Red-tailed Hawk — By a Highway

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Recently, I went for a drive with a friend into the grasslands of the Sulphur Springs Valley, near the town of Willcox, AZ, about 70 miles southeast of Tucson. We were driving on a lightly-traveled public highway when we passed a Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a fencepost at roadside. I suggested that we turn around and try to make some images of the bird.

Red Tails aren’t the most timid of birds but they are averse to humans coming close to them. We assumed that the hawk likely would fly when we attempted to photograph it. But the hawk stayed put and we were able to observe and photograph it for several minutes from a close distance.

We were observing an adult Red-tailed Hawk. Its characteristics: dark brown plumage on its wings and back, a brown head, and a pale breast and abdomen mottled with dark markings, announced the hawk as a native of the southwestern United States and very likely not a winter migrant.

The lighting and the setting were just about perfect. It’s not often that one has the opportunity to make eye-level images of a Red-tailed Hawk at close range. The background of dead grass was distraction-free, and its color suited perfectly the mood of the images. The perch, an old fence post, was interesting. The lighting — a slightly overcast sky — was also ideal for portraying the details in the Red Tails’s plumage.

We were a bit puzzled at first as to why this hawk was so tolerant of humans, parked no more than six or seven meters away. The answer was quickly apparent. The hawk had been dining when we approached it. Remnants of its prey, likely a dove, were at its feet. The Red Tail was clearly reluctant to leave what was left of its breakfast. Furthermore, it was probably nearly sated and reluctant to fly with a full crop and stomach.

One thinks of Red-tailed Hawks as eating mostly rodents and not other birds. Doves are much more nimble and faster fliers than are the hawks, so Red Tails don’t chase them down in flight. But, if a Red Tail has the opportunity to seize an unwary dove that is perched on a low shrub or the ground, it certainly will.

Images made with a Canon R5, Canon EF 400mm f4 DO II lens+Canon EF 1.4x telextender, M setting (auto ISO). First two images, ISO 800, second two, ISO 1000. All images, f5.6 @ 1/3200. First, third and fourth images, +2/3 stop exposure compensation. Second image, +1/3 stop exposure compensation.