Hawk Overhead
Kelly Townsend, the photographer who took these beautiful images on March 10, writes:
I had been seeing a hawk flying low over the meadows on the west and north sides of the park for about ten days. Sometimes I had seen him hovering and wondered what it could be because it certainly didn’t appear to be a Kite. Osprey, I wondered? I rarely had my camera with me but on this very windy day I did. When I arrived on the northwest side of the park, the hawk was hovering directly overhead. I was able to shoot for a solid ten minutes with it hovering about 20 feet above me. At moments he appeared to be looking straight at me. At times he came as low as six feet from the ground about ten feet away. Spectators gathered around and some cheered me on as it was such rare timing. Watching his eyes and head scout the terrain, it was clear he was not after squirrels. I could only guess he was waiting for a gopher. I savor that day as I am not expecting to have such a spectacular moment again any time soon!
It pays to have your camera with you in the park! Thank you, Kelly, for sharing these exceptional photographs.
Loveliest close up photo of a Red-Tailed hawk that I have ever seen! Amazing detail of the feathers and the intense look on the face. I am fascinated and in awe every single time I sight a Red-Tail hawk, whether soaring the skies or perched on a wire or tree limb.
the caption says “red-ailed” — i guess a typo. But it’s not Red either? i wonder why the name…?
What a gift! These are spectacular. Thank you.