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Red-tailed Hawk Visit

Joined
Sep 11, 2006
Messages
2,531
Reaction score
93
Location
Houston, TX
First Name
Kory
Last Name
Burleson
I love working from home. I have my desk set up right in front of a window. I'm used to seeing birds flying by and squirrels roaming about because the window looks out to my side yard, an empty lot. Every once in a while, something really catches my eye. Yesterday I noticed something taking off right over the house next to us. This was no pigeon. I've got a thing for birds of prey, so I got excited when I saw it land in a tree, 3 yards down from mine. I grabbed my camera and long lens and headed outside to see if there was even a chance at a shot. From my side yard I was able to get a couple shots of it. These are at 500mm, with some pretty big crops.

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2017.01.20_RTH_1 by Kory, on Flickr

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2017.01.20_RTH_2 by Kory, on Flickr

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2017.01.20_RTH_4 by Kory, on Flickr


After a few minutes, it flew off, moving across the street. This time it was a bit closer, I was now shooting from the sidewalk to a tree behind a house, but the branches ruined these shots. The mocking birds were letting it know it landed in the wrong tree. They were attacking it, multiple times hitting it right on the back. It didn't phase the hawk at all though.

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2017.01.20_RTH_6 by Kory, on Flickr


It flew off and moved down the street again, basically the same situation, I was on the sidewalk and it was in a tree with a house in between us.
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2017.01.20_RTH_7 by Kory, on Flickr

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2017.01.20_RTH_9 by Kory, on Flickr

A couple minutes in that tree and it flew off, and I couldn't see where it landed, so I headed back inside to keep working. :mrgreen:

About an hour later, wings catch my eye again, and I see it landed across the street, but this time on the very top of a tree where I think I can get an unobstructed shot. I quickly grabbed my camera and headed across the street. Same situation, with a house in between us, but I thanked Mr./Mrs. Hawk for landing on the top limb. The blue jays however, were not happy, and went on the attack. Same result, the hawk didn't care one bit. It stayed here for a few minutes then took off, that was the last I saw it for the day.
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2017.01.20_RTH_12 by Kory, on Flickr

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2017.01.20_RTH_14 by Kory, on Flickr

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2017.01.20_RTH_15 by Kory, on Flickr

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2017.01.20_RTH_16 by Kory, on Flickr

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2017.01.20_RTH_17 by Kory, on Flickr

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2017.01.20_RTH_18 by Kory, on Flickr

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2017.01.20_RTH_19 by Kory, on Flickr

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2017.01.20_RTH_20 by Kory, on Flickr

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2017.01.20_RTH_21 by Kory, on Flickr

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2017.01.20_RTH_23 by Kory, on Flickr


Every time I went to get my settings right to get it in flight, it would take off, so that was a fail, but I like the perched shots I ended up with.
 
That last one with the bluejay looks like you photoshopped a branch out of the picture! Good shots, I like the bluejay missile one, second to the last one with a bluejay in it.
 
Wow great pics thanks

Thanks!

That last one with the bluejay looks like you photoshopped a branch out of the picture! Good shots, I like the bluejay missile one, second to the last one with a bluejay in it.

:lol2: I sent that one to my dad and he said the same exact thing about a missing branch. Just interesting timing. :trust:
 
Got lots of red tails on our farm. What blew my mind was last week I passed the field in front of our farm, and there sat a bald eagle, just watched me drive me.

Of course, I could not get the camera out fast enough and he was gone.

Never seen one up here in North Texas before.

Larry
VFRrider
 
Got lots of red tails on our farm. What blew my mind was last week I passed the field in front of our farm, and there sat a bald eagle, just watched me drive me.

Of course, I could not get the camera out fast enough and he was gone.

Never seen one up here in North Texas before.

Larry
VFRrider

That's awesome! Bald eagles are the holy grail for me. :mrgreen: There are a couple that hang around Lake Livingston. One time I was taking some pictures of some seagulls and herons when one gave me a flyby. I wasn't fully prepared and only had once chance. Hopefully I'll get another opportunity in the not so distant future.

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2016.03.12_61 by Kory, on Flickr

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2016.03.12_63 by Kory, on Flickr
 
Wow! Great photos! I saw a ton of Hawks on the way from I37 around Christmas time. About one every mile on the telephone poles.
 
Fantastic shots. Had a yet to be identified raptor fly over the other day, but all I got was blurriness. The local birds suddenly got active just before it flew over, but it was on its way somewhere and didn't hang around.

