A Camera Shy Bird Of Prey

It's been there often, perched on a tree next to the road to a village nearby. Near agricultural lands and all the goodies uncovered by land tilling. High enough to observe the area, closed by hills on all sides to prevent the wind from blowing too fiercely. A good region it won't abandon unless pushed to.

Quite easy with cars passing by, easy with cars stopping by...

...But when I took my camera up to the level of my face, even behind my windshield, it's suddenly perceived as an act of hostility and the bird takes flight, flipping its tale at me, taunting 'You're too late by a second. You're slow. I'm always watching you and reacting!'

Once on my way to point B...

Camera Settings:

Aperture F 4; Shutter Speed 1/4000 of a second; Light Sensitivity ISO 200; Focal Length 200 mm.

Camera Model:

Canon EOS 30D with a 70-200 4L zoom lens.

Zooming in to the max and trying to get close but...too late.

...and once on my way back to point A six or more hours later.

I can't quite say what species it is form. An eagle, a falcon or a hawk. It's size is rather large. It's belly feathers are mostly white now with specs of dark. Five "finger" feathers on the tips of its wings.

And a frustrating tolerance for drivers, good tolerance for stoppers-by, but in the end, no tolerance for photographers, obviously.

Of course, I am doing it the amateur way. Just hoping for the bird to not react as id did. I got me to blame for not having a good enough approach. More patience in the first place, perhaps. And more camouflaging of my movements even inside the car.

I don't know. This creature obviously has excellent eyesight and it's obviously tracking my every move...closely.

Peace and Prey!

Yours,

Manol