Redtail Hawk

On page thirty of my Raptors of California by Hans and Pam Peeters is a picture of a juvenile Redtail Hawk, and it has the blue 'cere' like this one...and like Zeke...and it looks just like this Hawk...and this one could be Zeke's twin...so...I'm prettypretty sure it's a Redtail Hawk!...add to this that I took the pic of Hawk in flight overhead just before one of my outrider critter spotters shouted out to me to come see....Hawk was next to one of Rooms for Rent parking lots...near Wee Bridge and the Creek...my neighbor friend who found Hawk for me often has the good fortune of seeing the Critters with a job that takes him around the grounds of Last Chance...and this is the third time I've had a very good Hawk photo session in the 'Frontyard' as it were....but this Hawk...which is now Dan's Hawk in the portrait gallery!...Dan insists...or says might be with assuredness!...is a Gosshawk...well..not so!, I'd say...but I'm martialling my defenses!

Got up early at Dawn with the 'chickens'...Blue Jays as it were!...did some laundry and had breakfast...and then curled up until ten thirty....at...ten thirty I had another snack at Last Chance...and then about...ten forty...I walked out to Owl Woods...and heard Hawk...got towed around by the calls a bit...even a glimpse of Hawk flying low through the trees...but lost Hawk and so went to Creek's End...Mallards were there...eight females and one male...doing bottoms ups just off Owl Beach...pics and clips...picked up and went to the Post Office..new storage drive...750 gig should last a little while!!...with arms full rode the Shuttle back to Lower Falls...and after some indecision...hopped off and walked to Deer House....looking above and past the Garage Roof I thought I saw a nest...and then flap flap flap...Hawk flew out of one the Old Oaks...(found a good web page about the Oaks...acorn production is erratic year to year...sometime bumper crops...sometimes hardly any at all...oh...this for sometime!!)...saw Hawk go off across the Creek...followed...then I got the pic of Hawk high over head while standing in the Creek bed...thought that's all I had for pics today...that and the Ducks!...but then just when I got to the Cabin door I heard another call...Dave Dave Dave....I just dropped everything...tripod too!...which was a mistake...had to do the video handheld...I got pretty close to Hawk...sneaking up using Cedar trunks for cover...dont know though that I could have sat right next to Hawk...so intent Hawk is on it's prey...I wanted to get clip of Hawk taking off...but I thought my presence might be disturbing...so picked up...just as well as the Paparazzi was arriving...hope Hawk got away with it's lunch okay!...sunny with some clouds and breeze...heavy shade made the Hawk pics difficult...some thoughts on this for the Gear Blog...but was very glad the new camera worked as the 12x took a noisier pic...and glad I had the 12x for the clips!...towards the end when Hawk stretches up...that's when I needed the tripod...I could have the clip with camera going by itself on the tripod...and with hands free taken a pic....oh..the routine lately has been to have breakfast between ten thirty and eleven at Last Chance...and then out for the walk...the curious are welcomed to come along!...Bear report out at Mirror Lake...and maybe report of Owl whoo whoos in the morning from Owl Woods...