Redtail hawk in my yard pics

[ws6guy]

Coopers hawk in my yard pics

I took these pics late summer of this hawk. He was very docile as he was right out side my back door. He didn't even care when I opened the door to get better photos. He hung around for about a half an hour. Edit to that he is a coopers hawk.

 

[Panama]

VERY NICE!

 

[Noble Sniper]

Great pics......... my daughter and I loved them Thanks for sharing them

 

[code_red]

Awesome! I love hawks. I was eating lunch in my car at work one day. I threw bread out for some birds. Next thing I know a hawk snatches one of them up. One of the coolest things I've seen.

 

[PriestEG]

thats awesome that he just showed up in your yard. was he on a gazeboo or something for these pics? kinda looks like a higher wooden 'hunting' stand

 

[shooter521]

Excellent pics! Raptors... nature's fighter jets.

 

[GlockFox]

Third one down is my favorite. You should consider entering those into the State Fair.

 

[Oliver]

Love them all, but the 4th one just looks like he is locked on to something.

 

[jason765]

A few months back I saw a redtail snatch some other little bird right out of the sky, it ranks up in my top 10 of the coolest things I've ever seen.

 

[OWGEM]

Nice sharp photos! My Sibley Guide to Birds says the long streaks on the neck and chest indicate a juvenile Cooper's Hawk. This makes sense as the Cooper's are more adapted to an urban setting. The Cooper's main diet is small birds. That is why I say I'm feeding the hawk bait when we fill the bird feeders.

 

[rem788]

My wife has a bird feeding station right outside our kitchen window. Occasionally when we are sitting and eating we will see a Cooper's Hawk swoop through. The birds scatter and the chase is on. Haven't seen one caught yet but very entertaining nonetheless. Watched a Redtail try to snatch a squirrel out of tree one time. Pretty much a standoff. The hawk knocked the squirrel to the ground one time and there was a brief struggle in the weeds, couldn't see clearly but the squirrel survived. The hawk eventually gave up and flew away. Way better than sitting in front of the TV.

 

[TheDude]

When ive seen them eyeing fields there is usually another a short distance away scouting another field. Beautiful pics OP.

 

[OWGEM]

I was extremely lucky once to come upon a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk who had just caught a snake. He was right next to the road at Muscatatuck National Wild Refuge just outside of Seymour. It has been my experince that one can get closer to juvenile hawks rather than adults. A once in a lifetime photo op...

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Hate to break it to a few folks, but a Red Tail hawk isn't likely to be the one chasing the birds. They tend to be a mite too heavy-bodied and a touch slow. Not saying they won't try, but that's not their main gig.

I also concur with OWGEM that it's an immature Cooper's Hawk. They look VERY VERY similar to a Red Tail.

I'll never know if it was a Cooper's Hawk or a Sharp-shinned Hawk, but I saw one take a bird on the west side of Indy a few years ago. I was driving east on 10th st, just passed Allison. Saw a little bird fly by...then a blur...then a few feathers floating down. The air-wave from my vehicle disturbed those feathers it happened so close. Another second of travel time, I'd have probably hit the hawk.

Love the raptors!!!

-J-

 

[Que]

Great photographs!

 

[Fordtough25]

Nice pictures OP! I see hawks of some type land up high on electrical towers around our farm all the time, they sit up there and scan for awhile then swoop down. Hunting at its core.

 

[ws6guy]

Thanks guys. After looking up pics of Coopers Hawks I believe that is what he was. So I've edited my original post. He was very cool to look at and I was only about 4 ft from him! He didn't have a care in the world that I was that close. I probably snapped around 75 pictures since I was trying out several settings on my dslr. I'm in the very beginning stages of learning how to use the camera.

 

[kmorris]

Nice pictures. I like #3. He is looking at you and wondering what in the world you are doing.

 

[Bane_FTW]

Great pictures, and the one with a snake is quite awesome! Thanks for sharing.

 

[memphis_125]

Wow! Great pictures! Thanks for sharing!