Lunatock

This morning I snapped a photo, after chasing the subject on & off for years.

I bore witness to the subject, a red-tailed hawk either harrasing or wanting to kill a female mallard duck. The duck was quite possibly carrying eggs and thus couldn't fly. But she could dive underwater and did both times the hawk went after her.

Original photo:



Cropped image:

Shamus

Nice picture Lunatock,I like how you caught the hawk in mid-turn.They have started to become a nusciance here in Michigan.Between them and the coyotes our pheasant population has declined greatly.When I was young,(back in the Stone Age )it was unusual to see a hawk.Now it is commonplace.

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Lunatock

I realised there are at least two around here. In the photo is a female red tail, physically larger than the male, brown plumage, and hunts large prey like ducks and rabbits. Males have blue plumage, and normally hunt for small birds such as pigeons and morning doves. In fact one of the near misses was a male perched in a pine tree, eating a bird. Maybe a morning dove or a pigeon.

And even though I might end up like Chris Farley in Almost Heroes...I'd like to see the females nest up close and photograph it's young if it has any.

Shamus

Let me know when you do,I will bring the neosporin and band-aids

dave lukins

Lunatock is the Red Tailed Hawk the same as the Red Tailed Kite in the UK? In the Uk they are a very rare sighting indeed and most,if not all, of their nest sites are secret and protected 24/7. If you have too many send them over here

Lunatock

I'm not sure. But what could it hurt to maybe introduce a new bird of prey species to England?

Dreadnought

Where I live in Pa. they are quite plentiful down this way. I even get them in the yard from time to time. Some very large ones too.I have watched them capture squirrels and leave absolutely nothing behind after eating. Thats efficientcy. Alot of times you can seen them prowling Route 476 and especially towards the Heinze Wildlife Preserve along the river.

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THL

Very very nice.

My sisters boyfriend is a falconer and has a few big prey birds - if you dont mind I would like to send the picture onto him to enjoy as well.

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Jay

Cool....try with a faster shutter speed and bigger f number...

I took a bald eagle near Vancouver sometime back...

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glyn

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Lunatock

THL:

You may send it to him. I'd just like to know where in case he somehow gets it published or earns money off the photo.

Glyn:

I just googled red tailed kite, and it is different from a red tailed hawk. You can tell simply by looking at the tail feathers of both species.

Lunatock

I was a bit further away than I'd have wanted to be. But had to take this photo op as it came. Wild animals such as a red tailed hawk aren't the best direction followers.

And even though what would have been my best chance for more photos didn't happen, I still would of hung back a bit to avoid either scaring the hawk away...or make it think I wanted to steal it's kill and have it get defensive.