Raptors sometimes pull some pretty crazy maneuvers during take-off (the last 9 images in this post are sequential with no images in the sequence left out).
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Two weeks ago I found this adult Red-tailed Hawk perched in an old snag in Utah’s west desert. This bird may be one of the two adults I photographed this past spring as they were mating in this same area (see link if you’re interested). The hawk had its back to me and the light was harsh and from the side so I was more interested in watching it through my lens than I was in taking photos.
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
But when the bird unexpectedly took off my photographer’s instincts took over and I fired off a quick burst of nine shots, even though I fully expected the bird to take off away from me.
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Instead, it raised its wings…
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
twisted to its left…
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
and jumped up to this higher branch which had the bird mostly facing me for an instant. Notice that here the right foot is grasping the branch but…
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
in a nanosecond the hawk switched feet as it once again turned to its right…
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
and began to push off of the branch.
At this point I can’t resist asking you if you can predict which direction the hawk will actually travel as it leaves the tree. Please look at this image and take a wild guess.
This is the same image as the previous one. Believe it or not the bird will go “through” the triangular-shaped space marked by the red “x”. But before it does the hawk has another problem – the branch marked with a red arrow is directly on its path to that triangular space.
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
So as it leaned to its right to avoid the perch the bird reached for the branch with its right foot…
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
grasped it…
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
and broke it off to get it out of the way. And yes, the bird passed through that triangular space as it did so.
Keep in mind that all this happened almost in the blink of an eye. The burst rate of my Canon 7D is 8 frames per second so this entire process (nine images) would have taken just 1.125 seconds. I have to wonder… Was all of this actually planned? Why did the bird choose such an obstructed route out of the tree? Was it after prey which caused it to choose the obstructed but faster and more direct route? (I don’t think so). Was the hawk simply instinctively practicing complicated maneuvers for the next time it was chasing prey through an obstructed space? It’s interesting to speculate but I simply have no idea.
I’m sure I tend to overanalyze stuff like this but I do enjoy it so I’ll likely continue to do so…
Ron
Wow! Simply sensational Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
He was showing off for you!!!!
A Red-tail channeling a Goshawk! Great sequence Ron.
“A Red-tail channeling a Goshawk!”
Well said, Mike. Exactly! I hear you’ve been busy out in the Goshutes. And elsewhere…
Great series of photos! It is very intriguing that it would take the most complicated route through those branches. It seems like it would have gotten stuck going through the triangular space.
Susan, I think that “triangular space” is a little bit misleading, visually. It’s actually not a fixed triangle as the branches that form the two closest sides of the triangle are closer to us than the third triangle side so there’s more room there than one might imagine. Still, a very tight fit.
I think you were a raptor in a past life!!!!!
I’ve always wished I could fly, Karen but I have absolutely no desire to eat rodents.
I predicted, completely wrongly, that he’d turn toward his right… and take off unobstructed by any branches….escape route must have been more open and unobstructed than it appears…or was it??? Love these shots…unusual and interesting….
Patty, The birds “escape route” was mostly unobstructed in front and behind the bird (based on its original position on the perch), but mostly obstructed everywhere else. I was amazed that the bird even attempted to thread its way through all those branches and twigs in the direction that it did.
Hi!
Love this set of photo’s of the Hawk! We have one that hangs around our housing! I enjoy watching them. Have a great day!
Hummingbird Lover, I’ll bet you enjoy that hawk almost as much as you do your hummingbirds!
Great shots Ron, really enjoy these behavioral images!
We, or at least I, have stumbled in a situation or two and I’m sure I look either laughable, weird or uncoordinated. I think the bird got tangled up and wasn’t sure just how to get out of it and therefore was simply fumbling until it could maneuver. Just my take on it.
That’s an interesting possibility, Dick. Thanks for sharing it.
I like your take on it, Dick. It reminded me somewhat of myself when I’m trying to climb rocks…
Silly bird! What a great capture, Ron.
Thank you, Arwen.
Wonderful!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the series, Leisa.
Excellent series Ron !
Thank you, John.
Glorious photos.
Thanks very much, Rosalinde.