I am not a birder, as photographers refer to those who photograph birds and know a lot about them. However, I enjoy photographing birds whenever the chance arrives. That is how I came to photograph the Red-Tailed Hawk I feature in this post. It was pure chance.
A short trip to the Texas State Cemetery on an early December afternoon ended up giving me a huge surprise. I got to the cemetery intending to see Chris Kyle’s, Governor Ann Richards’, and US House of Representative Barbara Jordan’s tombstones. There are several famous Texas natives buried in that cemetery.
As soon as I entered the cemetery, I proceeded to Kyle’s grave site. Kyle was a US Navy SEAL sniper. His book American Sniper became a famous movie starring Bradley Cooper in 2014. Right before getting to his gravesite, I stopped as I approached a bridge on the cemetery grounds. I saw this beautiful bird perched on a low tree branch before me. It couldn’t have been 10 feet (3 m) away from me. At first, I thought it was a decoy on the tree, for it was so still and motionless. I waited and waited before I began changing my wide-angle lens to my zoom lens. I then noticed the bird’s head move. I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing — and so close! I got a few shots, including its back, as seen above.
It just sat there, utterly unafraid of me. One of the grounds keeper came by on his motorized vehicle, and I showed it to him. The motor sound never scared the hawk. Three other visitors were walking by a few minutes later as I was photographing the hawk, and I pointed it out to them. They were so surprised to see it that close, too.
Red-tailed hawks are the most common hawk species in North America. They are powerful hunters, and their diet consists of small mammals, birds, and reptiles. Females are generally larger than their male counterparts. A male red-tailed hawk is approximately 18-26 inches (45-65 cm) in length, with a wingspan of 3.7-4.8 feet (110-141 cm), and a weight of 1.5-3.5 pounds (0.7-1.6 kg).
That is the story behind the shots. If you liked these photos, you might also be interested in other posts featuring Austin, Bird of the Week, Hawks, Texas State Cemetery, and Wildlife.
Posted for I.J. Khanewala’s Birds of the Week Invitation XCIX.
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Amy
What an amazing capture! Love to see the details of this magnificent hawk!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Amy. Glad you liked these photos.
Anne Sandler
Fantastic image Egidio. You took full advantage of the opportunity the hawk gave you.
Egidio Leitao
Carpe diem, I guess. I am an opportunistic birder, I guess. Thanks, Anne.
Terri Webster Schrandt
Brilliant images, Egidio! It’s nice to see the details in these shots. I tried to capture the local pair while we were in San Diego, but to no avail.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Terri. Hawks are not very friendly. I was surprised how long this one sat there on that branch.
margaret21
Hawks are magnificent birds, on every continent. What magnificent captures you have here.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks a million, Margaret. Hawks are indeed magnificent.
nesfelicio
Great captures!
Interesting that it allowed people to get close.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you. Yes, I was very surprised that happened, too.
Vicki
Wow! what incredible luck to see the bird up close like this.
The front white belly feathers look very soft and like down. Perhaps it was a juvenile and hadn’t learned to be afraid of humans? Or maybe it was just used to us and found us not a threat?
Birder or not, that’s an image I would be proud of.
Egidio Leitao
Vicki, you’re always so supportive. Thank you very much.
Donna Robinson Photography
What an incredible photo-op! Nice shots!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Donna. I was not expecting that photo-op in that cemetery but am glad it happened. Thanks for writing.
I. J. Khanewala
Beautiful photos and nicely informative post. It doesn’t take long for a photographer who is interested in birds to become a birder who photographs.
Egidio Leitao
I.J., many thanks for this feedback.