Sunday, April 03, 2011

Red-shouldered Hawk

Taking advantage of clearing skies last evening I headed to the wetlands concealing myself in hopes of close-up waterfowl encounters.  The waterfowl eluded me but during my wait this Red-shouldered Hawk suddenly swooped into view.  Landing in a low growing tree it was obvious that the hawk was hunting.  During the time it spent there I watched it swoop down twice and each time staying out of sight on the ground for a few minutes.  The second time it reappeared it still had feathers in its beak so I must assume that some hapless song bird had become dinner.


Keeping the camera trained upon the hawk I was ready for the take-off when it came

Shooting continuous rapid fire I managed two decent shots before the bird moved completely out of focus.

These shots are not as sharp as I would prefer but the distance was quite long for my 400mm lens and the images you see here are heavily cropped.  Certainly not portrait quality images but they are a great reminder of a wonderful outdoor experience watching the Red-shouldered Hawk successfully hunt.

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice set. The time in the outdoors is refreshing and peaceful! Shots like that can bring back a good memory of a good day!

Jim

Lois Evensen said...

Very nice images. So much movement makes them even more special.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Great captures.I am amazed at the speed with which birds take off.It takes good luck,on my part,to get a decent shot.

Laura Delegal - Leroy Photography said...

Ooo Coy, what a wonderful capture. That's a beautiful bird. Seems they never give you enough time to get the shots you want, but you did an excellent job.

Montanagirl said...

Terrific series! Cropped or not, they're really good, and what a memory keeper!

Chris said...

Excellent sequence Coy... And you got a very nice light on these shots!

Kjell T. Evensen said...

Beautiful captures. Excellent lighting.

Reena said...

Just discovered your blog and certainly will be checking in daily. I just got my own Nikon d7000 and have lots to learn in capturing nature around us! Thanks for sharing.

ASHE said...

Wow! I love that last one!

Meggie said...

Gosh, Coy, I don't visit for awhile and I miss so much. The hawk photos are fabulous! I feel sorry for the deer with the deformed antler. Sad story about the beavers.