We arrived home a few hours ago from yet another camping/photo trip to western Montana. I have yet to get the camping trailer unpacked, download thousands of images (this one happened to be on the card in my camera) and a plethora of other chores that are nagging at me after spending five days away from home. And as usual I’m pretty wiped out after the drive home but I thought I’d do a quick post on a pleasant surprise we had this morning.
Typically I don’t have high hopes of getting any decent shots during the almost 30 mile drive on a dirt/gravel road from our usual camping spot to the first paved road. Imagine if you can the noise, the dust and the bird-scattering spectacle of my pickup and camping trailer rattling down the rocky road – a situation not conducive to getting anywhere near spooky birds.
1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in
But this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk decided to give us a going-away present and it stuck to its post-perch in the very warm light soon after sunrise this morning. As you can see by its posture it was wary of all the dust and noise but it stuck around after the dust settled for some much appreciated photos.
Most of the adult Red-tails are molting right now and not looking their best but I though this hatch-year bird was quite handsome. I love the warm light and the back-side plumage colors and patterns.
I’ll be posting more images from the trip in the coming weeks. But for now I’ve got to get back to my chores…
Ron
What a wonderful send-off this youngster provided for you!
These raptors are just so magnificent in every respect: their overall appearance, the alert curiosity of the young bird, the intensity of his gaze, the detailed patterns of the feathers, the knowledge that in a moment he could be soaring high on a thermal watching your truck creating a departing dust cloud.
Thanks, Ron. A perfect image to sip coffee by this morning. Welcome home.
Wally, I was actually sipping (gulping) coffee when I drove up on this hawk – my standard fare when I’m leaving the area in the morning.
Lovely perch in this warm light and I enjoyed the image of the rattling truck and camper as well.
Thank you, Jane.
I always enjoy your photos of raptors, but most especially one of my favorite . . . the Red Tailed Hawk. As a falconer, it is the naivete of these young hawks that makes trapping them possible. When on their first migration, so many of them have never seen people, or man-made objects, and their curiosity can either get them captured, or unfortunately for many, result in their death. This is why the adults, the ones that survived beyond their first year, are so very spooky. It was that characteristic which helped them to survive.
I’m fine with the conversation about the Spotted Owl/Barred Owl controversy here. I know little about it (neither bird is found in my area) and I’m learning some things in the give and take. I’ll mostly be an interested observer at this point (still catching up on chores but checking in regularly).
What an amazing, gorgeous portrait!! I love the detailed feather patterns and the simplicity of the surroundings.
I’m drawn to the same things you are Susan. Thank you.
I know the spotted owl/barred owl controversy is not the theme of this photo comment thread, but here are two government links that explain more of the background: http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/species/data/northernspottedowl/BarredOwl/default.asp and http://www.fws.gov/pacific/news/news.cfm?id=2144375273 for anyone who wants more info as to what led to this decision. I never know how much on this topic has percolated beyond the borders of the Pacific NW – though it’s been a major background theme for me for nearly 30 years now.
The symmetry of this hawk is gorgeous, Ron. And, Molly – being a raptor rehabilitator in the middle of this spotted owl/barred owl controversy, it’s tough for me to read this decision. It does seem futile to shoot the barred owls – what good will it do unless they continue it for the next 10,000 years? But it also seems harsh to just let the spotted owl die out … when, as usual, the problem is the result of human action. We are the ones who have reduced the spotted owl habitat by 95% over the last 200 years and fragmented it so badly that genetic diversity is at risk in some places; we are the ones who suppressed fire in the boreal forest and/or planted trees in the Great Plains (no one is quite sure how the barred owl crossed the continent), facilitating the barred owl’s massive range expansion. Barred owl’s don’t NEED old growth forest – they thrive quite well in suburban, even somewhat urban areas with good tree cover … but the spotted owl habitat is attractive. Yes – they are relatives (one theory is that the precursor species of both of them crossed the landbridge from Russia eons ago and then they settled on separate coasts and developed into distinct species), and yes, they interbreed. There was more hybridization before the barreds numbers got as high as they are now. At any rate – I wish the USF&W would at least start a captive breeding program (as the British Columbia government has – though they are only protecting a certain area of their forests into which they plan to release the spotteds they produce; they are actively moving barred owls out of there – very labor intensive), as just removing the barred owls without a multi-pronged species recovery plan is a waste of time. I know it’s different than it was with the California condor – when they removed the final 17 birds from the wild into a breeding program, at least the habitat was still there. For the spotted owl, the habitat has been grossly diminished and now the barred owl is like the final nail in its coffin. But I’d still love to participate in a captive breeding program, on the off-chance that the species has a chance. It’s a very special bird – as is the barred. Definitely between a rock and a hard place.
Beautiful. Sometimes one hears the words “poetry in motion” applied to hawks. In this case, no motion is necessary. I like the patterns where the secondaries (with their pale fringes) overlap the primaries (with their pale fringes), providing us with a “framed” peek at a dorsal view of the tail feathers. Reminds me of some Native American art! Thanks, Ron!
I like what you like, for the same reason, Dick. Good eye! 🙂
Beautiful!
Thanks, Patty.
Thanks very much, Molly and Charlotte.
Sensational Ron
Nice capture of the juvenile – the red tail even Looks young – but you caught the ‘perfect’ feather patterns…
I received this forward of this article of BLM action toward the Barred owl and am sending it on….my thoughts are these are similar species…I believe they hybrid/inter breed….I don’t have enough education but my intuition is to let the barred owls flourish… and let the struggling specie diminish…https://blu158.mail.live.com/default.aspx?id=64855#n=193158864&fid=1&mid=b3f1018d-f549-11e2-b9a0-00237de3f160&fv=1 (E & E News PM, Tuesday July 23, 2013 ‘Endangered Species….’