I seldom get such a good look at raptor prey.
Note: I wish I could include flight shots in this post but it was a cloudy morning and the light was low so most of my flight shots were soft.
1/1250, f/5.6, 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
Eleven days ago I watched as this female Red-tailed Hawk flew in to the vicinity of her nest with prey in her talons. I expected her to deliver the vole directly to her four chicks in the nest but she fooled me by making an intermediate stop on this nearby perch. While she was there she transferred the vole from her talons to her beak before delivering it to her chicks in the nest.
I couldn’t resist cropping tightly on the previous photo for a better look at the vole. As a photographer I’m always pleased to get a catch light in the eye of prey, even when I have to crop this much to really see it. I thought it was considerate of her to hold the vole against a clean background for a moment which allowed me to get a much better look at it than I usually can.
1/1250, f/5.6, 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
Here she’s about to take off for the nest. I’d have had some really nice takeoff and flight shots of her if I’d had better light. But I didn’t so I don’t.
Note: This photo may look like it needs rotation but she really was tipped this much just before she took off.
1/800, f/5.6, 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 do kinda like this one as she’s about to land on the nest with the vole in her beak, even though she has her back to me (as both adults always did while landing on the nest). I was pleasantly surprised to get her sharp at such a slow shutter speed. I also like the good look at her beautiful flared tail and the full attention she has from three of her four chicks who are about to be fed helps to tell the story of the photo.
She always had her back to me while she was feeding the chicks so I’m not including any of those photos.
Ron
Note: These photos were taken ethically, as all of mine are. Regular readers know the drill but not everyone who reads my blog is a regular follower of Feathered Photography so I feel like I need to say it again.
At first glance I though that was a ferret; I guess I haven’t seen a stretched out vole.
Mom’s tail feathers are looking a bit frazzled. No wonder with so many mouths to feed.
Any idea of the time between meal deliveries?
:Lyle, in the first 20 minutes or so I was there they brought in two voles. And then they stopped, maybe because all the chicks had enough to eat for the moment.
It was certainly nice of her to hold Miss Voley Vole up for you so you could get the catchlight. I do, of course, wonder if the vole left some babies behind and hope that isn’t the case. I also worry about the runt, as that nest is looking pretty full with just the 3…
And I know a hawk’s gotta eat and all that and I’m glad she’s finding food for her adorable chicks. I still feel bad for prey in the same way that (without opening a can of worms, I hope) I feel bad for the animals we eat.
We always worry about the runt, Marty. I’ve seen all four red-tail chicks in a nest fledge in this area before so hopefully it’ll happen again.
More great images of this beautiful family — but seeing those three cute hawklet faces again makes me wonder about #4 chick? I assume s/he’s the youngest and smallest of the siblings, hope the next time you visit their nest site you’ll be able to catch a glimpse (and photos) of all four! 😉
Yes Chris, I believe the one we can’t see is the smallest and youngest sibling.
Wonderful series. I love the three nestling heads looking on and fitting so perfectly in the rock space.
Thank you, April Me too.
Excellent and educational series as are all of yours. You made a statement at the end that all these photos were taken ethically as we regular followers of course know, but what was your reason for stating that for these particular photos? What are some of the unethical practices that others might employ to take this type of photos?
Everett, the list of unethical practices some photographers use is almost endless but one of the most common is getting too close to nests. Or nesting birds.
Neat series, Ron……. 🙂 Really captured the detail of the whole process of food preparation for the chicks. It IS a beautiful picture of her landing with flared tail, gorgeous wing spread and waiting chicks. 🙂 I do see a hint of the terminal band when I look closely.
Voles can be aggressive when caught or harassed – just ask our cat who had one jump to her face – twice, forcing her to retreat for a bit….😄
Judy, the chisel teeth of any rodent can be formidable, I know that from experience. .
Yes they are! Been there, done that! 😉
Stunning. With a glorious tail like that back and butt shots are welcome.
My empathic heart felt for the vole though, even while applauding the red-tail’s parenting.
“With a glorious tail like that back and butt shots are welcome”
Very good point, EC.
100% EC 🙂
Wonderful shots of this beautiful bird, her prey, and her chicks. It’s interesting to see that her beautiful flared tail doesn’t have the terminal bands as the Eastern birds do.
Thanks, Donna. To my untrained eye it looks like there’s a single terminal band but it’s very narrow and not very obvious.
So fascinating to watch red tails parenting, and the contrast between the red tail with those pale fuzzy chicks is just gorgeous.Thanks for sharing your unique views.
Thank you, Suzanne.
Nice sequence shots to the last nest shot with those glorious tail feathers.
Thanks, Terri.