While it may appear that this juvenile red-tailed hawk is frightened of that crow, I was there and saw this whole thing unfold. A few crows were hanging out, minding whatever business it is that crows mind, when the hawk appeared out of nowhere and scared the living crap out of them. As crows are wont to do, the entire group took wing and did their best to chase the hawk away. It didn't go far and didn't seem to be at all impressed with their numbers or their annoying cawing.
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Tomorrow's prompt is: Pleasure. BOOYAH!
the hawk is a bad ass...and love the colors in him...
ReplyDeleteIf I were a furry little rodent in the grass, I'd live in fear of this as well! The crows need to mind their manners.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed you witnessed and caught this on film. Were you camped out here for days or is that your back garden?! Regardless it's a terrific snapshot of the wild.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's all a matter of timing...and waiting for the perfect shot. You captured it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteHow long did you have to wait for this opportunity? Nice shot :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazingly gorgeous photo! Magnificent, really!
ReplyDeleteHawks fascinate me. And crows do the opposite.
ReplyDeleteSuch annoying birds they are...
=)
Great shot! We watched three or four hawks the last time we went kayking. They put on quite the show but I think what we saw was more in keeping with tomorrow's theme than today's!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great shot and I love how both birds are pictured. We have a lot of hawks near my house and they often land on a fence and watch the yards for small birds or chipmunks.
ReplyDeletesuch a beautiful photo! Wow.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I think you've done this kind of thing before. That picture is amazing. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, that is an amazing photo. So beautiful. I don't think I could ever take a photo like this, even if I trained a bunch of crows, found a hawk and sicked the crows on him while I was standing there, camera in hand.
ReplyDeleteAwesome photo! Look!! I'm commenting before midnight!
ReplyDeleteI saw a red tail catch a ground squirrel today. And I see crows chasing them all the time, but what always cracks me up is when smaller birds chase them and peck them on the head in flight. This is a great show, Cheryl.
ReplyDeletePsst ... um, so, like, we're on for that bird photo, right?? I'll need it for Day 20.
ReplyDeleteFantastic shot!
;-)
Over here, it's not unusual to see buzzards being mobbed by crows.
ReplyDeleteThat hawk is an absolute beaut!
Jayne, as much as I enjoy the crow on hawk action, I'm really really fond of watching the sparrows and other small birds chase and peck away at crows. Hawks are quiet; crows are annoying.
ReplyDeleteWhee! On Tuesday, I kept my eyelids propped open with toothpicks to get my comments in. Never saw the whole email discussion until Wednesday evening. Did you migraines finally go away?
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian. You have no idea how hard it was to identify it because of those gorgeous colors. After studying my bird books and doing tons of internet searches, I finally reached out on Facebook and some birding friends started guessing. One of them tagged a woman she met on twitter, @birdchick, who came by, told me what it was, and even assuaged my feelings of inadequacy by letting me know that immature hawks are so varied in color, they're tough to identify.
ReplyDeleteDo crows even have manners?
ReplyDeleteThanks Mo. I was driving along the coastal road, caught a flicker of movement from something large, pulled off the road, crossed over to the estuary, and started watching and shooting.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bryan. In all candor, it's more about tracking movement and shooting continuously. You have no idea how many shots I took during that 30-45 minutes. It's becoming clear that I need a longer lens. Some of the amazing stuff I see other's shoot are captured with much more sophisticated equipment and a 300 mm lens.
ReplyDeleteNone. While driving along the coastal road, I saw movement of something large and winged. I pulled over, went across the road, and watched. I shot continuously whenever it was in motion. I don't know anyone who can take a set shot of something that's moving as fast as birds in flight. Or planes. I love shooting air shows.
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda.
ReplyDeleteYep they are. I love watching little songbirds chase them away pecking at them from every direction.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow, I'm posting something from the same shoot. They are amazing and gorgeous and when I see them I wish I could fly.
ReplyDeleteThanks LM. The hawks don't hang around the neighborhood but I usually see them once I leave the less settled areas around here.
ReplyDeleteThanks Meleah.
ReplyDeleteThanks John. Wait until you see what I've got for tomorrow. My mind is still blown that I actually captured this hawk with any degree of clarity. More. Than. Once.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ziva. And yes you could if the opportunity presented. So much of this is learning how to focus on and track the subject then shoot using continuous shutter mode. You don't even want to know how many shots I took during those 30-45 minutes. This is the beauty of gigabytes on memory cards vs. film.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. I've got one I haven't identified yet and when I get it done, I'll send it your way.
ReplyDeleteSince you know the back-story to the identification, you know how exciting this was and continues to be.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite battles is when the little songbirds, robins, and cardinals start chasing away crows pecking them until they've driven them far enough away from their nesting sites.
This is a gorgeous photo, but I feel more fear looking at the woods in the background. I'm sure Bigfoot is in there.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm. Now you've got me wondering what might be lurking in there. I know it's not Bigfoot since last I heard he was roaming around in Quebec.
ReplyDeleteAmazing to see nature unfold in front of you and capture it on your camera! Great shot, Cheryl!
ReplyDelete