A Juvenile Sharp-Shinned Hawk
During the height of the pandemic, I found myself indulging in bird photography more than ever.
During that time I had an unexpected close encounter with this beautiful juvenile sharp-shinned hawk perched atop a tree located on the Dungeness levee trail, prior to the river rerouting.
As I kept my focus on her, she scanned back and forth over the field below her, as I held my breath and somehow, she failed to see or hear me approach.
And though it wasn’t pleasant to witness the end results of her hunting behavior, watching the process was truly incredible, and within minutes I was doing just that.
Sensing movement in the field below her, her eyes immediately locked on a target as if guided by radar, then instantly, she took off, swept down, flipped her prey in the air, and landed her meal of the day…all within seconds.
And I congratulated her; I’m sure she’ll be feeding her young the same way someday.
What a beauty! Great shot.
Thanks much, Sandy! So glad you enjoyed it.