I'm really jealous of the eagle and hawk pictures you are getting. The one with the mockingbird is my favorite.
 
Really great shots! I like the interaction of the Bluejay.
 
Outstanding pics, they're magnificent birds, thanks for sharing!

Like you I'm fortunate to enjoy watching red-tails daily - they watch, strafe, and pluck the mice from the pasture next to my house. Nature at work, an always fascinating distraction from mine.
 
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Fantastic! Bluejays can be aggressive & brave, they used to chase our cats (one who was an accomplished hunter too) back into the house during breeding season.
 
Given a little patience, that red tail might enjoy a tasty blue jay dinner.....
 
Kory,

:clap:

Lovely pictures and you capture the essence of the RTH really well. Did you have your telephoto on a tripod?

You might consider coming to the Hill Country near Llano for the annual migration of the Bald Eagle. They can be seen near Highway 29.

RB
 
Kory,

:clap:

Lovely pictures and you capture the essence of the RTH really well. Did you have your telephoto on a tripod?

You might consider coming to the Hill Country near Llano for the annual migration of the Bald Eagle. They can be seen near Highway 29.

RB

Thanks, RB, that's good to know. I wish I had the time to roam around a look for them.

The pictures above are all hand-held. The Nikon 200-500mm F/5.6 has amazing VR. I shouldn't have been able to get the shots above sharp without a tripod, but a flick of the switch on the lens allowed me to drop my ISO for quality and use lower shutter speeds.
 
So help me out with this big fellow, captured on a phone cam while I was jogging yesterday. To my surprise, he was sitting in a yard, 2 feet from a curb, watching me from barely 5 feet away. I was so dumbfounded it took me a few seconds to remember that I had a camera on my person, and by the time I'd gotten it out, he had moved and resettled on this light standard. So alas, I missed a golden opportunity for a close up. My hands were a little unsteady because - hey, I was right at the end of a 4-mile run.

So what kind of hawk is this? You can't see from the pic, but the face is mostly white.
 

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So help me out with this big fellow, captured on a phone cam while I was jogging yesterday. To my surprise, he was sitting in a yard, 2 feet from a curb, watching me from barely 5 feet away. I was so dumbfounded it took me a few seconds to remember that I had a camera on my person, and by the time I'd gotten it out, he had moved and resettled on this light standard. So alas, I missed a golden opportunity for a close up. My hands were a little unsteady because - hey, I was right at the end of a 4-mile run.

So what kind of hawk is this? You can't see from the pic, but the face is mostly white.

Cool! Based solely on the tail, I'd say either a red-shouldered hawk or sharp-shinned hawk. :shrug:
 
All cool pics, thanks for sharing them. We have had a "resident" Red Tail on our place for many many years. It even samples the menu on my mother's deck where she feeds the song birds.
Have also had a mating pair of Great Horned Owls that have had several offspring over the past twelve to fifteen years. They are nesting in a big oak tree in our neighbors yard and we hear them at all hours of the night.
 
Cool! Based solely on the tail, I'd say either a red-shouldered hawk or sharp-shinned hawk. :shrug:

Good call, Kory. Comparing pix, and from my memory of the face, the red shouldered hawk looks to be a match. Thanks.

My parents were birders for many years, but alas, it didn't rub off on me. I showed this to my mother, who's still alive, but she couldn't identify it without her Peterson's guides. And those now reside with Meriden.
 
About ten years ago I was driving a bit west of 45, about FM1960 and the Stuebner Airline area and saw a Bald Eagle. I was astounded that one would be in such a busy/noisy area. I followed it as best I could and eventually saw where it had made it's nest, high up in a very tall pine tree.
 
A year ago while Jeeping along a Colorado dirt road, I saw a bald eagle that had latched onto a marmot. I don't know what marmots weigh, but this eagle couldn't stay airborne while hanging onto an angry, squirming rodent. He would gain 15 feet or so of altitude, then down they'd both come. Sadly, I'd forgotten to toss my camera in the Jeep.
 
Terrific shots -- beautiful details. I used to see a lot of red-tailed hawks in Arizona. Not quite as many where I live here in Round Rock. Thanks for sharing those.
 
That's awesome! Bald eagles are the holy grail for me. :mrgreen: There are a couple that hang around Lake Livingston. One time I was taking some pictures of some seagulls and herons when one gave me a flyby. I wasn't fully prepared and only had once chance. Hopefully I'll get another opportunity in the not so distant future.

Head to lake DeGray in Arkansas they nest there, you used to be able to get a boat ride from the marina that took you close to shore in areas where you can see them nest
 
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