Redtail Hawk

Item DSC-9986- This is probably the most common hawk in North America. If you’ve got sharp eyes you’ll see several individuals on almost any long car ride, anywhere. Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings. Other times you’ll see them atop telephone poles, eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a vole or a rabbit, or simply waiting out cold weather before climbing a thermal updraft into the sky. Most Red-tailed Hawks are rich brown above and pale below, with a streaked belly and, on the wing underside, a dark bar between shoulder and wrist. The tail is usually pale below and cinnamon-red above, though in young birds it’s brown and banded. Image was captured at my residence in western Rowan County. Nikon D810 camera with Nikon 80-400mm lens @400mm. ISO 500, f8, @1/2000 second. I was in my shop when I noticed the hawk was circling overhead. I grabbed my camera and started shooting.