Red-tailed Hawk at Oak Hollow Park

Image Series

Every now and then, I have the opportunity to get some good close-ups of the Cooper's Hawk in my backyard because it can be pretty brazen when hunting birds at the bird feeder. The Red-tailed Hawk, on the other hand, can be more elusive. Most of my photo opportunities have been of Red Tails in flight. Otherwise, they are very distant shots of a Red Tail high up in a tree some distance away.

Today, I had a pretty unique opportunity (for me) to shoot a Red Tail up close at Oak Hollow. I was giving my pup Dixie a drink of water at the observation deck near the pond at Oak Hollow, when suddenly, a red-tail came majestically swooping down across the pond. As soon as it appeared, it was gone again. Since I was watering my dog, I could not attempt any photos (not that I would have gotten a good in flight shot anyway), but I thought maybe it would return if I was patient. So I focused on a House Finch in the trees, when suddenly it sailed back the other way over the pond. Again, it was too quick for me. But a few moments later, it came back, heading straight for me. As expected, my action shots were subpar. But unexpectedly, the hawk landed on a tree without leaves, very close to the observation deck. It was perched in the sunlight and my view was more or less unobstructed. I doubt I will ever get such a perfect opportunity to photograph this species - so close up in good light with few obstructions. Because of that, I felt it was worthy of a photo series, even if all the shots are pretty similar.

Because of the barring on its tail, I believe this bird is a juvenile.