There was an VERY big surprise visitor in the backyard a week or so back.
Earlier in the day, I had seen a bird circling and it was at least a half mile away…it looked fairly large, even from that distance.
Three hours later I noticed a BIG shape in a sycamore tree…and there it was…the red tail hawk. It was a fair distance away, but I took a photo anyway with the expected blurry results.
Imagine my surprise when it turned around on the branch and looked toward where I was looking through the window. Leaning forward, it left the branch and it was off and flying… I captured another blurry image.
It took a second for me to register the fact that the amazing predator was gliding down to the ground, where it landed twenty feet from the window.
Look how well it blends in with it’s surroundings! It was such a thrill to see this magnificent bird so closely.
Wow! It’s like he said, “Wait a minute I will get closer so you can get a good shot and show off my plumage”.
It really felt like that’s what he was doing, lol!
They are amazing.
Just fantastic.
Fantastic you can take a photo of him
Ik had zoveel geluk!
Indeed a sighting and a half!
It landed there just to make sure you got the read the tale of the identification right.
Such a smart bird!!
I know that thrill. I know how it feels when you see that the photo is a bit blurry (but it’s still worth posting). Hard to do better when they are so far away. The closer picture is much clearer, and you have captured a great pose – great poses for all of them, really. I bet the little songbirds were not as thrilled as you were.
Thank you Anneli, I couldn’t believe that it came close enough to get a sharp image. I doubt I’ll get that lucky again. The little songbirds seemed unaware of the hawk that day, which is odd because usually there is not a bird in sight if a hawk is nearby.
Yes, and they suddenly go very quiet.