My second Red-shouldered Hawk sighting on Tuesday’s walk was further off the path, but with no leaves on the trees I had a clear view.
This hawk was looking more put together than the bedraggled one from Sighting 1 and notice his tail is held tightly together.
The hawk was watching all around him, but with one foot up was pretty relaxed.
On my walk around Magnolia Plantation and Gardens yesterday I came upon three separate Red-shouldered Hawks just waiting to be photographed. This first one was perched over a small pond, looking like he’d just been for a swim.
He’s got what looks like duck weed stuck to his chest.
He was sitting with his tail somewhat fanned out, showing of the stripe on the underside.
Some preening and fluffing up made him look more bedraggled, at least temporarily.
This Red-shouldered Hawk at Magnolia Plantation took up a number of perches along the entry road, always showing me his same side.
The area he was watching is not running water but is always wet, likely home to some interesting lunches.
Every few minutes he moved 20 or 30 feet (6-8 Meters) and I did not see him try to catch anything.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, 12/08/2019
He had plenty to say, in bird talk, on this grey day.
And then he waited.
I moved on before he did.
Magnolia Audubon Swamp, Charleston, SC
December 17, 2019
Red-shouldered Hawks have become acclimated to human presence around the swamp and frequently will sit in trees just off the trail.
This one moved only his head as I passed by. The path curved around the tree so I was able to get a front view of this handsome bird.
I mentioned in a post yesterday that I hadn’t seen any Red-shouldered Hawks close up in months. I was delighted to see a second one in much better light just a half hour after that shot.
A Red-shouldered Hawk was perched just off the trail I was walking last week. This is the first one I’ve seen close up in months.
I see it!
What Ellen sees at first:
What Ted sees at first and I saw after circling to get a better view:
The big picture, taken when I first got out of the car, liking the tree but still not noticing the Hawk on the left:
I expected the Hawk would be long gone before I got any closer.
Good bye!
Perched over a boggy area at the edge of the swamp this Red-shouldered Hawk had just swooped in and seemed on high alert, probably looking for a meal.
He spent a few minutes here studying the area then moved on without even trying to catch lunch.
Check out his talons, curved around that branch. This is how they squeeze their meals. (Turtle, It’s What’s For Lunch)
I saw this Red-shouldered Hawk standing on the ground at the side of a pond and approached slowly. Other times I’ve seen them do this the bird was squeezing his next meal, but I didn’t see any food here.
Afterwards, when I zoomed in on what I thought was a tree root or Cypress knee, it turned out to be a turtle standing on its end.
Who knew a Red-shouldered Hawk could lift so much?He didn’t struggle at all and disappeared into the woods with his catch
I don’t know what made the hawk take off; I was standing still and the only human in view.
These were taken with the Sony Alpha 6500 which uses an electronic viewfinder, not the best arrangement for images of birds in flight due to the lag time.
Sony Alpha 6500, Sony 55-210 mm, at 210 mm.
