Like young humans, juvenile hawks still have a few lessons to learn.
1/2500, f.6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This young Red-tailed Hawk was hunting voles from a craggy perch on Antelope Island when…
1/2500, f.6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
it took off and headed downhill, staying very close to the rocky slope as it descended.
1/2500, f.6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
But within a couple of wing beats the bird reached up with its right foot and scratched its head several times. As it did so the non-aerodynamic flight posture so soon after take-off caused the hawk to lose airspeed and it had to struggle to avoid crashing into the rocks. I remember thinking at the time that planning ahead and scratching before take-off or waiting until after it cleared the rocks would have been a more prudent course of action. But juveniles of every stripe are prone to impulsiveness I guess.
I’ve photographed raptors scratching in flight before but usually the eyes (or nictitating membranes) are closed when they do it which often detracts from the shot. This time I caught the bird just before that happened.
I enjoy the foot/leg positions here – it almost looks as if the hawk is attempting to run downhill as it takes off. And yes, that’s a flying insect in front of the bird.
Ron
The “running in space” image made me smile. Handsome markings on that juve!
Thank you so much everyone for your thoughtful comments. I like to respond in kind but just ran out of time today – went shooting this morning and then got involved with an image infringement issue that tied me up. Thank you, again!
Simply amazing shots Ron! Thanks so much for sharing!
What a hoot. And yes on the impulsive behaviour front. HOpefully the red-tail learns quicker than its human counterparts.
It is interesting, and amusing, Maybe an insect bit him after he took off!
As someone who has never learned the fine art of chewing gum and walking at the same time – I empathize with this young feller. Hopefully, my paparazzi won’t catch me trying to do both on film! 🙂
Great behavioral shot, Ron!
I always giggle when I see a bird scratch themselves in flight. Great captures Ron!
Besides the obvious, another thing that always catches my attention are the enticing headline teasers you write Ron!
Once again, you’ve observed and shared a wonderful behavior most of us would never even know about, much less get to see. Thank you.
Wonderful story that gave me a good laugh. That last photo is definitely intriguing. For me, at least, it’s an unexpected flight position.
Fun! It does look like it’s running along trying to get enough airspeed to take off. I once caught a sequence of about 6 images of two white faced ibis flying above (the images were quite dreadful in quality). One of the ibis had an itch and it reached downward with its long bill and scratched its leg and then returned to flight posture. They still make me laugh when I see them.