240 Days until the US Open at Chambers Bay

I have been walking Chambers Creek Properties for years. I have been carrying a camera since 2009. With the US Open coming to the Chambers Bay Golf Course, which is part of the property, I have decided to share a picture each day for the 365 days leading up to the tournament. The US Open is scheduled to begin on June 18, 2015. As of today, we are 240 days away. For a more complete collection of my local photos, visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/maritimeorca/tags/chamberscreekproperties/

Today's Picture:

Taken on October 3, 2014

On one of my recent walks, a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) blocked my entry into the park. Eventually, the bird flew to the edge of the North Meadow. At that point, I could walk on the grass to avoid giving any more problems. It was pretty clear what was going on. The hawk had found a nice meal that it wanted to protect. Since I arrived shortly before sunrise, I didn't have much light to work with. I improvised a bit with a few setting changes and multiple shots taken with different settings. One of my tricks was to intentionally underexpose. Camera shake and movement of the bird are much more difficult to fix after a shot than exposure. I also took some action shots when it flew, but I was not surprised to discover that none of those shots could be salvaged.