
It is finally raining at The Holler even though we are still in the midst of the worst recorded drought in California history.

The rain isn’t nearly enough, but at least it will keep the hawks alive for awhile.

I am unable to adequately describe the hawks, I love them so.

Words fail, photos make due.

Hawks are my friends here.

So glad we moved to this iffy place, one of Southern California’s last remaining wild spaces.

The Holler is built on a mountain with an empty valley below. Hawks often fly at our eye level or below, allowing us to look down on them as they soar. Normally hawks fly high, above us all.

I suspect we all need to live this way, wild and free, and above it all.
Cheers to you from the indescribably free Holler Hawks~
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Hoping you gets lots of rain–without flooding.
Thanks, no flooding gentle rain~
All of the photos are extraordinary, but I love the first one the most with the drops of rain on his/her feathers.
There are such magnificent creatures. I can never get enough of them~
Some pictures are better than a thousand words :-). Enjoy the rain, I will enjoy the snow 🙂
Good! It is so important to enjoy whatever you have…..
It is going to be like last year. In December we said ‘Honey look its snowing” and it felt so good. In April we said “F*** it’s snowing again” LOL
brilliant… once again you captured one of my favorite subjects… stunning – thank you for sharing…
Ahhhh, thank you for appreciating the hawks~
Beautiful hawk photos! You had a much worse drought situation than we did. Hoping you get sufficient rain this winter to make up for it. 🙂
Oh I hope so too! The wild creatures and the plants and trees desperately need it~
Wonderful photos Cindy, I understand that you like them 😀
Kinda hard to miss my affection if you look at my blog!! 😉
Reblogged this on Spirit In Action and commented:
Yay! Rain! 🙂
YAY indeed and hugz to you my good friend~ <3
Klasse Fotos. LG. Wolfgang
Vielen danke Wolfgang! Freundschaft~ <3
Ich bin Wolfgang.
Es tut mir so leid. Ich reparierte diese . Bitte verzeihen Sie mir ! <3 <3
Breathtaking photos! 🙂
Very glad you enjoyed them!
Gorgeous photos, Cindy – so clear. Imagine, seeing raindrops on their feathers! You’ve captured their spirit – wild and free.
Just like we all need to be! Thank you my friend~
Beautiful photographs, Cindy, Congrats!
You are such a good person Ranu~ <3
Impressive flyer! Great close-up shot! It is as if I am seeing the real thing. 🙂
Sometimes cameras help us see real things better! It makes me think about the limits of human perception and belief~
I hope I could learn the same technique. I need a lot of practice though. 🙂
So do I! Practice with a camera is such fun, it doesn’t feel like practice even though it is….
Amazing.
Awwwww, mil grazi~
Magnificent!
So glad you think they are!
beautiful !!!!! Wanda
Merci beaucoup~
Hooray for the rain, Cindy! 🙂
I have never enjoyed rain this much!!!
Great on the rain. We are getting rain today. Fantastic photos!
Oh excellent about your rain and gracias tan bien~
Beautiful birds, great pictures, you have the knack of taking great photos. Keep up the posting. I enjoy seeing your photos. A.G.
Awwww, bloggers like you keep me blogging~
FAB!!!!
Gracias!
What beautiful photos! We have hawks here near NYC as well but I always have trouble photographing them.
Yes, I saw photos once of falcons nesting in downtown NY! I imagine they would be hard to shoot in NYC~
I know the ones you are talking about! I forgot their names (of course the NYorkers have named them). Haha!
I followed the story, that one and the story about the coyote living in Central Park who took the subway once…..
Thank you for the beautiful hawks and your gorgeous photos of them <3
Thank you more for the appreciation! You must be somewhere far out in the Pacific by now~
Leaving Hawaii tonight for Samoa 🙂
I love all these images, particularly the 2nd one.
Makes me glad I posted!
I saw that you were finally getting rain! I hope it doesn’t end up being too much of a good thing.
Not so far, gentle rain, we need storms!!!
Great photos and so happy you are getting rain!
Thanks so much & cheers to you~
I hope you and those g beautiful hawks get more rain. It’s hard to see friends suffer. The photos are spectacular.
Awwww, your kindness is inspiring~
Cindy I love Hawks too and see a lot of them on my train route! I adore your photos! I would love to see them flying above me like that! I wished we could send you some of our Oregon rain!! Hugz Lisa and Bear
