So I decided to walk the dog all the way around the block. ; When I got to the end of the block I heard two grackles making a lot of noise. ; I looked up in the tree and there was this large mass at the top. ; I finished the walk and grabbed my camera and walked back to the end of the street and it was still there. [attachimg=1] [attachimg=2]
Well I wasn't ready for it to take off but sure enough it did, but back down the street towards my house. ; The two grackles still did not like it. ; Badgered it on some power lines. [attachimg=1] This time I was ready for it to take off, but this is where I realized capturing birds in flight is very hard. ; I got a lot to learn Howie (and need more practice!)
But I was rewarded. ; It landed in a tree right across the street from my house, and the sun was in his face, lit it up pretty nice! [attachimg=1] [attachimg=2]
it is a hawk for sure. maybe a red tail. here is a site with some hawk pics http://www.libirding.com/IDBirdsOfPrey.html
oh and John I am by no means a bird in flight expert. I am constantly working on finding the best focusing method for them. especially hawks as there flight patterns can be very erratic. they bob and weave a lot and move pretty fast but don't give up. it takes a lot of practice another place for looking up birds is flickr. just type in the type of bird such as hawk etc and there are tons of pics with descriptions. also type in forsythe as there are a lot of birders with some excellent shots from there and they are birds that are from our area so chances are good you will find one like yours
You may not be an expert but your shots are great! ; I was laughing as I tried to find and then focus the first time he took off. ; The second time I was more prepared so I had him in frame but not is focus. ; Time and practice is what I need.
I concur with both (red tailed hawk and great photos). ; The only thing I was not sure of was the coloring under the tail feathers, but think only the top is "red". ; Keep the great photos coming. brought to you by an (HTC) "Incredible" Guy.
Looks like an adolescent Red Tail hawk to me, but I'm not a bird-kind of guy. There's more than a few of them around my place and it looks pretty much like them.
I'd say red tailed almost for sure. ; You don't have many red-shouldered in your area, and it's too large for a coopers, so red-tailed is one of the most common North American hawks and the colors are right. ; Nice work on the catch...always cool to see a raptor!
Thanks! ; I am gonna have to agree with everyone. ; All the people I have shown it too have said the same thing. Took a walk again this morning wondering if he would be around, but no such luck.
good luck. they don't make it easy. I am going to look for owls in a bit. they are at forsythe but tough to find
Owls are definitely not easy! ; They're all around here, but you rarely get a chance to shoot them. ; They just sit so still and blend in so well during the day! ; The only ones you can reliably shoot around here are the burrowing owls, since they nedst in holes in the ground and pop up during the day to make sure no predators are approaching. I've only gotten one series of shots of a great horned owl here, and no luck with any others.
@kanniduba on twitter said it looks like a red-tailed hawk. http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/red-tailed-hawk/
