Red Tailed Hawk

The very size and stature of the Red Tailed Hawk, these masterful birds of prey, almost demands you stop and watch them when you spot one. I captured this one percched high up on a pole peering down at a field, as I was on my way to visit the marshes on Walter Davis Boulevard in norhwest Nashville last Summer. While there wasn't much activity going on in the marshes that day, this guy was buzzing around the parameter.

I like the way he's balancing himself on his one leg. He looks intent in his search for his prey not even giving me a glance. Although there isn't a major hurricane or flooding from the rain of one bearing down on one of our Gulf states, there is Hurricane Jose hanging out not too far off the mid Atlantic and New England states. It'll make its way up the coast brushing along the shores bringing rip tides and windy surfs. Hopefully that will be the extent of it. What a hurricane season this has been. And we still have a way to go. The damage from Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Irma in Florida has left years of rebuilding in its wake. Not to mention the Caribbean Islands. I pray for all of those people. Have a good weekend all. Stay safe out there. ENJOY!

Today's Catch, Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge

As I drove into the entrance to Mustatatuck earlier today, I hadn't even gotten a tenth of a mile in when at the first open field on the left side sat this gorgeous bird of prey, an immature Hawk, surveying the field in search of a meal. I have a photo of him giving me the ole dead eye I'll share later. I also have some images of this same Hawk in a field down a ways as I was leaving Mustatatuck. He must have been really hungry as he was surveying that field as closely as he was the first.

All the swamps were mostly frozen, as was Reichart Lake today, with the exception of a small open area in the middle of the lake. The gravel road traversing the refuge was very, very icy and snowy, but I was able to navigate it with just the minimum of work. I've traveled this road when it had a good 3 inches of snow on it so I was pretty sure I could manage it today. Have you been outdoors lately? I have always hated Winter, but last year I decided to get outdoors more in the Winter and see if I could kill some of that dislike. It's working. I enjoy Winter much more now. Before I leave you today, and least you think I had forgotten, as for the holidays . . . I have officially decked my halls. And I only have a few gifts I have to buy each year and those are on their way to me via USPS right now. Now the real question comes . . . have you finished decorating, shopping, wrapping, etc. etc. And can you believe that Christmas is a week and a half away. Where did the time go? ENJOY!

Red Tailed Hawk, Louisville, Kentucky

Every year on this same week it seems, I trek over to the airport in an effort to locate the Snowy Owl that is seen there. And as usual I never see the Snowy Owl, but today I did manage to capture a few images of a fairly persistent Red Tailed Hawk perched atop a fence obviously hunting for a bite to eat.

He flew away once and stopped not too far away so I snapped a few more images. I don't like interfering with wildlife so I left him to continue his hunt uninterrupted. I would love to have captured a few images of the Owl, perhaps next year. ENJOY!

Red Tailed Hawk

Today I took the day off and decided to drive over to the Bluegrass area around Midway and Lexington. As I made my way down 1681, I happened upon a Hawk perched high up in a tree. It was a Red Tailed Hawk, one of the most widely distributed Hawks in the United States.

Red Tail Hawks prefer forests and fields and especially like to perch up high in a tree or on a bluff so they can scan for small mammals to prey upon, although they will eat birds and reptiles. They also scan for prey while flying. This species of hawk is commonly used in 'falconry'. I wrote in my post on the Cooper's Hawk how hawks are highly regarded in Native American culture, as well as many ancient cultures. Hawks' feathers are considered sacred to Native Americans. The weather was beautiful and warm today. Tomorrow just may be a repeat. I hope everyone has a great weekend and get after that Christmas shopping list before time slips away. ENJOY!

Cooper's Hawk

Spending some time at Mustatatuck this Fall was a real treat. The beautiful colors of the leaves on the trees, not to mention the reeds in the marshes, as their colors changed hues from early to late Fall was amazing. I made several trips to the refuge and was really glad I got to see this transformation firsthand. On my first visit, I happened upon this Cooper's Hawk which I posted about several weeks ago. He was planted firmly on a small branch in a dense area of brush near one of the marshes.

While I felt blessed to have gotten some nice images of this bird of prey in the wild, I had no idea until researching the 'web' that in ancient Eygpt, the hawk was a symbol of the soul, as well as a symbol of victory because it swoops down on its prey with ferocity and power. There is tons more about the hawk online and its ancient symbolism. There is also a superstition among Native Americans that to see a hawk is a sign of good luck. Well, I definitely felt luck was at hand to get these images.

On this particular day, just getting a glimpse of this beautiful bird of prey was unusual. Normally, I see hawks flying overhead or perched up high on a branch at a distance. Attempting to get closer will only cause the hawk to fly away. Not a trusting soul I'd say. Cooper's Hawks prefer to hunt in dense vegetation which explains why I discovered this one in the dense brush near the marsh. My favorite image is of him taking off. He flew into denser brush and my attempts to get an image was futile. Warmer weather is on the horizon here in Kentucky. Global warming, are you a believer? ENJOY!

Cooper's Hawk, Mustatatuck NWR

As I entered Mustatatuck early afternoon, I turned right onto the marsh road and decided to allow two vehicles to pass me on the gravel road. As I moved the car back toward the center of the road, I looked up and saw something large moving in a tree off to my right, not far from the road.

A beautiful Cooper's Hawk had obviously just finished a kill and was busily preening. While he was busy, I grabbed the camera and proceeded to photograph. These are the images of him quietly resting moments later.

Getting a hawk to stay put while taking images when you are this close seldom happens, unless you have a 400-500 mm lens and are a little farther away. So I was happy to have my car as camouflage even though I knew that wouldn't hold up for long.

Such a beautiful bird of prey. I have to say he's got some serious looking claws on him perfect for devouring his prey. I also captured several images of an American Coot in the marshes, and some other bird images I'll share soon. ENJOY!