# Ruthless killers living in my backyard. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 1, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049 "2014-04-01T03:36:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/1 "2014-04-01T03:36:37Z")
I’ve know about them for awhile, but today was the first time I actually saw the nest. It’s at the top of a 50’ pine tree, and I was able to get some photos with my Nikon D90 and 400mm lens: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/5138/13552468443_5868d3d461_b.jpg "DSC\_4714") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/13552468443/) [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/7260/13552692814_58d69bbe87_b.jpg "DSC\_4715") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/13552692814/) [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/5017/13552693974_7a0fd6f7c1_b.jpg "DSC\_4725") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/13552693974/) ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/2 "2014-04-01T03:38:38Z")
Beautiful photos. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/3 "2014-04-01T03:41:47Z")
Wow…look at the cold, hard eyes in the second picture…the cruel curvature of the beak…yup. Ruthless! ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/4 "2014-04-01T04:07:12Z")
I get a Sign Up! We’re so much better! screen. no thanks - were you so great, I probably have signed up already, you think? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/5 "2014-04-01T04:11:13Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > I get a Sign Up! We’re so much better! screen. > > no thanks - were you so great, I probably have signed up already, you think? Try these - should be direct links: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/5138/13552468443_5868d3d461_b.jpg "DSC\_4714") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/13552468443/) [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/7260/13552692814_58d69bbe87_b.jpg "DSC\_4715") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/13552692814/) [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/5017/13552693974_7a0fd6f7c1_b.jpg "DSC\_4725") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/13552693974/) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/6 "2014-04-01T06:06:48Z")
> [@randompattern](#): > > Beautiful photos. Yeah, but can that Nikon text, surf porn or play games? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/7 "2014-04-01T07:33:52Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Try these - should be direct links: > > [DSC\_4714 | beowulff | Flickr](https://flic.kr/p/mDzWH2) > > [DSC\_4715 | beowulff | Flickr](https://flic.kr/p/mDB6pu) > > [DSC\_4725 | beowulff | Flickr](https://flic.kr/p/mDB6Ku) Much better! Thanks! Now: figure out a way to get the lens ABOVE the nest and get shots of the young-uns! ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/8 "2014-04-01T08:20:46Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > I get a Sign Up! We’re so much better! screen. > > no thanks - were you so great, I probably have signed up already, you think? I got this first time I clicked one, but the second time got me through to the pictures. The direct links work well too, of course. Also, deeply jealous. Lovely photos. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/9 "2014-04-01T09:29:19Z")
Great photos of red shouldered hawks. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/10 "2014-04-01T15:11:15Z")
[These guys woke me up the other day](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v677/ural/rsh_zps010c6a08.jpg). There were actually 3 of them flying around and hopping from branch to branch. I assume 2 were males discussing breeding rights. ---
**Author:** ![delsina363](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@delsina363](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delsina363)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/11 "2014-04-01T15:34:47Z")
What great pictures, from both of you. I read the thread heading, and I could not pass it by, I am very nosey. I also usually do not click on links, but again, my curiosity got the best of me. Have a great day! ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/12 "2014-04-01T15:38:14Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Wow…look at the cold, hard eyes in the second picture…the cruel curvature of the beak…yup. Ruthless! You don’t know that. For all we know, the fiercest of predators may silently weep tears of pathos and regret at the necessity of taking the life of another animal in order to sustain itself and its offspring. Naturalists can’t see everything, you know. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/13 "2014-04-01T15:41:23Z")
Gorgeous photos. I love to watch hawks fly. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/14 "2014-04-01T15:42:40Z")
Do you manually focus your Nikon? I’ve had a real problem with my D40x and now my D3100 not focusing on things that are in the sky. I would have had some really nice shots of planes near the moon, but my cameras never take the photo. Push the button and it just sits there. Pisses me off every time. Those are some nice shots. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/15 "2014-04-01T15:48:06Z")
Great pictures. I too have hawks (red-tailed) that buzz my backyard. We have a number of bird feeders up, so we get a variety of wildlife. Birds, of course, but also los of squirrels and chipmunks. It’s the chipmunks that I think are the big draw for the hawks. I have seen hawks take out a few pigeons as well. Love seeing large birds. From my back deck, I overlook a fairly large pond that has a lot of open fields around it. Perfect hunting grounds for hawks, and have even seen one or two eagles. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/16 "2014-04-01T16:22:31Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > Do you manually focus your Nikon? I’ve had a real problem with my D40x and now my D3100 not focusing on things that are in the sky. I would have had some really nice shots of planes near the moon, but my cameras never take the photo. Push the button and it just sits there. Pisses me off every time. > > Those are some nice shots. I used autofocus. The lens I was using is a Nikon 70-400mm VR zoom. It’s optical quality is excellent, but it uses the old “screw drive” focus system, so it’s very slow to focus. Once it’s focused though, the D90 does a good job of keeping the focus locked. So, I just took a lot of shots… The lens has a “focus limit” selector that can compensate for some of the slow-focus issues. This setting restricts the range the the focus system will try - when it’s on, the lens won’t try to focus closer than 6 meters, which speeds the focus up quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/17 "2014-04-01T19:35:35Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > Do you manually focus your Nikon? I’ve had a real problem with my D40x and now my D3100 not focusing on things that are in the sky. I would have had some really nice shots of planes near the moon, but my cameras never take the photo. Push the button and it just sits there. Pisses me off every time. > > Those are some nice shots. I know some folks don’t like Ken, but it’s good place to start to learn your camera. Here’s his [manual](http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/users-guide/menus-custom.htm#02)on the D40. Scroll down to look at focus points. I have an uncooperative D40 as well, so look at your settings. It may just be waiting to focus before releasing the shutter. Nikon also has some resources for current bodies. [Here is your 3100](http://www.nikondigitutor.com/eng/d3100/index.html). Scroll down to “More on photography” for focus information. Also note the [difference between focus modes.](http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/dslr/d3100/features04.htm)… I would also recommend a [great site](http://www.nikonians.org/)to join to learn everything about your camera, lenses, and how to build your skills in different ways. Many good forums and feedback from knowledgeable people. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/18 "2014-04-02T02:51:04Z")
Wonderful pictures of Harris Hawks! My sister ID’d them for me. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/19 "2014-04-06T21:34:23Z")
A few more photos from this afternoon: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/7392/13677450153_b3fc1435ff_b.jpg "DSC\_4830") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/13677450153/) [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/2849/13677411945_1a0b216c71_b.jpg "DSC\_4835") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/13677411945/) and a couple of non-hawk photos I took while I was waiting… [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/7385/13677546705_6a80b14e24_b.jpg "DSC\_4790") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/13677546705/) [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/7147/13677898334_a7f5c686f0_b.jpg "DSC\_4832") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/13677898334/) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049/20 "2014-04-06T21:42:56Z")
Very nice photos! I have a ruthless killer living in my backyard, too. Actually, right now she’s snoring on my couch. But yesterday, she left a dead squirrel on the back porch. Before that: a mole, a mouse, a few birds, a lizard, more squirrels, a chipmunk, and a small possum. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruthless-killers-living-in-my-backyard/685049.md?page=2)