{"id":24454,"date":"2014-06-14T05:29:53","date_gmt":"2014-06-14T11:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=24454"},"modified":"2014-06-14T06:24:44","modified_gmt":"2014-06-14T12:24:44","slug":"red-tailed-hawk-chicks-and-my-emotional-attachment-to-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/14\/red-tailed-hawk-chicks-and-my-emotional-attachment-to-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Red-tailed Hawk Chicks (and my emotional attachment to them)"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ve been keeping an eye on\u00a0this Red-tailed Hawk nest\u00a0in the west desert for about\u00a0three years now.\u00a0\u00a0Our visits to the nest probably average once per week\u00a0and this spring\u00a0while the parents were incubating and then\u00a0while the chicks were very young there wasn’t much for us to see\u00a0but recently the activity on and around the nest has picked up significantly.<\/p>\n

We\u00a0don’t approach\u00a0the nest closely so these images have been substantially cropped.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"red-tailed<\/p>\n

\u00a01\/3200, f\/5.6, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0Eight days ago we could finally see three chicks on the nest.\u00a0 All three looked healthy and active which absolutely delighted me after all that time of wondering how things were going.<\/p>\n

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\"red-tailed<\/p>\n

\u00a01\/1600, f\/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yesterday we visited the area once again – what a difference a week has made in the\u00a0appearance of the youngsters!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"red-tailed<\/p>\n

\u00a01\/2000, f\/5.6, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

While we were there one of the parents brought in a meal – a bird of some kind.\u00a0 Two of the chicks seemed uninterested but the third one chowed down on it.\u00a0 Until they’re about 4 1\/2 weeks old the parents\u00a0tear the food apart for the youngsters but this one seemed quite capable of\u00a0independent feeding.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"red-tailed<\/p>\n

\u00a01\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Here a leg and foot\u00a0are about to go down the hatch.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"red-tailed<\/p>\n

\u00a01\/2000, f\/5.6, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I thought it might be a struggle to\u00a0get it down\u00a0but it really wasn’t.\u00a0 The second leg soon followed.\u00a0 The eye of the chick looks unusual (what many photographers call “steel eye”) because the\u00a0nictitating membrane is closed to protect it during the swallowing process.<\/p>\n

I worry about these chicks for a couple of reasons.\u00a0 The nest is in a relatively remote area but it’s quite\u00a0visible from a rough dirt road and the nest-tree is in a ravine that places the nest slightly below eye level.\u00a0 This is a recipe for disaster should any humans bent on mischief notice the nest.\u00a0 So far, all is well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But there’s another reason I’ve become so attached to these adorable young hawks.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"red-tailed<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a01\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

On March 25 I photographed their parents mating.\u00a0 It’s very possible that it was this mating that resulted in the conception of the chicks.\u00a0 For some reason that possibility has heightened my attachment to the young hawks.<\/p>\n

I sure hope they make it – all three of them!<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’ve been keeping an eye on this Red-tailed Hawk nest in the west desert for about three years now. <\/p>\n

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