![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/red-tailed-hawk-9866-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-tailed-hawk-9866-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nThis male was a good provider for his mate and soon-to-be offspring.<\/p>\n
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1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II,\u00a0Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n I photographed him exactly 1 year ago today as he approached his mate on their nest\u00a0on a cliff to the right. I’m not sure what the food item in\u00a0his beak was but I’m confident it wasn’t a vole which was their most common prey. My bet would be that it’s a portion of rabbit.<\/p>\n The horizon\u00a0appears tilted because it actually was tilted – it’s a slope leading up to the cliff.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2500, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II,\u00a0Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n When he presented the food to his mate at the nest she accepted it but wouldn’t\/didn’t eat it until he left, which is what he’s in the\u00a0process of doing here\u00a0soon after the delivery..<\/p>\n These hawks aren’t\u00a0using\u00a0the nest this year – instead they’ve constructed a new one. It would be interesting to know their reasons for making\u00a0that decision. The old nest survived\u00a0sometimes brutal winter winds\u00a0mostly intact in a relatively protected spot so\u00a0their abandonment of the old nest surprised me a little.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n Note: I won’t bore you with all the details (again) but suffice it to say I was very careful to avoid disturbing these birds in the area of their nest or anywhere else.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This male was a good provider for his mate and soon-to-be offspring.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/red-tailed-hawk-9902-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-tailed-hawk-9902-ron-dudley\\"")
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