Hanging Out with the Hawks Pt I (of III): Red Tails

Dec17

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(You really need to click to enlarge these photos to see these beauties close up!) I’ve been busy the last few days taking pics of hawks.

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I got to be up close and personal with Harris and Red Tail Hawks, hold, fly them, and photograph them.

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In other words, I was in heaven!

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Check out the pics of the red tail. Beautiful isn’t he! Next post I’ll introduce you to the Harris Hawks and show you them flying and hunting in tandem. Amazing!
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I took these pics at West Coast Falconery which is run by Kirk Selinger a licensed falconer and his apprentice Denise Disharoon. Kirk is a former National Geographic videographer, who now spends his time raising hawks, owls and vultures. He lives in a place just about as remote as The Holler, and we drove down a rutted dirt road to spend some time with him and his gorgeous birds. More pics of the red tail!
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This is a seven month old melanistic Red Tailed Hawk. It’s feathers are darker than normal due to excess melanin production.
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Here he is having a shower which he loves!
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To see Kirk’s operation click on: http://westcoast-falconry.com/falconry-education/west-coast-falconry-san-diego/
The Holler hawks have been very active and flying very close to me lately, so I’ll try to post some shots of them as well. Cheers to you from Hawk Heaven!

149 thoughts on “Hanging Out with the Hawks Pt I (of III): Red Tails”

  7. It looks so powerful, like the mythical bird Garuda!
    (It somehow reminds me of our national emblem which happens to be Garuda)
    😀

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  16. We have red-tails around our mountain year-round. We mostly see them gliding between the trees. A few years back a smaller hawk began roosting in woods around the bend. They have had several broods since. I mostly see them soaring a good distance up, so I have not gotten a positive identification, but I guess they are sharp-shinned by their color and wing spread.
    Oscar

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    • They should return to the nest each year as they are monogamous. When they get accoustomed to you watching them a lot (like me) they will fly close to you to check you out……if you have the time. I know the farm keeps you very busy. They are a joy to have around and I love to watch the mating flights, nesting and chick rearing. Cheers to you Oscar~

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  19. Pingback: Death as a New Beginning: The Art of Possibility | The Beauty Along the Road

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