beans_again?
Rancho Mirage California Red Shouldered Hawk 2022 2
I think this is a Red Shouldered Hawk based on my field guide. Some nearby ravens were making noise that probably translates to, "There goes the neighborhood." They wanted to keep the raptor away from their youngsters, of course. The raptor was habituated to people and let me walk up and shoot a few frames. It was actively hunting for something like a vole or other rodent. My goal was to capture this without making it fly away. When you look at those brown eyes, you wonder what's going on in that hawk brain. In part, I suspect it was hungry.
It's a brutal life for animals in the wild. If you're a hawk, and you have degraded eyesight due to aging, you starve. If your hearing goes bad, you starve. Eyesight and hearing, for raptors, is survival. You and I complain about the cost of a new eyeglass prescription. Many human eye problems are manageable.
It was a sunny winter day and in the mid-70s (77°F/25°C) in Rancho Mirage when I shot this. This was the backup camera with the kit lens so image quality isn't up to the photos I take using the well-worn, Japanese-made glass lenses.
Wrong species? Wrong spelling? Your corrections are welcomed.
I attend the greatest of all churches. I put a capital ‘n’ on ‘Nature’ and call it my church.
— Frank Lloyd Wright
Journalism grade image.
Source: 1,700x900 16-bit TIF file.
Please do not copy this image for any purpose.
Rancho Mirage California Red Shouldered Hawk 2022 2
I think this is a Red Shouldered Hawk based on my field guide. Some nearby ravens were making noise that probably translates to, "There goes the neighborhood." They wanted to keep the raptor away from their youngsters, of course. The raptor was habituated to people and let me walk up and shoot a few frames. It was actively hunting for something like a vole or other rodent. My goal was to capture this without making it fly away. When you look at those brown eyes, you wonder what's going on in that hawk brain. In part, I suspect it was hungry.
It's a brutal life for animals in the wild. If you're a hawk, and you have degraded eyesight due to aging, you starve. If your hearing goes bad, you starve. Eyesight and hearing, for raptors, is survival. You and I complain about the cost of a new eyeglass prescription. Many human eye problems are manageable.
It was a sunny winter day and in the mid-70s (77°F/25°C) in Rancho Mirage when I shot this. This was the backup camera with the kit lens so image quality isn't up to the photos I take using the well-worn, Japanese-made glass lenses.
Wrong species? Wrong spelling? Your corrections are welcomed.
I attend the greatest of all churches. I put a capital ‘n’ on ‘Nature’ and call it my church.
— Frank Lloyd Wright
Journalism grade image.
Source: 1,700x900 16-bit TIF file.
Please do not copy this image for any purpose.