Peregrine encounter

In autumn and winter, Peregrine Falcon is a frequent sight at HANOI, especially on the sandbars of the Red River. Photographing this raptor when it is on the ground is a real challenge. I tried many times, but without success. You can crawl 100 or 200 m on the sand like a US Marine - as I did recently with the Black Stork !-, but that doesn’t work with this type of guy, far from being stupid (that doesn’t mean that the Stork is a bloody stupid bird !). Flush distance : between 150 and 200 m, sometimes more. My equipment (400 mm lens) can not allow me to take a worthwhile image from that distance. Digiscoping equipment could be useful for this purpose.

Yesterday, I spotted a Peregrine Falcon sat on a sandbar, but not far from reed beds. Yeah, the opportunity I have waited for a long time ! I walked slowly through the reeds and I approached it at less than 80 m. I took some shots from the edge of the reed beds while remaining hidden one meter inside the vegetation – if not, it would have detected me immediately. I couldn't find a clean "shooting window" through the reeds, but I am really quite satisfied with the result. What a great bird !