Saturday, August 7, 2010

Camera Critters: Close Encounter With A Hawk


While hawks are a protected species, they are nonetheless quite shy in our area and it is extremely difficult to get close enough to one for a decent still photograph.  One may sometimes see them quite close when they are driving backcountry roads, but they usually fly when the vehicle stops.

One gave me a brief photographic opportunity this week, when I came upon him as he was eating what appeared to be a small rodent.  As my vehicle approached, he flew from the ground to a nearby hay bale with his prey, finished eating it.and then flew away.

Red-tailed Hawk-? Probably some other species, but it is a large bird!

Hawk Consumes Remnants Of Prey

Hawk Prepares To Fly Away
I did get a photo of him in flight, but unfortunately it was not sharp enough to use.  As best as I can tell this is a Red-tailed Hawk, but I am not an expert on these birds and welcome being corrected if I am wrong.
 

For more Camera Critters photographs, click Here!

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

14 comments:

Dina said...

Great shots! So glad you had that encounter.
From below, it looks like the hawk has such long legs.

Gemma Wiseman said...

Fantastic close encounter! Remarkable detail of the hawk in these photos!

DeniseinVA said...

Amazing shots, what a great opportunity to take photos of this beautiful bird of prey.
An English Girl Rambles

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Willard: It is always nice to get a capture as you drive by, This is a good type of drive-by shooting.
I would have said a Sharp-shinned Hawk as the ID because of the pose. I also don't see the red in the tail.

imac said...

Its a beaut Willard.

LivingSoAbundantly said...

Awesome job on your pictures. :) You can really see the details.

The Mistress of the Dark said...

Beautiful. I think there are some hawks out by the Turnpike, Rte 43 in my part of PA. Gorgeous birds.

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

These are super shots.I know all about them flying away as soon as one slows down.sigh!
Blessings,Ruth

Peggy said...

I think it might be a juvy Coopers, or sharp-shinned. The tail is quite long. None-the-less, great encounter!

Philip said...

What ever it is Willard the pictures are excellent :)

Unknown said...

Beautiful captures, the bokeh you managed to get in these images are special...Thomas

Mel_Cole said...

Impressive pictures of the hawk. Haven't seen one like that yet, but have seen ones that are red-tailed hawks.

My 1st time to join CC. Have a great weekend!

My Camera Critter Entry

Misty DawnS said...

Absolutely fantastic! I cannot get them to sit still for me either.

Nontypical Pursuits said...

Really beautiful photos. I believe it to be a juvenile Coopers hawk.