This juvenile Red-tailed Hawk had a fine, furry, Farmington feast for breakfast this morning.
Many of these images are only of documentary quality but I do think they help to tell the story.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I first noticed the bird on top of a power pole and wondered if it was perch-hunting from there. It was. It soon flew off and landed in the vegetation and I could tell by its speed and approach angle that it was after prey, most likely a vole. But at this point I didn’t know for sure if it had caught anything.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
But soon after the hawk took off it became apparent that…
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
the food foray was a success. It had a vole in its talons.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
With all four talons buried deeply in the vole there was no chance that the little guy was going to bite or get away (and you knew I was going to clip a wing, didn’t you?…)
1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
The hawk flew to a power pole to enjoy its meal. It rejected a few of the innards, ate some of them, and then swallowed the bulk of the vole in one gulp. Then after resting and stretching for a few minutes…
1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
the bird flew off, partly away from me of course.
I’m relieved that we seem to have healthy populations of voles again after several years in some local areas where these naturally cyclic rodents were few and far between. Our wintering raptors are going to need them.
Ron
PS: it always makes me feel a little sad when we humans feel “grossed out” by an animal eating its hard-won meal. It reveals our extreme disconnect from the natural world. Perhaps we should all be required to visit the places where our beef etc is “caught” and prepared and cleaned up for us? Just so that our own choices are based on reality…
It makes me so happy to see a first year bird being successful at the hunt!!! So many of them don’t make it through the first year. Thank you again for catching the “breaking news” in raptorland…
I know what you mean, Deborah. I’ve seen so many of these young birds struggling to be successful hunters. As you know it’s a skill that must be learned and the price for being a slow learner is often fatal.
Hi Ron, I am back to blogging with your inspiration. Thanks for sharing this sequence where I feel like I was with you witnessing the whole action. Those talons into the vole, wow!
You got me thinking about 7D Mark II too after hearing the AF capability.
Hi Tin Man. Glad to hear you’re back blogging. I think the Mark II will prove to be a fabulous camera for birds but don’t base what it’s capable of on these images. They’re not as sharp as they should be because I was still experimenting with AF settings (still am…)
Hi! enjoy coming to your site! Beautiful pictures of the hawk! We all have to eat! Ha ha Keep up the great work! have a great day!
“We all have to eat”
Exactly, Hummingbird Lover. Thank you.
Great story Ron! I am always amazed at how big a raptor’s talons are! HUGE!
They’re pretty impressive, aren’t they, Nancy?
Oh my. Oh my, oh my.
Guiltily I am glad that the vole was there for the red-tailed hawk. I suspect its end was very, very quick, which eases my anthromorphic conscience a litte..
Rest assured, EC – it is a very quick end for the vole. Thank you.
Terrific series Ron.
However, for some reason I am having trouble with sending my reply. It tends to time out and I have to reapply or rewrite my comments.
I have had this trouble with your page only recently, never had this problem before.
Thanks for the feedback on this problem, Dick. We’re working on it but this time it’s a hard one to figure out. Grrr…
Hawks gotta eat…Ron’s gotta take pictures…I don’t hafta look (at least not zoomed in!). I’m glad your Utah raptors are finding prey, and I’m glad you’re finding them and sharing the photos.
“Hawks gotta eat…Ron’s gotta take pictures…”
That brought a big smile, Chris. Both are givens…
Hi Ron,
A great series of photos. I really love the last one — in spite of the bird partly facing away, I think this has all the elements of a really great shot. I’m glad to hear, also, that there’s a plentiful population of voles at Farmington this year!
I’ve actually been seeing a few of those voles at Farmington recently, Justine. And I’ve seen other reports that they’re rebounding in some nearby areas. I just hope that’s also the case on Antelope Island. Can’t remember the last time I saw a vole out there and raptors have also been sparse on the island for a couple of years. Coincidence? – I doubt it…
Wonderful behavioral series Ron!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
I love the intensity in the red tailed as it was flying away. I don’t care about the clipped wing, end of it at that. The intensity in the eye is wonderful. Thanks Ron
Diana, Actually, comments from many of my viewers about clipped wings over the years has softened my unforgiving stance on that that subject somewhat, especially for documentary shots.
Nice story in clear pictures, Ron. I guess these Hawks don’t believe in the fancy “torpedo style” of traveling with prey. Also, I purposely did not look at picture #5 too clearly. My eyes didn’t want to go there!
“I guess these Hawks don’t believe in the fancy “torpedo style” of traveling with prey”
This was only at take-off, Dianne – still gaining speed. They carry prey more aerodynamically if they have very far to go. But “nobody” does that better than the Osprey.
Nice. I like stories – librarians you know!!
Made me smile, Karen. Yes, I DO know librarians…
Such a great series, Ron! Great photos!
Thank you, Pamela.
Love the ongoing alliteration… Also enjoy the photo story, except picture #5 which makes me want to gag. 🙂
Thanks, Susan. Actually, I deliberately picked out one of the least gory images of the meal for this post.