Early Hunt on a Cold Morning
Shortly after dawn, in sub-freezing temperatures, a Red-tailed Hawk scans the landscape for the first meal of the day.
And for some reason, I'm out there with her, freezing my butt off ;) I was seriously chilled. This is a very tight crop of a full body image which shows her balancing on one foot, holding the other under her feathers, near her body to keep it warm.
At times, there is abundance of Red-Tails and other hawks at the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico - sometimes almost lined up perching high on powerline poles - one every fourth or fifth pole. Most are skittish, so I try to not disturb them, and use the car as blind.
Buteo jamaicensis at the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.
Early Hunt on a Cold Morning
Shortly after dawn, in sub-freezing temperatures, a Red-tailed Hawk scans the landscape for the first meal of the day.
And for some reason, I'm out there with her, freezing my butt off ;) I was seriously chilled. This is a very tight crop of a full body image which shows her balancing on one foot, holding the other under her feathers, near her body to keep it warm.
At times, there is abundance of Red-Tails and other hawks at the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico - sometimes almost lined up perching high on powerline poles - one every fourth or fifth pole. Most are skittish, so I try to not disturb them, and use the car as blind.
Buteo jamaicensis at the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.