More evidence that immature buteos tend to be less wary than adults.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 400. Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
Two days ago in a remote area of northern Utah this presumed female immature Red-tailed Hawk was hunting the rabbit brush directly below her so intently that I had a very hard time getting eye contact from her. I was so close I had to remove my teleconverter but even so she wouldn’t look at me or even show me her eye – she was nearly always looking almost straight down for potential prey. This is one of the relatively few times she wasn’t.
There’s very little color in this setting but except for the fairly inconspicuous old wooden fence post she’s perched on it’s entirely natural so I’m fine with it.
I’m referring to her as female because of the thickness of her tarsi, which becomes more evident in the photos below.
1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 250. Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
After quite a while she started stretching so I figured she was about to give up on this hunting spot and go elsewhere. In this shot, the best one I got to show the extension of her wing and tail, her nictitating membrane is covering most of her right eye.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 250. Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
Here’s one where her membrane can’t be seen. This was a very long stretch, so long that I got more than two dozen shots of it but in most of those photos she was looking almost straight ahead so neither eye could be seen very well.
1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 250. Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
Finally, when she began to stretch her right leg, she looked to her right so I had a look at her face in good light again. .
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 250. Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
It took her a while but I was right, her stretching was preliminary to taking off. Here she’s beginning to turn on her perch in order to launch into the north breeze. As she was turning she had some difficulty keeping both feet on the small perch and maintaining her balance.
I didn’t like the takeoff and initial flight shots I got but after she lifted off she…
1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 250. Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
soared in circles overhead for long enough for me to get a few shots I like with a nearby high mountain in the background. Most of my photos of her up there had plain blue sky in the background, a background I’m not particularly fond of because it’s homogenous and I think, kind of boring.
I know, that’s an opinion I tend to be in the minority about.
.Ron
The shots are, as usual, gorgeous but I don’t think I will ever now forget Marty’s comment about selling cheap watches in a dark alley when I see a wing stretched in that manner. Hilarious.
It brings an image to one’s mind, doesn’t it Granny Pat.
Ron,
And why would I even know the word “Buteo” if it weren’t for “Feathered Photography?” The blue sky background to me sometimes even looks fake when it is real, maybe because of contrast and chromatic aberration. Dunno.
Nice shots … as always.
“The blue sky background to me sometimes even looks fake when it is real”
I strongly agree, Stephen. Sometimes it look too blue or it exhibits some other shade of blue that just doesn’t look right.
And thanks for what you said about “buteo”.
Such a beautiful buteo! I especially like the stretching shots. She looks like she wants to sell you a watch in a dark alley in the 4th shot. 😉 Wishing her a long and relatively easy life.
Thanks, Marty. I can now visualize her with cheap watches attached to the inside of her right wing.
She is majestic and marvellous.
Mind you I am stuck with your opening sentence. How very, very sad (and bad and wrong) that the bueto undoubtedly learn that to be wary of us is a survival technique. An essential survival technique.
Thanks, EC. In my experience that’s a trait of many young birds, not just hawks. Maybe it’s just the ‘natural’ carelessness of the young. I dunno…
Clearly you were being ignored. A good thing when trying to capture natural, routine behavior. That’s part of what makes these photos so good…that and your skill and magic camera. 😊
Thank you, Michael. Sometimes my camera is magic but occasionally it’s a PITA, like it was once this morning. My ISO jumped all the way up to 22,000 (if I remember the number correctly) for no apparent reason at all.
3rd photo is the fav – looks like she is fluffing the train of her ballgown! 🙂
and in the 4th showing off her fab tarci! LOL
Interesting to know your favorite(s), Kathleen.
Of course there are many plumage variations of Red-tailed Hawks, but this one is about as close to Plato’s ideal of one I can imagine, at least the ones I usually see here.
There you go throwing out one of those factoids I wasn’t aware of. I knew that most raptor females are bigger, but wouldn’t have thought about the tarsi. Plus your photos display them so well.
Lyle, falconers have told me that they use tarsi thickness as an indication of sex in red-tails (thicker in females). I’m not sure if it applies to other species of buteos.
Really liked #3 …………thanks for the tarsi/tarsus information – was not familiar with that term. Another educational moment from Ron – at least for me. Her talons look huge. She grabs hold of something it is not getting away.
I really like the background – it seems to fit her. Excellent series.
I was impressed by her talons too, Everett.
She’s gorgeous, and I’m happy to see photos of Red-tails anytime you can offer them! Those tarsi are pretty big, that’s for sure. Getting ready to leave on a road trip this morning (heading your direction, in fact), so I don’t have time for my usual “novella” here! 😂
Have a safe trip, Chris. And a fun one.
She is an absolute beauty. Great shots Ron. I love the stretching shots and my first thought on the first photo was – she’s giving you a Bald Eagle pose. I hope you have been feeling pretty well lately. Take care.
Thank you, Mark. Most days I’ve been feeling much better than I was a couple of weeks ago. I just wish getting this surgery scheduled wasn’t taking so long.
She’s a beauty alright! 🙂 Post IS a bit small for both of those deadly looking feet……. 😉 Nice to see the partial closure of the 3rd eyelid as it shows what the difference between open and closed – can still see BUT. Mountainous backgrough works well for me – like having the context.;)
Thanks, Judy. That wooden post is so small at first I thought it was a metal post.
Love your shots!
Now if I could only find a cooperative hawk, any species please!! VBG!
I’ll take “any species” of hawk too, Dick. Some folks don’t get too excited about red-tails beause they’re so numerous in many areas but I really like to photograph them.
What a beauty. Have a good day, Ron!
Thanks, Cathy. You too.