fauna

red tailed hawks

I caught these two, as I have with so many of my photographs the past couple of years, on my daily commute, this time on my way home. The afternoon seems to be a good time, as I see a lot of raptors here and there along the road, hunting rodents and scavenging roadkill along the road.

I’ve been wanting to get a good photo of a Redtail on the wing – as common as they are, it’s not been an easy task. The 600mm Sigma helps a bit, but they are cagey beasts, and will not allow one to get very close.

I saw these two at the bottom of a long hill as I came out of a long corner. I passed by them actually very close, less than 50 feet – most animals are very tolerant of moving traffic. But I knew that if I stopped the car they would bolt. Luck would have it that a sideroad a couple of hundred yards ahead offered a measure of distance and security between us, and I was able to pull off the road, turn the engine off and slide out the door without too much bother, Even still, the two allowed only a few seconds before they took off, but by then I was zeroed in on them.