Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Red-tailed Luck


I was leaving the lake and noticed something in a field nearby. As I got closer, I realized it was a hawk. I immediately pulled over and, being the "always prepared" photographer, I picked up my camera that was ready to go next to me. Not! My camera body and lenses were all packed in the bag. I scrambled to get the gear out and put together just knowing when I looked over, the hawk would be gone. As luck would have it for once, the hawk was still sitting there. I rested the lens on the truck window and was able to get a couple of dozen shots.





1/1600 sec. f/8 ISO 200



42 comments:

Mary Howell Cromer said...

These are incredible and how fortunate that you could move so quickly without scaring this beauty off before snagging some amazing images. Well done Brian~

eileeninmd said...

WOW, awesome sighting and photos! Well done, Brian!

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

I know that feeling of seeing a hawk on the roadside and either not being able to stop or needing to fetch the camera out of the trunk! Very nice shots of the Redtail.

Gary Jones said...

A great series of shots Brian, I now try whenever possible to have my camera ready on the passenger seat, have so many opportunities when out and about and no camera to hand!!

Sharon M said...

I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one who has scrambled to get the camera ready for that sudden "pull-over" shot! Beautiful bird you found there.

Andee said...

Glad you got your gear together in time! The shots are great. The red tail hawks have destroyed my bird population. I'm going to have to come up with a creative solution for my feeders this Spring.

Amy Burzese said...

Wow. This was your lucky red tail! When my camera is ready, there isn't a subject, and when it isn't ready . . .

MTWaggin said...

I can so relate to the story - usually how mine go but I don't get the magnificent shots you did!!! Wonderful.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that third shot is really impressive! And I do that all the time, button up the bag, begin heading home and then need the camera instantly and have to dig to put it all back together to shoot, most of the time the shot is gone, but you really hit the jackpot!

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

You are lucky he sat there and waited for you. Great series of shots!

Deb said...

those are awesome Brian...I have missed so many shots leaving some where because everything was packed up....glad you got them...

TexWisGirl said...

i was buying the whole 'always prepared' bit. :) of course, if you drive like i do, your camera would be pretty banged up then. just sayin...

really great shots. i like the intensity in his eye as he begins to fly off.

Anonymous said...

Hawks are just so fasanating to me. I lived on Eagle lake two years ago.

Not once did I see of an Eagle.

I went to our best friends place

20 minute drive away.

Sure enough was a beautiful Eagle.

This is a Hawk you have. What is

the difference of the two. They are both land hunters right. Mice and so forth?



The Eagle has the white head and the Prim and proper pose in a tree. Like He or she is the look at me look. A proud Specie.

Do these also kill rabbits and cats? or just what I mentioned.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Ok, he was like 1-2-3 GO! Nice shots Brian!

Dan said...

Fortunate and stealthy!

Congrats on capturing wonderful shots.

Debbie said...

i'm lovin' those splashes of yellow!!

so happy he waited around, these are beautiful brian, crisp and clear!!

HansHB said...

This is WOW, awesome photos!

Anonymous said...

These are beautiful captures! What an impressive bird!

EG CameraGirl said...

Great shots! How nice the bird waited for you to ready your camera!

Adam Jones said...

Absolutely fantastic shots.

Lisa Sall - Sall's Country Life said...

He thought he was stopping for mug shots! Now you can add his photos to the book of stalkers and attackers!

Leenie said...

Good fortune favors the well prepared. Wow!

barbara l. hale said...

Those are fantastic! I particularly like that third one. You do pretty darn well while unprepared.

Lindsjö taxar said...

Wow, awsome pictures you have here...I always have my camera ready in the front seat without camera bag

Alan Pavey said...

Brilliant shots Brian, birds almost always go when you have to scramble for the camera, I'm glad it stayed :-)

Liam said...

Wow1 Those are some amazing photos! :):):)

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Oh my goodness that handsome fellow posed absolutely perfectly for you. Not only did he wait for you, but he also showed you all his best poses..wow!

Rohrerbot said...

Nice!!!! It's sometimes dangerous driving a vehicle as a photographer. Like you, I have my camera in hand for ....anything. Nice captures!

mick said...

Beautiful photos and certainly lucky that the bird waited around for you.

i stora drag said...

Congrats to those beautiful photos of the hawk! Greetings Pia

Modesto Viegas said...

Great shots!!!
Well done!

Neil said...

Beautiful photos I was waiting for the in flight one at the end.

Anonymous said...

Me too, Neil! All these shots are great, Brian, but the last one is my favorite. What lens and settings were you using?

Meggie said...

Oh, Brian...hawks are such interesting creatures. I have seen my share, but never able to photograph any. Spectacular photos!

Stewart M said...

Great pictures! The number of times I have put the camera in the boot ("trunk" to you I think!) only to have bird pop up! My wife gives me a very hard stare if I has her to hold the camera when we are driving! And If she is driving and I have the camera, the birds are always on her side!!!

Thanks for linking to WBW

Stewart M - Australia

Kerri Farley said...

Ah Brian ..... your images are wonderful! Looks like you were right down on the ground with him!

Liz said...

Wow!! These are amazing! It's almost as if he was posing for you.

Millie said...

Amazing captures! I never find such cooperative wildlife. For some reason I can't use my open ID, so Millie's posting for me.

Saun said...

Great shots he is beautiful!

Gail Dixon said...

You are indeed lucky you were able to scramble and get your gear ready. These hawks are very hard to capture and extremely skittish. These are phenomenal poses. Exquisite detail. Impressive!!

Tezzie said...

Amazing luck finding such a gorgeous bird to photograph (and, lucky bird getting his portrait done by such a pro :D) Interesting textured bokeh, btw!

Ida said...

Amazing shot and such a gorgeous and majestic bird.
I saw a Hawk the other day and tried to get a picture but again bad zoom on the PS camera and then the hawk landed in a plowed field and blended in so well I could hard see it against the dirt.