Red-shouldered Hawk in January

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Red-shouldered Hawk in January

January 5, 2016 by Mike Powell

I got excited yesterday morning when I spotted a hawk perched high in a tree at my favorite marshland park. The light was coming from a good direction and I was able to identify it as a Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus).

Frequently the hawks I see will sit in the same position for a long, long time, but this one kept changing positions. Maybe the branch was not comfortable or maybe the wind was bothersome. Whatever the case, I was able to have a miniature portrait session with the hawk as I tried to capture its best side.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Alexandria VA, Buteo lineatus, Canon 50D, hawk, Huntley Meadows Park, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 12 Comments

12 Responses

on January 5, 2016 at 7:40 am | Reply ramtopsrac

Stunning photography. Not a huge hawk from what I can see.

Must have been nice to have the sun behind you. I keep making attempts on the Buzzards and Red Kites here in Hants, England, but light levels are low with persistent rain and cloud, or the sun is in the wrong place. Or I’m busy with church stuff when the sun is out! Frustrating.
- on January 5, 2016 at 7:44 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. Given our recent gloomy weather, having sunshine at all was really nice, even if it was cold and windy. (Fortunately the weather here is not as persistently grey as seems to be the case in England.) The hawk was so high in the tree that it was hard to get a feel for its size, though I suspect that might have been bigger than it looks. I was shooting at a pretty steep angle looking up and I thing the perspective causes some distortion.
on January 5, 2016 at 7:50 am | Reply Sukanya Ramanujan

Beautiful photographs! It’s not always easy to get these shots as they are so high up and are out mostly when the light is quite harsh!
on January 5, 2016 at 8:43 am | Reply Lyle Krahn

A hawk like that makes for a great shoot. Glad you had the extended opportunity.
on January 5, 2016 at 11:17 am | Reply Sally Morris

Great shots! This looks like a young hawk, I don’t know much about hawks.
We used to have a hawk that sat in a big pine tree in my neighbor’s yard. In early spring he/she would sit there in the sun for a long time. They are just majestic. I always have had bird feeders thus supplying a deli for the hawks!
on January 5, 2016 at 4:25 pm | Reply Beachbums1

Beautiful photos, beautiful hawk!
on January 5, 2016 at 5:59 pm | Reply Charlie@Seattle Trekker

You really got some amazing shots, the first one in the series is particularly spectacular.
- on January 6, 2016 at 4:52 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Charlie. I usually try to lead with my strongest shot. It’s always especially nice to capture a somewhat unusual pose, which was the case with the first shot.
on January 5, 2016 at 9:56 pm | Reply kenneturner

Very good!
- on January 6, 2016 at 4:45 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, kenne.
on January 6, 2016 at 4:54 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Nice of the bird to let you get such good photos. I wonder if that broken stub of a branch is a favorite perch that it returns to often.
- on January 6, 2016 at 5:06 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Allen. This perch is up really high in a tree, near the very top, which is one of the reasons why I was able to get multiple shots. I have heard others say that they have seen the hawk at the same spot, so I suspect that you are correct about it being a favorite perch.