On Wednesday I woke to mist so thick I could barely see across the arroyo. And it appeared that I was not the only one with vision problems…one of our local predators had the same problem. Normally these guys sit in the tops of the trees to spot their meals so I’ve only seen them from a distance. But that day – well, I just grabbed my camera, crept out onto the porch and snapped.
Difficult to tell from the seated shots (he was perched on a eucalyptus on the edge of our terrace), but when he took off I could see the tail. Am I right? I know they’re fairly common, but I was enchanted to be able to see one (relatively) close up!
Yes, that is a beautiful Red-tailed Hawk! Great to see them flying. Random nature geek trivia, the cry of the Red-tailed Hawk is used for almost any hawk or eagle in movies and TV but no other bird makes that distinctive sound. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-tailed_hawk/id