigh looks burnt out (as well as the sky) I think you could've dialed in a bit less exposure here to retain detail in the highlights + maximise colour. HTH

[dogdots]

Thank everyone for the imput---I couldn't get level with him. He was up in a tree and I'm just to old to climb trees again . Your right about his thigh---I wonder how that happened? I was standing in a grove (shelter belt) of trees.