Ruppells Griffon

I had a very unusual opportunity on Monday morning. I was helping at the British Falconry Fair on Sunday when an eagle was blown away by the wind. It's a long story but we had to leave the eagle overnight and come back early the next morning to try and catch it. So at 4am, we were on the road to Ragley Hall. The eagle catchers went off to find him and I went to the Fair to set up all the stuff for the birds. At 6am, the sun was very low and bright. This Ruppells Griffon Vulture was in an open tent and the bright light lit the background as perfectly as any studio. So I took the chance to photograph it. The light was magic - this was never going to look like a wildlife image but the chance to get a vulture shot at close range with no-one around was quite unique, so I'm sharing it. It was one amazing creature. So relaxed that soon after this, it tucked its head under its wing and went to sleep!

Title:	Ruppells Griffon
Username:	bzbee
Uploaded:	4 May 2011 - 8:31 PM
Camera:	Canon EOS 7D
Lens:	70-200L IS
Recording media:	RAW (digital)
Tags:	Bird of prey, Pets / captive animals, Vulture
Votes:	16