Intermediate-Morph Red-tailed Hawk And Juniper Berries

I’m no authority on the highly variable color variations of the Red-tailed Hawk but I believe this bird to be an intermediate-morph adult.  I love these rufous-colored hawks.

 

red-tailed hawk 9404b ron dudley

 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

I encountered this hawk three days ago on the same morning I photographed the three red-tail chicks on the nest that I posted about recently.  I’d estimate that this bird was roughly three miles from the nest but it isn’t one of the parents of those chicks.  I quite like the setting and background in this image but I missed the take-off shots.  I was parked on the side of a country road in the west desert (shooting from my pickup) and I was a little concerned about possible oncoming traffic.  I looked up for a split-second to check on the progress of a car approaching far-off in the distance and the bird chose that instant to take off.  Drats!

For me this image is almost as much about the juniper and its berries as it is the hawk.   The Utah Juniper (commonly but mistakenly called “cedar” – think Cedar City, Utah) is ubiquitous in plateaus, dry plains and lower mountain elevations of several western states, especially Utah.  The “berries” as they’re typically called aren’t berries at all but female cones with unusually fleshy and merged scales.  The berries are eaten by jackrabbits, foxes, coyotes and many bird species, particularly as a winter food source.

Ron

24 Comments

  1. Jane Chesebrough

    I saw a book on Hawks and was amazed and overwhelmed by the varieties in colour in the Red Tail section, so I think you are doing quite well..glad that their call is pretty well unmistakeable.

  2. Wow! I have never seen any redtail that looked like this. It makes the Arizona Apache’s “little eagle” name very appropriate compared to the golden eagle there. Maybe there were many of this morph in the past in AZ.

    To me this hawk never looks like a bald eagle even when it is a morph with a white tail; so, the Apache name had me a bit confused until now.

  3. The blue-gray berries of the junipar make such a nice counter point to the reddish brown of the bird…this is a beautiful image. I have seldom seen such a copious amount of berries! Lots of winter food for the future. Some of my friends make “ghost beads” of the seeds inside those berries. Is there any other bird you can think of that comes in as many color variations as the RTH? Seems to me they have the most variation, even regionally.

  4. I love this “chocolate” hawk! The incredible variations of the Red-tailed Hawk, along with its sheer magnificence, makes it one of my favorite raptors. Now, if I can just find some of our Florida versions to come closer than five miles away……

    • These birds are funny around here, Wally. Most are hard to approach but occasionally one of them just doesn’t seem to care that I’m there and lets me get very close.

  5. My daily dose of awe and wonder. And gratitude. Thanks Ron.
    And of course it flew off as soon as you weren’t looking. I suspect that some birds at least are commenting about the success they have had in foiling the photographer – and others are mourning that they just weren’t quick enough. Frustration from the other side of the view finder.

  6. I love the photo – very proud! And I greatly appreciate the information you provide about the Utah Juniper. Knowing more about the juniper and about the range of animals that feed on it broadens my sense of the living system.

  7. This beauty looks like Calurus, the 23 year old Red-tail that lives at Hawkwatch mews. I think he is just gorgeous and your photo is, too!

  8. Another great shot Ron. I especially enjoy the way your images have such fantastic backgrounds. Thanks again so much for sharing with all of us.

    • Thanks for your observation about my backbrounds, Nikonsteve. My lens is known for the pleasing bokeh in its backgrounds so I give it much of the credit.

  9. Beautiful shot. I like the look of juniper ‘berries’, and in this case I really like the contrast they provide. I think they help set off the bird and make the photo more effective.

    • I enjoyed the berries too, Susan. I don’t get many shots of birds with the berries because many of the trees aren’t producing them at any one time.

      • The not-every-year berry production sounds like an adaptation to the desert and the level of rainfall. At Hueco Tanks we have Roseberry or One-Seed Junipers (relics of the ice age) that I have never seen any cones on, though I understand that there are some places in the park where they are reproducing. I had not realized that Junipers were dioecious, so it could be that all the trees I’ve seen are male. Learn something new every day.

        • Susan, I got that wrong (hate it when I do that). Actually, most junipers have both male and female flowers so all trees produce “berries” at one time or another. The male cones are small brown filaments near the twig tips.

          I’ll correct my text, above. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

  10. Sharon Constant

    That is one beautiful bird! Gorgeous shot.

  11. Charlotte Norton

    Beautiful shot! I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one who misses those flight shots by looking away for just a second.

    Charlotte

    • It happens to me all the time, Charlotte. I swear they watch for me to look away (or adjust my settings or check my exposure on the screen) and deliberately choose that moment to take off…

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