I seldom see Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawks and rarely photograph them so yesterday’s encounter was a memorable experience for me. Harlan’s are a subspecies of Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis harlani) that mostly breeds in remote areas of Alaska and western Canada.
1/2500, f/6.3 ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
But I occasionally see them during winter and I photographed this juvenile yesterday morning at Farmington Bay WMA. The bird took off as my pickup was still coasting to a stop so I was lucky to get any shots at all. In this image the bird is very close to the right edge of the frame so I cropped vertically. The light was unusually warm because the sun had peeked over the mountains less than a minute before the photo was taken.
This image is far from perfect but these birds are unusual and interesting enough that I thought readers might like to see it anyway.
Ron
Note: An apparent WordPress glitch meant that no email with a link to yesterday’s post was sent to subscribers. I don’t know what caused it or whether or not the problem is fixed so subscribers may or may not receive an email for today’s post. I’ve updated WordPress and all of my plugins so all I can do is publish this post and see what happens.
Here’s a link to yesterday’s post in case you missed it. If you follow the link within that post you’ll see some of my favorite Northern Harrier images of all time.
What a great take-off shot!And yes, I did get your blog via my e-mail though I also look at your posts on Facebook.
Just beautiful…would love to fly a Harlan’s…so beautiful.
Fantastic flight shot Ron!
Charlotte Norton
LOVE the intricacy of the patterns on the plumage. And needed to see something of beauty today. Megathanks.
Wow, you’re up early this morning, EC! Thank you.
You nailed this one, great shot.
I’m glad you like it, Ron. Thanks.
I think this image of the Harlan’s Red-tail is pretty spectacular. One of the things I like about it is that the leaves at the bottom of the photo echo the feather patterns on the wing, body and britches. I also like the energy present from the take-off position.
Thanks, Susan.
What a stunningly beautiful bird. Thanks for sharing
Thank you, Gillycat.
Too bad, too numb to respond…sorry….
Understood…
OMG, WOW, Ron – I got to read 3 of your blogs today and I was blown away by ALL 3!!!!! You know by now I love your photography and the wonderful education I’ve been gaining from reading your Daily blog regarding photography and the behavioral information you share in your commentary and photo captures. I found your blog late in 2014 through some of the people who follow the Berry eagle nest and have loved your site ever since. Forgive me for being wordy – has always been a problem of mine but what I wanted to tell you is I love when you send me back to your beginning blogs that I never saw. The Northern Harrier photo series is just stunning. Can’t wait to see what you share with us tomorrow!!!
What a nice comment, Jo Ann. I’ll probably continue to occasionally post photos I’ve posted long ago.
Beautiful image Ron. I love the lighting and the eyes. Harlan’s Hawks are very near and dear to me. For many years one would spend its winters in my neighborhood. They tend to stay in very localized areas, at least in the winter. For example, in my case I would estimate a 50 acre area. They seem to also be super “flighty” and learned to recognize my truck and fly away even if I slowed down. We do not see our neighborhood Harlan’s anymore and I fear that it has vanished. It wintered with us for 8 years.
Like many, I am numb this morning. The same feeling when losing a loved one. I know that nature is an escape for me, when I get disappointed in homo sapiens. Having your website to retreat to this morning was valuable Ron. Thank you.
I’ll bet you miss your Harlan’s a lot, Ed. I do understand.
I feel the same as most of your readers, and I worry about what is ahead, particularly for Fish and Wildlife, the climate, etc.
Beautiful shot, nice to have a close-up of this subspecies, especially under the wing.
Yes, I was going to e-mail you that I didn’t see anything from you yesterday. Is that a problem that is fixed?
It seems to be fixed, Dick. Emails went out for this morning’s post.
After the nightmare it sure feels good to see some beauty …
I understand, Jorge. Thank you.
Beautiful! Sure need that this morning – something predictable in our nutsy world! Wondered what happened yesterday and checked in the evening. Also wonderful photos as were those in the link you provided! We see ducks getting frozen in on the Missouri River here from time to time.
Judy, At times on very cold mornings at Farmington I see ducks (or coots) packed tightly in a very small pool of open water surrounded by ice. Without their swimming presence that patch of water would be frozen too. And occasionally it freezes anyway. When that happens most of the birds usually move out onto the ice but sometimes a single bird or two is frozen in place and soon dies.
Then the feeding frenzy begins.
Nice Photo, Ron. We saw one fly over us night before last on our evening walk. Stunning. Thanks for the stability of your blog today. So much other stuff seems to be messed up this morning.
Neil, I was wondering about that “stability” when subscriber emails didn’t go out yesterday. I was relieved to see that they did go out this morning.
I follow you here and through FB, Ron, so, unfortunately, I’m not an indicator of of your email woes.
Wow! The word that comes to mind is majestic. I certainly needed this today!
“I certainly needed this today”
Boy, do I understand that! Thanks, Marty.