View allAll Photos Tagged RedTailedHawk
Or is it? If a picture is worth a thousand words what comes to mind when one sees this composite photo made from a sequence of shots of a Red-tailed Hawk that I took? The first shot of the sequence is on the left and the last is on the right. A systemic approach in finding prey inside a nest box? The real answer is quite surprising - but I'll leave it to viewer's imagination. After the hawk left I gently tapped the lid back into position.
When this hawk arrives in the yard everyone else hides! Out of frame there is a squirrel frozen in place and in plain sight! I was terrified to move for fear that it would make the squirrel move. Felt like an eternity, probably because I was holding my breath but I did not want to be responsible for the demise of the squirrel. This hawk has become a frequent guest this winter and it has been amazing to watch. I believe it's a red tailed hawk but I could be wrong!
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The MLK mom caught a squirrel and fed it to her recently hatched baby (or babies) this afternoon.
This was shot through the brush as a young redtail emerged from a failed attempt at a meal. I saw him dive in from a nearby tree. I waited about ten minutes before he made his exit move all be it with talons empty.
According to a professional handler at a raptor seminar I attended most are only successful in 1 out of every 4 attempts at catching prey.
In the circle of life, one must die so that another shall live.
I watched this juvenile Red Tail Hawk fly up and down off this eight foot tall fence hunting for something to eat. On his third attempt, he finally caught a little field mouse.
Learning to Fly - Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk testing her wings out. The smoke from the fires gave a warm amber glow to this morning image.
Species: Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Location: Northern California, CA, USA
Equipment: Nikon D850 + Nikkor 200-500mm f5.6 ED VR, Handheld
Settings: 1/1250s, ISO: 1800, f/5.6 @260mm
I was at Higley Ponds in Gilbert one morning this week, thinking that it was a bit of a photography bust that day. But then all of the sudden this red-tailed hawk dropped onto the path across the canal from me. Apparently it found someone's leftovers. Looks to be the hind quarter of a bunny. Bunny butts for breakfast!
Early Bird Gets The Worm - Why would a huge Red-tailed Hawk eat a worm one might ask? Well, while eating worms, insects, and arachnids isn't common behavior among Red-tailed Hawks, it has been observed on a number of occasions. This is typically seen with juvenile birds such as this, but also in adult birds.
Insects do not require a lot of energy or physical risk to catch, so when other prey availability is low, raptors can resort to them as a food source. The Swainson's Hawk, a relative of the Red-tailed Hawk is also known as the "Grasshopper Hawk", since they are known to feed on grasshoppers/locusts that are disturbed when fields are mowed. American Kestrels, are another raptor that consume a lot of insects.
This particular hawk had mastered her craft of worm catching. While her bill isn't suited to dig like a songbird, she would focus on worms on the surface in moist areas of grass, and use her feet to dislodge any stubborn worms. She must have caught well over 25 worms in that morning and is looking very strong and healthy. I suspect that she is feeding on other prey as well, but as she is honing her hunting skills, she has found a reliable supplemental food source that has kept her strong and healthy during the drought.
Nature never ceases to amaze me and I don't think I'll ever capture this behavior so clearly. This shot was highly difficult to pull off, as I had to balance low light, with a fast enough shutter speed, and position myself close enough to her without interfering with her hunt. I'm really glad it came together!
Species: Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Location: Northern California, CA, USA
Equipment: Nikon D850 + Nikkor 200-500mm f5.6 ED VR, Handheld
Settings: 1/1250s, ISO: 2500, f/5.6 @500mm, -0.3 EV
Red-Tailed Hawk
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