{"id":93278,"date":"2021-01-02T06:53:39","date_gmt":"2021-01-02T13:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=93278"},"modified":"2021-01-02T09:04:41","modified_gmt":"2021-01-02T16:04:41","slug":"possibly-my-last-update-on-the-injured-red-tailed-hawk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2021\/01\/02\/possibly-my-last-update-on-the-injured-red-tailed-hawk\/","title":{"rendered":"Possibly My Last Update On The Injured Red-tailed Hawk"},"content":{"rendered":"

And here’s why.<\/p>\n

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1\/3200, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

This is the presumed female immature Red-tailed Hawk with an injured left leg whose progress I’ve been documenting on my blog for weeks now. Here she’s in the process of landing on a kestrel box that she often uses as a hunting perch. Notice that the impact of her landing is absorbed by her good right leg as she holds her injured left leg back.<\/p>\n

When this photo was taken on December 8 she couldn’t put any weight, none at all, on her injured leg but in the weeks that followed she seemed to make significant progress. She gradually began to put more and more weight on her left leg and she continued to catch voles on a regular basis, despite her handicap.<\/p>\n

It’s been my stated intention to follow her progress to conclusion as best I can, whether it be eventual healing of her leg or something more ominous. Blog followers have asked me to report on her progress and up to this point I’ve been doing so. But this is likely to be my last report because I’ve drastically reduced my number of visits to Farmington Bay WMA. I can’t bear to watch what I’m seeing out there.<\/p>\n

As the winter wears on and it gets colder raptor numbers at the refuge increase and the birds tend to become more approachable.. Those conditions of course are a huge magnet for bird photographers so their numbers at the refuge increase proportionately. Most veteran bird photographers with a basic understanding of field ethics and wildlife harassment laws allow the raptors the respect and the distance they deserve and need to make their living in progressively harsh winter conditions.<\/p>\n

I wish I could say the same about some of the apparent rookies.<\/p>\n

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1\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 100-400mm f\/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 360mm<\/em><\/p>\n

This is part of what I witnessed at Farmington earlier this week. The immature and inexperienced Red-tailed Hawk at upper left (not the injured hawk) was trying to use the edge of Goose Egg Island as a hunting perch as it scanned the grasslands and marsh out of frame to the left for prey. But the photographer at lower right (obviously I’ve disguised him) was on foot and within about 15′ of the bird as he pointed his big telephoto lens almost into the face of the hawk. In this photo the closeness of the photographer to the bird wasn’t exaggerated by the effects of super-long focal lengths because I was using my ‘baby lens’ at only 360mm (usually I shoot at an effective 1120mm). He’s as close as he looks like he is.<\/p>\n

There was absolutely no need for the photographer to be this close with that big lens, not that perceived ‘need’ would ever justify such behavior – big lens or not. Notice that the hawk’s attention is on the photographer and not on the field where it should be scanning for prey.<\/p>\n

Almost immediately after this photo was taken another photographer came in and joined the first one and both were about this close to the bird. When a third photographer drove up to join the other two I couldn’t take it any longer so I left the area and headed for home.<\/p>\n

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I’m not refuge law enforcement and I’m certainly not the ‘bird police’ but I can’t stand to see this kind of thing so I haven’t visited Farmington since the incident and it’s my intention to visit the refuge far less often until things settle down out there. If they ever do before spring.<\/p>\n

So it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to report back again on the progress of the injured red-tail.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

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Notes:<\/em><\/p>\n