Coming home from church as we drove up our road, Mike stopped and grabbed my camera. Sitting under the lilac bush in the side yard....just a couple feet from the road....was a hawk eating something! He took a couple quick shots assuming it would fly away and then gave me back the camera.
One of my first shots through side window as we crept forward.
Turned into the drive and I got out to take more shots. It seemed totally unconcerned about my presence and I ended up standing in the side yard about 10 feet from it! It must have been starving to just sit there and eat with me taking photos.
I'm never good at identifying hawks and never get to see the tail or under the wings....or at least I don't pay attention when I do :-) It was small and I'm guessing a juvenile of some kind. I've had guesses for Cooper's and for Sharp-Shinned. What do the rest of you think?
The victim had grey feathers....maybe my young Mockingbird? A titmouse? Junco? Hard to tell from what is left over...one foot and a few feathers.
It would look up at me, but go right back to eating. I wonder why it didn't just pick it up and fly away with it??
I'll probably never be this close to a hawk again, but I wish it would choose a Starling or a House Sparrow next time. I do hope he knows that it is illegal to kill Cardinals in the state of Indiana :-)
Yuck.....I know....yuck! But too good a shot to not include.
When he finished he acted like he was burying it....scraping with his foot after turning his back on it.
Sat and stared at me for a couple of minutes. Finally flew away into the trees.
One of my first shots through side window as we crept forward.
Turned into the drive and I got out to take more shots. It seemed totally unconcerned about my presence and I ended up standing in the side yard about 10 feet from it! It must have been starving to just sit there and eat with me taking photos.
I'm never good at identifying hawks and never get to see the tail or under the wings....or at least I don't pay attention when I do :-) It was small and I'm guessing a juvenile of some kind. I've had guesses for Cooper's and for Sharp-Shinned. What do the rest of you think?
The victim had grey feathers....maybe my young Mockingbird? A titmouse? Junco? Hard to tell from what is left over...one foot and a few feathers.
It would look up at me, but go right back to eating. I wonder why it didn't just pick it up and fly away with it??
I'll probably never be this close to a hawk again, but I wish it would choose a Starling or a House Sparrow next time. I do hope he knows that it is illegal to kill Cardinals in the state of Indiana :-)
Yuck.....I know....yuck! But too good a shot to not include.
When he finished he acted like he was burying it....scraping with his foot after turning his back on it.
Sat and stared at me for a couple of minutes. Finally flew away into the trees.Amazing encounter even if a bit gruesome.
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25 comments:
Amazing shots Mary of a beautiful bird. Poor thing, I expect you are right and he was very hungry. All the birds have to eat even though we sometimes find it distressing to see our favourites being caught. I've seen it a few times in the past but have never been that close.
I can never get close enough to take these kind of shots.Not of our kites and falcons anyway. thanks for sharing.
These are stunning shots Mary!! WOW!! What a great oppertunity for you. It is really surprising that he did not fly away but I gurss he was more interested in eating than anything else.
Great pictures Mary. Looks like a sharpie to me but then I don't know my hawks either. I have to keep telling myself that they must eat too.
What a great gift Mary...for you not the bird! Great pictures! That reminds me of the Merlin that I got to take pictures of with a Mourning Dove. My guess is this is a Coopers but I am not the greatest at telling the difference between the Coopers and Sharp-shinned. The Northern Goshawk is nearly as big as a Red-tail so you would have been sure of that.
Great job!!!
I'll be checking if someone knows for sure, I need a good lesson in the difference. (I know the Coopers tail is rounded on the end while the Sharpie's is more flat.)
Amazing images Mary.
We had a red-tailed hawk living in near our house in Virginia. It would catch squirrels (cover your ears, Star) and stand its ground even when we walked out the back door near where it was eating. It definitely had a "just try it, lady" look in its eye.
Anne: I know he has to eat, too and steal myself to the idea of the kill. I thinking it may have been a Junco that it killed after studying the feathers a bit more.
Tony: I'm sure I won't have any more chances like this.
Joan: It really was surprising that he sat there.
Peggy: I sent the photos to some experts and will see what they say.
Eve: I really should have paid more attention when he flew away to the tail, but I was so amazed by the whole thing, that I just didn't even look.
Roy: thanks...it was a moment of a lifetime.
Wren: I have a lot of squirrels here, so they had better watch out! Of course I have even more birds. One of the downsides of feeding them, but hawks have to eat, too and this may have made his life a little easier for one day.
This is an absolutely fantastic sequence of photos. You got some great pictures of the hawk.
George: He made it easy! I took 100 photos while he ate! LOL!
Mary: Wonderful capture, I had this opportunity last year but the hawk did fly away when it felt too threatened. What a neat series of photos.
What an amazing opportunity for some great pictures.
Tom: Thanks...I don't know why he didn't fly away. Being kind to the photographer..LOL!
Cicero: Thanks...I was thrilled and repulsed at the same time.
Amazing shots.This is an experience of a life time,to be this close to a wild hawk.The pictures are fabulous,even if it was one of 'your' birds it caught.
Blessings,Ruth
Wow Mary... your pictures of the hawk eating his lunch are amazing. What a great set of pictures!!!! I don't know (or want to know) what he was eating--but you did capture some great photos. Thanks!!!
Hugs,
Betsy
You are a blessed woman, Mary! Yeah, Hawks have to eat too. You have chosen to feed the birds of the air. The hawks are being fed too. That's the sidebar of life.
The fact that he let you come close - for so long, makes me feel as if he felt comfortable in your garden - because you LOVE birds :)
Awesome! Simply amazing to view your captured birds eye view. I love the icy snow glisening on his beak in the last picture. I viewed them enlarged. Such stunning maarkings.
Thanks, for sharing.
Patrina <')>><
Amazing shots Mary. Well done Mike for spotting it in the first place. What an amazing experience for you both. That must've been one hungry hawk to carry on eating like that.
Wonderful series of this hawk! It's unusual to be able to get such close shots!!!
Marvelous! What a wonderful encounter! I love birds of prey so much, even if they often prey upon my other loves...the songbirds.
Just amazing pictures Mary. Such wonderful detail.
I didn't see the one that hangs around here today.
B.
Thanks everyone! It was pretty exciting. I'm glad Mike spotted it sitting there and that it didn't fly away immediately. I hope he doesn't come for "lunch" every day, however :-)
Good grief! What amazing photos, Mary!
I don't know why I didn't think of Cornell's...we have sent stuff there before.
Don't they have the most piercing eyes!
نور الهدى
نور الهدى نفحات تهدي للخير
نور الهدى نور حق
نور الهدى نور حق
نور الهدى لؤلؤة الشرق
غرفة نور الهدى للدردشة والدروس الدينية
مركز تحميل نور الهدى
مركز تحميل نور الهدى
خدمة نور الهدى للترجمة
معرض نور الهدى للصور
من نصائح الهرري
Well you hit the jackpot getting these. Fantastic shots. I love that bottom one.
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