Red-tailed Hawk

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Red-tailed Hawk
Yesterday I was at a retention pond in Lake Mary, FL.  It's surrounded on three sides by trees, and it's a nice place to look for birds and other wildlife.  As I walked around the far end of the pond, I heard the call of a Red-tailed Hawk just above my head.  I raised my camera and took a few pictures.  Then I realized it wasn't just flying by; it was circling me.  I looked around in the pine trees around me, and sure enough, there was a large nest near the top of one of the taller trees.  I walked away from the nesting site, and the hawk perched in a tree again, though its eyes followed me as I walked away.

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Red-tailed Hawk
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Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawks aggressively defend their nesting sites.  So if you see this kind of behavior, there's a good chance you need to back away from a nearby tree.  For the photographs, I was shooting straight up into the sky, so even though the bottom of the hawk's wings are lightly colored, I over exposed these photographs by about 2/3 stops.


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Red-tailed Hawk
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Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawks are likely most common hawk in the U.S., though in Florida I see many times more Red-shouldered Hawks.  That said, they are still one of my favorite raptors.  I grew up in Concord, CA until I was about 8 years old.  I have very fond memories of hiking around Mt. Diablo with my family and seeing these hawks everywhere.  Every time I see one, I feel like I'm out west again

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Red-tailed Hawk

Comments

  1. I absolutely adore hearing the call of Red-tailed Hawks, to me the call empitomizes the words "wild and free". Very nice of you to back away from the nest, some unscrupulous people might not. Nice work on the images Scott!

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  2. Nice sighting and photos! I love hearing Red-tails "keer" call. They are so much more common where I grew up, around Chicago. When I see them now here in Florida I also have a feeling of home. :)

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