Hawk with blue eyes: Please look at these 2 pics. One is cropped. I have taken a few pictures in my yard. Most of them are OK, but a few are with the bird having blue eyes. Does...

MiroFoto

Please look at these 2 pics. One is cropped. I have taken a few pictures in my yard. Most of them are OK, but a few are with the bird having blue eyes.
Does anybody know why ? I do no think I have changed anything in my camera. (Nikon 7100 + Tamron 16-300)
Thank you Miro

GeorgeFenwick

These are R3d-shouldered Hawks and the blue is purely reflection as opposed to iris color.

gwong1 Loc: Tampa, FL

Buy a new camera and lens??? It is a third eyelid that a lot of animals have. From Wikepedia - The nictitating membrane (from Latin nictare, to blink) is a transparent or translucent third eyelid present in some animals that can be drawn across the eye from the medial canthus for protection and to moisten it while maintaining vision. Some reptiles, birds, and sharks have full nictitating membranes; in many mammals, a small, vestigial portion of the membrane remains in the corner of the eye. Some mammals, such as cats, camels, polar bears, seals and aardvarks, have full nictitating membranes. Often called a third eyelid or haw, it may be referred to in scientific terminology as the plica semilunaris, membrana nictitans, or palpebra tertia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nictitating_membrane

MiroFoto

Thank you for the scientific explanation - I did not have idea about these thinks .

Why do you suggest to me to buy a new camera and lens? Do you read my mind or follow my postings? As you explain, camera does not have anything to do with the blue eyes.

Miro

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

MiroFoto wrote:

Please look at these 2 pics. One is cropped. I have taken a few pictures in my yard. Most of them are OK, but a few are with the bird having blue eyes.
Does anybody know why ? I do no think I have changed anything in my camera. (Nikon 7100 + Tamron 16-300)
Thank you Miro

Red shoulder hawks do not have blue eyes, but they reflect color, so either their is blue around it is as a result of some interesting post processing.
Below is a pair of Red Shoulder Hawks at Green Cay, Florida.

tommy2 Loc: Fort Worth, Texas

May be blind in that eye?

MiroFoto

billnikon

I like very much your Hawks . One day I will learn how to do this white background.

My Hawk is not processed...it is a raw shot And sure it is cropped.

Miro

MiroFoto

tommy2
No, I do not think it is blind. Other shots are normal. M

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

MiroFoto wrote:

billnikon

I like very much your Hawks . One day I will learn how to do this white background.

My Hawk is not processed...it is a raw shot And sure it is cropped.

Miro

I basically exposed for the hawks, which were being back light by late afternoon cloud cover. I believe the skinny is this, Nikon D500, Nikon 500mm PF prime lens, 1/250 sec. f5.6, iso 6400 and at least 3.0+ exposure compensation, probably more, yes extensively cropped.
To get any detail in a dark bird in front of a bright background you really have to open up the exposure. Had it been in the morning when the sun was behind me lighting them up, it would have not been much of a problem. I may have been shooting manually, and I probably opened up at least 5 stops on the + side.
No post was done on this image. At least, not that I knew about.
Glad you liked it. When I posted it on the Green Cay web site, it got a lot of interest. For me, it was a grab shot.

MiroFoto

billnikon
Thank you for the shooting data. I guess the fancy gear helps too. But ISO 6400 & 3+ ?? I would never come to this on my own. Thank you .
I live in Orlando and I get a lot of birds, but my 300mm is a kind of short guy. I thought about Nikon P1000, but in my 71 I guess I will slow down. I must check the Green Cay site too.

I appreciate your info.
Miro

J-SPEIGHT Loc: Akron, Ohio

MiroFoto wrote:

Please look at these 2 pics. One is cropped. I have taken a few pictures in my yard. Most of them are OK, but a few are with the bird having blue eyes.
Does anybody know why ? I do no think I have changed anything in my camera. (Nikon 7100 + Tamron 16-300)
Thank you Miro

Nice set

gwong1 Loc: Tampa, FL

MiroFoto wrote:

Thank you for the scientific explanation - I did not have idea about these thinks .

Why do you suggest to me to buy a new camera and lens? Do you read my mind or follow my postings? As you explain, camera does not have anything to do with the blue eyes.

Miro

Only a joke. When I first came upon this I thought something was wrong with my equipment as well. Enjoy the shoot. Gary

Tonyf1234 Loc: Hyattsville, MD

As others have noted, this seeming anomaly is in fact perfectly normal. The nictitating membrane - a third eyelid common to birds, has moved across the eyelid. I recently took a series of pics of Boat-tailed Grackles, and many of the pics showed a white eye, or not, from the same burst of pics of the same bird. The bird is simply blinking its eyes with the translucent nictitating membrane. Your camera is good!!!!

artesdecobo

MiroFoto,

My nickel's worth. There are several possibilities for a blue eye in a hawk or in other birds. One is the nictitating membrane in the eyes of some birds. Another is the dreaded "steel eye" effect resulting from direct flash in the bird's eye (like red eye in humans). Of course peculiar processing or weird lighting could also contribute or the animal could actually be blind in that eye.

In your case, my guess is the nictitating membrane.

The first two shots below which were taken within the same minute of a white-tailed hawk demonstrates at least one purpose of the nictitating membrane (eye protection).

The last shot demonstrates steel eye.

Bubba

(Download)

MiroFoto

Thank you again for the education on membrane. I did not use the flash .. so now I know. Miro