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First, I need to set the stage.<\/p>\n
Two days ago I was driving on a remote dirt road in northern Utah when I spotted a cluster of excited magpies hanging around a group of four unusually large wooden posts that I’m quite familiar with from other trips to the area. The posts are unusual for two reasons – they’re thicker and taller than most old wooden fence posts, and they’re closer together – separated from each other by only about 6′. I can only guess at their original function but for our purposes their function is irrelevant. What’s important is the distance between them.<\/p>\n
The posts and magpies were on the ‘wrong’ side of the road for photography from my pickup so I had to drive past them, turn around and come back. And I was determined to do so because at the last second I noticed that there was another bird on one of the posts, one that wasn’t a magpie. I wasn’t able to ID that bird until I turned around and came back.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/red-tailed-hawk-2291-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-tailed-hawk-2291-ron-dudley\\"")
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1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n It turned out to be an adult Red-tailed Hawk that was picking away at what I believe was the remnants of one of the front legs of a rabbit. There was very little flesh left on the leg, about all that was left was bones and a tuft of fur at one end.<\/p>\n But the hawk was very possessive of that scrawny leg and the magpies, about a half-dozen of them, were determined to steal it. Some of them were perched on the other three posts (remember, those posts are only about 6′, apart), calling excitedly, and occasionally one or more of them would take off and dive bomb the red-tail.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n The hawk picked at the bones for a while but eventually, as the magpies became bolder and bolder, ‘she’ could no longer ignore them. In this photo she’s watching one of the magpies flying in her direction just prior to another attack.<\/p>\n The magpies were careful to not get too close so while the hawk was on the post I was unable to get both birds in the frame.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Each time a magpie swooped at her she would raise her wings in defense. Eventually, defending the almost fleshless rabbit leg became more trouble than it was worth so she…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n took off, leaving the leg behind on the post. The only remnant of the rabbit she took with her was a tuft of fur stuck to her bill.<\/p>\n This is when things got interesting. When she took off, one of the magpies was perched on the post 6′ to our right.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n I was amazed by how quickly that magpie went after the rabbit leg on the post. Here it had already taken off from its perch, barely out of frame to the right, before the hawk had even passed by directly overhead. It was determined to get that leg before one of the other magpies got it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n The next photo in the burst is the only shot I got that includes at least part of both birds and both posts. The magpie avoided the hawk by going low, but I thought it was still a risky maneuver.<\/p>\n At this point I followed the hawk with my lens so I couldn’t see what the magpie was doing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n But 14 shots in the burst later the magpie had the rabbit leg and was making its escape. Here it had just passed over the post that had been its original perch.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n One of the other magpies gave chase but as far as I could tell this one managed to hold onto its prize.<\/p>\n Admittedly, I’m not sure that the scrap of food was a rabbit leg but I went with it for two reasons – there was a dead rabbit on the road a little over 100 yards away from the four posts and to me it looks like it could be a rabbit leg.<\/p>\n But who knows.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A behavioral series I thought was interesting.\u00a0 (8 photos)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/red-tailed-hawk-2303-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-tailed-hawk-2303-ron-dudley\\"")
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