I've been at home sick for the past couple days. It's horrible, but I've had the chance to sort and edit some pics I've been meaning to post. I thought I'd stick with the local wildlife theme and share some pictures of the local red-tailed hawks in my neighborhood. There are several nesting pairs in the area. I haven't got enough pics or raptor knowledge to discern individual identity yet, but I'm working on it. I seem to be blessed, or cursed if your in the passenger seat, with the ability to keenly spot random things at a glance while in fast motion. I'm not sure if this a result of years of subconsciously scanning for traffic (other aircraft) at work or if I've always had it. My best guess is that I've always had it and just refined the skill once I started flying. In high school when I drove a 1973 VW bus I remember annoying my friend John by acutely pointing out every other air cooled Volkswagen that came within visible range of us. Opposite direction, abandoned in a backyard, or just a fender peaking out from under a car cover I could always spot them which made for some landslide punchbuggy victories! In the hang glider I've had numerous low saves from spotting a circling raptor, dust cloud, or bubble gum wrapper floating in lift just as I was setting up my landing approach. It's always been a great tool for spotting wildlife.
Anyway back on topic, I spotted this red tail on the way to fly at Look Out Mountain back in November. He was flying low, about 3 feet off the ground in front of a fence line near a bike path in my neighborhood. I refer to this one as a "he" because of his slightly smaller size than the other locals I have seen. The male red-tailed hawk can be up to 25% smaller than the female.
I kept my eye trained on him as he flew up into a group of cottonwood trees. I pulled over, grabbed my camera and crept slowly to the base of the trees. I was amazed at how perfect his plumage was camouflaged against the bark of the tree.
Undisturbed by my presence he swooped down to a grassy patch on the other side of a small stream from me. I moved slowly and quietly to get in a good shooting position. From what I could tell it looked he was trying to snag some kind of ground-burrowing prey. What ever it was, he missed. He stood there digging and pecking at the dirt, occasionally lifting a leg or a wing while constantly monitoring his surroundings. I moved in closer to get a better shot.
Anyway back on topic, I spotted this red tail on the way to fly at Look Out Mountain back in November. He was flying low, about 3 feet off the ground in front of a fence line near a bike path in my neighborhood. I refer to this one as a "he" because of his slightly smaller size than the other locals I have seen. The male red-tailed hawk can be up to 25% smaller than the female.
I kept my eye trained on him as he flew up into a group of cottonwood trees. I pulled over, grabbed my camera and crept slowly to the base of the trees. I was amazed at how perfect his plumage was camouflaged against the bark of the tree.
Undisturbed by my presence he swooped down to a grassy patch on the other side of a small stream from me. I moved slowly and quietly to get in a good shooting position. From what I could tell it looked he was trying to snag some kind of ground-burrowing prey. What ever it was, he missed. He stood there digging and pecking at the dirt, occasionally lifting a leg or a wing while constantly monitoring his surroundings. I moved in closer to get a better shot.
Then the intense quiet of the moment was broken by the obnoxious voice of a young kid screaming from the bike path behind the hawk. He yelled "Look at the birdy Mommy" and chased after it. I secretly hoped the hawk would take him out, but instead he abandoned his hunt and flew back to the safety of the cottonwoods. The suburban mother was oblivious to the danger her son had just put himself in or that they had ruined my photo mission. It only reinforced the disgust I have for my neighbors since I moved to suburbia. I got a sequence of the hawk as he took off, but my shutter speed was too low for a crisp image.
When he was back in the tree I was again impressed at how well camouflaged he was. With the sun lighting his belly he blended in well to the brightly lit bark of the cottonwood. I wondered if he intentionally positioned himself with the lighter colors into the sun to take full advantage of the light in camouflaging himself.
Not wanting to partake in anymore harassment I left him to hunt. On the way back to the truck I spotted his mate, who was perched in a thick nest of shrubbery. I gave her some space and widened my path around the shrubs. As I neared the sidewalk the angle was just right for me to see what she was watching. It was a squirrel who was nervously huddling in the thickest part of the shrubbery. There was no way the hawk could make a pass through the thick brush and the squirrel seemed to know it.
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