Red-tailed Hawks, Gilbert AZ

This is my typical photo of a red-tailed hawk: out of focus and nearly out of the frame.

Out-of-focus shot of red-tail hawk overheadSo, imagine my pleasure when one of these overhead shots actually worked out better.

Shot of red-tail hawk from underneathAnd then imagine my delight when a red-tailed hawk balanced itself against the wind gusts in a not-too-tall tree, just long enough for me to get a close-up.

Close-up of juvenile red-tail hawkWell, two close-ups. Wahoo!

Juvenile red-tail hawk balancing on branch in gusty winds

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10 Responses to Red-tailed Hawks, Gilbert AZ

  1. Jim Taylor says:

    The middle picture shows the talons that red-tailed hawks come with — not an optional extra, in their case. I once had those talons sunk into my thumb. An immature red-tail had knocked itself out, running into outliving room window. I picked it up. Without leather gloves.Expecting to move it to a safe place where it could recover and fly off. It was not completely knocked out, and decided that my thumb was the appropriate “safe place” to wait until its brain unscrambled itself. I can now understand why small critters — field mice, for example — might die almost instantly of shock when those talons sink in.
    JIm T

    • Isabel Gibson says:

      Jim T – Yikes. What’s that saying? No good deed goes unpunished? But good for you – and good for the hawk, I expect. Do you bear a physical scar as well as the mental one?

  2. Tom Watson says:

    Isabel
    I love the third picture. Great shot.
    Tom

  3. Fantastic. Some days it all comes together: luck and skills. Well done!

    • Isabel Gibson says:

      Laurna – Thanks! I remember being told that two traits were needed to learn another language as an adult – patience and perseverance. Turns out the same is true of many outcomes.

  4. Alison Uhrbach says:

    Love the bird photos! all of them!

  5. Mary Gibson says:

    Second pic is spectacular!

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