HAWK AT WORK

It’s a rare opportunity that I get to photograph a hawk.  They are very flighty and often fly off when I get into shooting range.

I was driving along a country road and spotted some critter in a hilly front yard, still brown with winter.  I turned around and approached slowly, hoping to see what it was.  It appeared to be a hawk with its head buried deep in the grass.

It lifted its head and glanced in my direction.  I think it was a Broad-winged Hawk.  I was feeling lucky that it would be more interested in whatever prey it was eating and would let me get some pictures.

Fortune was with me, as the hawk returned its concentration to eating.  It leaned back into its prey with its mouth open.

It didn’t forget me, however, and occasionally it would look back at me.  I love it when I can get these front-on shots!  It gives the bird a whole different look.

I wondered what the hawk was eating since it was digging deeply into the field grass.  Hawks usually feed on small mammals, birds, large insects, and reptiles.

It didn’t give me much of a clue, however, when it came up again chewing on something that looked like twigs.

The hawk ruffled its feathers and emitted a piercing whistle.  It looked ready to take off.  Or was it letting me know it’d had enough of this picture-taking thing?  So I moved on, feeling both satisfied and fortunate.