Rufous Red-tailed Hawk Showing Off His Red Tail

Yesterday morning I found the rufous male red-tail and his mate again. At least I believe he’s the male of the pair.

 

1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in

I photographed him on a variety of perches and in several interesting situations but here I caught him as he took a split-second break while he was grooming his flashy red tail. Typical of a preening bird I couldn’t see his face or eye for much of the time but this brief respite even allowed a catch light in his eye.

He seemed to know he looked pretty good up there against the gorgeous blue sky and with the lichens on the cliff rocks matching the colors of his flared tail. If I didn’t know better I’d say he had a streak of vanity running through him.

 

 

1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in

As he lowered his tail he struck a proud, haughty pose that, despite the sex contradiction, immediately reminded me of that buxom sex symbol Mae West. Some of her (in)famous bawdy quotes, that I think are hilarious, came to mind as soon as I saw this image on my big screen.

I know, my mind goes to strange places but I try to be honest with my readers, even at the risk of revealing character flaws…

Ron

 

20 Comments

  1. Beautiful bird, and that blue sky, wow!

    My Facebook is offline so glad you post to my email too.

    • Looks like FB, IG, et al., are all down for a server issue. I’m having withdrawals from a couple of my favorite animal sites that post on IG regularly — and I can’t get into the shelter today to get my furbaby fix.

  2. Mary Mayshark-Stavely

    Thanks, Ron,
    Great photos plus some good laughs and enjoyment of Mae West!
    Mary

  3. One could say he’s vamping in Mae West fashion. Wait, but he’s a male? Now I’m getting confused. That’s what anthropomorphizing will do.
    Regardless, nice photos and amusing post. Nice to know Mr. and Mrs. Rufous are still a thing. There I go again anthro…oh, never mind.

  4. Vanity TOTALLY justified.
    What a beauty.

  5. Wow, great captures and he’s gorgeous—so he has every right to strike that pose! I gather his mate wasn’t as cooperative (possibly unhappy with his show-off style?) so no photos of her … or perhaps they’re coming tomorrow? A girl can dream, can’t she? 😉

  6. He’s definitely showing off for you with that puffed out chest! “Come up and photograph me sometime.” 😉

    I agree that W.C. Fields and Mae West were the “Odd Couple” of their time. Still love to watch those old movies — thank goodness for TCM and several retro channels that are popping up.

  7. Oh, my! That is certainly an unusual pose and your Mae West reference is spot on. Very, very nice shots indeed with lots of detail. Thanks for the chuckle.

  8. Everett F Sanborn

    Excellent photos and definitely showing off that red tail. That sky is about as blue as a sky can be. Mae West and W.C. Fields – two people that your younger followers will not know. Back in suburban Philly where I grew up I often drove past W.C.’s birthplace in Darby PA.

  9. He REALLY seemed to be strutin’ his stuff….. 🙂 Ah, Mae West – whata hoot!

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