We live on a hill and enjoy many raptors on a daily basis. The other morning I heard a crash and squeals coming front the front of our house. I
looked out the window and saw this....
Mind you this is through a window but only about 10' distant. At this time I could see some movement below his wing and squeals still.
Now I'm outside the front door in full view of the hawk, and with a 70-200mm zoom I'm into this like a field reporter
I'll save some of the more gory shots, but this went on for over two hours. Finally another hawk came on the scene making calls and the hunter
started getting nervous. My presence within full view and as close as 15' didn't bother him at all. He then flew off after stashing the rabbit under
a bush. We thought about burying the rabbit then figured he might come back later. Sure enough about 3 hours later he returned for another snack. I
mentioned we live on a hill. The front yard is opposite the hill and over the next 45 minutes he dragged the rabbit 70 ft to the driveway adjacent to
the hill and flew off with it in his talons.
We both were exhausted after following this event for hours. This hawk was fearless of our presence. Must have been really needing a meal.
We thought it was a Coopers Hawk. Big Oly will you confirm?
[Edited on 10-11-2013 by tripledigitken]bufeo - 10-11-2013 at 10:04 AM
Really great photos, Ken. Thanks.
Allen RSkipjack Joe - 10-11-2013 at 10:05 AM
Nice sequence of shots.bajabuddha - 10-11-2013 at 10:05 AM
.... so much for easter this year... (great shots btw!)BajaRat - 10-11-2013 at 10:09 AM
Cool shots Ken, Red tail maybe?
Wheres BigOly for the definitive ID
[Edited on 10-11-2013 by BajaRat]tripledigitken - 10-11-2013 at 10:10 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by BajaRat
Cool shots Ken, Red tail maybe?
Wheres BigOLe for the definitive ID
It could be I just don't know. It could have been a juvenile as it was so bold..........BajaLuna - 10-11-2013 at 10:31 AM
Wow talk about live action shots! Great photography, Ken!KaceyJ - 10-11-2013 at 10:41 AM
Good job on the pictures Ken
I prefer my cottontail stewed Italian style with gravy and polentabajabuddha - 10-11-2013 at 10:43 AM
I'm no birder, but seen enough redtails to say it's probably either a juvenile or female. Also, their breast feathers do whiten in winter months.
Just from the size there's little doubt it could be anything else. Only Swainson's get that large. Wabbits!! Be vewwy vewwy QUIET....
hahahahahahahaOsprey - 10-11-2013 at 10:53 AM
Horror and the Hawk
Rough and rural describes my neighborhood in the lowlands along the beach. A little village hunkered down between the shore and the talus of the
ragged ridge of mountains to the west, it can boast several types of bird habitat known by avid “Birders” as brush, sparse woods, semidesert, marshes,
arid scrub, farmlands.
This transitional desert on the Tropic of Cancer is temporary or permanent home to many species of hawks. Big hawks are seen atop phone and power
poles along farm roads. Smaller hawks like the Kestrel and the Sharp-shinned hawk zoom across highways and dirt trails, feeding closer to the ground.
There are at least three nesting pairs of Osprey diving for mullet and needlefish in the shallows of our local beach. Mexicans call the Osprey
Falcon Playera, the T Shirt falcon because of it’s white breast, dark wings.
I’ve been an awestruck spectator many times when the hawks and falcons have been feeding. When the Peregrines make their death-defying dives at
incredible speeds to intercept their usual prey, another bird, in mid-flight; the timing must be exact, the controlled collision quick and deadly.
That’s the split-second thrill that repays the falconer for his or her patience and dedication to the great bird and to the sport.
I never had the confidence to take on the profound discipline a falconer must have to raise and train these killers of the sky. The Cooper’s Hawk,
my favorite bird of prey, has been trained by falconers but its wild nature and unusual hunting methods have enamored it only to the fuzzy fringe of
people who call themselves Falconers. A true Accipiter, bird eater, it’s name says it all: accipiter cooperi. Small rodents, snakes, lizards and
insects make up a small portion of its diet.
