Several years ago the neighbor kids in the home behind and adjoining my back yard would occasionally fly kites from their own yard. Given the small size of their lot and the many mature and very large trees in the neighborhood it was a kite-disaster waiting to happen. I had no inkling at the time that it would also be a disaster for a bird.
This is another Montana Red-tailed Hawk, photographed in Beaverhead County a few weeks ago. 1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I tend to like rustic settings like this for raptors in general but particularly for Red-tails because they have adapted so well to our rural habitats. 1/800, f/9, ISO 500, 500 f/4 This hawk was hunting from the post and changed positions on the perch several times to get a better view in different directions. 1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 Soon the bird went into stretch mode. 1/500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 But eventually it spotted something of interest on the ground (and very close to me) and flew down to investigate. It didn’t find any prey and here it is looking back toward the fence – deciding which fence post to use for its next perch. 1/1000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 It chose another near-by post to hunt from but that hunting station didn’t last long because… 1/1000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 a very aggressive robin took exception to this new location. 1/500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 The hawk took the bombardment for a short period but eventually took off in apparent exasperation – with the angry robin continuing to buzz the raptor all the way. The more time I spend with raptors the more I realize just how much harassment they get from other bird species. At times they seem to have no peace whatsoever….
