Red-tailed hawks watched over our backyard for years. Once, there were two large pecan trees close by; the taller tree, in my neighbor’s yard, was 60+ feet. A similar tree stood next to our house, so close that it was encroaching on the foundation and had to be removed. Pecan trees attract squirrels and rats, and we had plenty of both. The squirrels were so bad that they dug up bulbs in the backyard and destroyed my herb garden on the deck. The rats got out of hand, leading to my sealing every possible nook and cranny leading into the basement. Then, the red-tailed hawks, barred owls, and a falcon came.
A red-tailed hawk used to sit in the neighbor’s pecan tree on a limb that was only about 30 feet from our bedroom window. He would sit patiently for long periods before dropping down on a clueless victim. Once the trees were removed, the hawks, barred owls, and the falcon left for better hunting.
Pictured here is a yearling red-tailed hawk (male, I suppose from it markings). He appeared on the day of the first snow in seven years. My wife spotted him sitting about 90 feet from our deck against a bright sky with falling snow. I had a Maxxum 7 loaded with UltraMax, so I grabbed it and took the first shot with the attached 100mm f2.8 macro lens. Hoping for a better shot, I ran and grabbed the Sony A100 DSLR and my new, and mostly unused, Minolta 100-400mm APO zoom. These are not the best photos I’ve ever taken, but I am pleased to see a new generation casting a watchful eye over the yard. Maybe I’ll try growing herbs on the deck again.