In this neighborhood the Cooper’s is thriving. It has few natural predators; my Mexican neighbors don’t hunt them, shoot at them. They feed close
to the ground. The broad, stubby wings allow the small hawks to maneuver through trees, brush, fence wires to corner their small prey — surprise,
capture and kill all in one blink of an eye. In the next second or two the human eye can capture part of the escape. They usually take the same
twisting, dodging route to carry off their prize. The little hawks are focused and fearless; the whole episode can happen in your garden, under your
palapa, right at your feet.
A quirky smile was on my face when I once saw a Cooper’s dodge and dart through a formidable obstacle course of barbed wire, brush, trees and scrub
to steal a chick from under the watchful eye of a hen with eight other little fuzz-balls almost under her wings. The hawk was up and away before the
hen’s running, screaming outrage shattered the silence in the yard, startled the fat lady sweeping leaves from the stoop.
Although I have seen the agile Osprey dive into the shallows all morning without a single catch, I have never witnessed a single miss by a Cooper’s.
This tiny town was laid out for them, each lot seems to have its green and brown pylons of brush and bush and trees to allow the attacker to remain
unseen, slicing through the course, invisible until the last deadly second when it is too late for the prey to gain speed, height and a clear path to
safety. The little hawk needs only to have a stable vantage point above the yards of the houses; a place from which it can wait, watch for the
perfect setup.
A tiny ground dove pecking away in the dust at the base of a bougainvillea near the back wall of a small storage building is easy picking for the
Cooper’s. The delicate little bird may perhaps hear a broad wing flutter, glimpse, for only a part of a second, the fierce and fearsome eye of the
attacker, feel the thrust of the talons as they pierce feathers and flesh and bone; rendered limp and lifeless by the trauma, the crushing power of
the attack. No more than a morning snack to the little hawk, the tiny, dusky bird will be plucked and devoured in minutes from a safe perch not far
from this rustic bird cafe.
I’ve seen enough. Now, when small birds land in my yard to feed, I shoo them away. The wrens, woodcreepers, doves and sparrows I drive away, much
as I like to watch them. No more Hitchc-ck moments for me. I spend more time now at the beach, rejoicing at the near-misses of the majestic but
hapless Osprey.DianaT - 10-11-2013 at 11:15 AM
Fantastic photos! Seems like a good time for everyone, except of course for the rabbit. I do feel for rabbits because they are lunch for so many
animals.
Thanks for posting these ---and getting a shot with both eyes, great!
On edit --- which camera were you using? Sony or Nikon? Thanks
[Edited on 10-11-2013 by DianaT]
Great series of photos Ken,
BigOly - 10-11-2013 at 11:24 AM
Not an Accipiter (Cooper's). Their chests are never un-streaked or not covered with colored feathers anywhere at any age. This is a Buteo. The pale
legs were throwing me off but I see some yellow in the last shot. This bird appears to be a juvenile (1st year) Red-tailed Hawk.
[Edited on 10-11-2013 by BigOly]
[Edited on 10-11-2013 by BigOly]tripledigitken - 10-11-2013 at 11:28 AM
Thanks BigOly, can you ID the bird?BigOly - 10-11-2013 at 11:43 AM
Sorry Ken, my finger had a twitch when I was posting my reply. 1st year Red-tailed Hawk.Osprey - 10-11-2013 at 12:18 PM
Oly's right again. Sorry Ken for the sidetrack story but I thought it was an appropriate opening. Pretty words, different bird.Mexitron - 10-11-2013 at 01:22 PM
Dramatic pics, good job!tripledigitken - 10-11-2013 at 04:20 PM
Diane,
They were taken with the Nikon D7k with the Nikkor 70-200 2.8.
Thanks,
Kentripledigitken - 10-12-2013 at 08:54 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Osprey
Oly's right again. Sorry Ken for the sidetrack story but I thought it was an appropriate opening. Pretty words, different bird.
