I have not seen any hawks at my local marsh for quite some time, so yesterday I was really happy when I heard the unmistakable sound of screaming Red-shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus). (Check out the sound file on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website if you have never heard the cry of these magnificent birds.)
From the sound of the loud screaming, I could tell that the hawks were not far away and eventually I spotted two of them soaring above the trees. After a few minutes, one of them flew silently into view and landed in a tree across the beaver pond from where I was standing. I suspected that he would not remain very long, so I decided to try to get some shots with the lens that I happened to have on my camera at the time, my Tamron 180mm macro lens, rather than take the time to set up my tripod and change to a longer lens.
Before long, I heard the cries of the other hawk and the one that I was watching took to the air and joined in the screaming. I was a little surprise to see that it flew laterally and downward, but I was able to track it pretty well and got the in-flight shot that you see below.
I was pleased to see that the lens was able to capture a pretty good amount of contrast and detail, even in heavily-cropped images like the two that I am posting. I enjoy the challenge of attempting to capture any birds in flight and look forward to more attempts as we move out of insect season, when my macro lens is use most of the time, into bird season, when I switch to a telephoto lens.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Hawks are so noisy! We names our neighborhood hawk, Screech! Great shot!
Thanks. I am amazed at the volume they put out and the fact that they can go on and on for what seems like hours.
That scream is music to my ears!
Are the ones that you see (and hear) primarily Red-tailed hawks? We have both Red-shouldered (like I photographed) and Red-tailed, though at this particular location, I am far more likely to see a Red-shouldered.
The most common ones around here are Swainson’s
Great shots, nothing better than hearing a hawk and looking up just in time to miss a shot of the lil’ bugger as he catches his dinner, that happened to me twice already..:-)
Thanks, Ed. I’ve seen them catch prey, but find it almost impossible to follow them with my camera when they are diving steeply and they usually disappear into the brush.
Great shots. It really is a brilliant lens.
Great shot! I happened to look out the kitchen window at just the right moment the other day and say a hawk fly by with a snake in its claws. I was pretty amazed and glad that I looked out a just the right time.
Wow. That was a pretty amazing sight. I have heard that hawks will eat snakes, but the only thing that I have ever seen one catch was some kind of mouse or vole.
What a treat. Great job capturing the screaming!
Thanks, Sue. It wasn’t exactly the right lens for the job, but I am happy that I managed to get a recognizable shot. I may need to get a 100-400 lens like yours.