Gorgeous Oregon! It is finally getting a little green here. Cheers & thank you Lisa~
So incredibly beautiful Cindy. Wishing I could be there for a long time too. Blessings Susan 💖 💖
Awwwww, very kind! It is good for the psyche to get away from human strife and hang out with the wild things.
Such fantastic pictures Cindy. I hope the drought breaks soon for you and for the hawks.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
Hoping for more rain…beautiful hawk 😊
Fantastic photos, Cindy. I really like the ones where the red tail is prominently lit by the sun. Great news about the rain; I live in northern Calif. and we’re having the same rain fantasia. Yesterday I caught myself thinking in regard to the rain, “It’s fresh! It’s free!”
Nothing like being deprived of rain for so long to make you really appreciate it! I know you are getting a deluge. My son’s flying back up today to look for his rattlesnakes…..
My lovely brothers and sisters! 🙂 Beautiful photos, as always. Peace . . .
Peace & gratitude~
And to you . . .
Beautiful! made me smile.
Your comment just made me smile!
I’m in tears watching the Hawks flying high… through your lens. The last one is glorious! So happy to hear about the rain, Cindy.
Awwww, you are a souful person who I am honored to know~
Seeing them, Cindy, makes me hunger for the glorious freedom of flight that they experience. The quiet spirituality of it….. Glad to see them again. As always, the pics are “Nat/Geo” quality. 🙂
…and RAIN !!!!!!! How long has it been ? Hope you get more, and on a regular basis for a while.
Your first sentence captures my feeling about them so perfectly. Thank you Paul. As far as measureable rain, this is the first of any substance in forever, we need much more. Cheers to you cuz~
wonderful – the blue sky – the wing span – the majestic beauty 🙂
So happy there are fellow hawk and nature lovers!
What a beauty. A red tailed hawk is one of the characters in my current work in progress. Inspirational shots, Cindy. Hugs!
Looking forward to reading & cheers to you~
Wow Cindy! Those hawk photos are so vivid. I could almost feel the “wind beneath their wings”
Capturing the images of these creatures is an ongoing passion, they are just endlessly fascinating~
LOVE the hawks. Getting some good rain here in N. California. Almost feels like normal winter!!
Yes you are getting snow pack too, no more skiing Christmas in Tahoe with no snow, It is still scarey for our state but there is finally some good news….
Good thing that it rains even though it is not enough but it better than nothing. It should ease off and helps the animals.
Looking at the these flying hawk pictures, I feel like I am following your eyes to see them lively flying along. Nice!
It is weird how after watching them a lot, one learns to pick them out of a big visual field. It’s like your eyes get trained to hawk spot, even though most of the photos aren’t good, I never give up because they are so awesome to watch~
Taking a bird in flight picture is not an easy task. You have done very well.
Thanks! Getting better with practice of course~
You captured their magnificence very well!
Awwwww so motivating to keep at it! Thank you~
Oh, you must be in visual heaven to have such beauties nearby: marvelous captures. I’m so-o-o-o-o-o-o-o happy that you have RAIN.
It has finally come, all the wild life is so happy. A coyote pup came close today. I talked to him and he didn’t run away. Unheard of. The birds were going to town taking pile on bird baths in the puddles. I took photos. You could feel the wild creatures joy, like the hawks when the rain came. Bliss. I hope they get more~
Indeed…
Greetings! My new blog address is:
http://tropicalfloweringzone.wordpress.com
Just been over and am now following. Looks really beautiful~
Thanks, I also liked your eagle image! Thanks for pasing by!
Beautiful pictures as usual Cindy! The photo of that wet hawk brings back memories of my days volunteering at a raptor rehabilitation center. When we brought in hoses to clean and refill their water dishes, some of the permanent residents (due to their permanent injuries) would approach to get a shower or bath! The look of that wet hawk reminds me of a certain golden eagle who’d immediately jump into her clean tub, bounce herself in it, and bathe right in front of us!
The drought has really affected the animals. We had a bear wander into the downtown of our city (probably looking for more food) and climb a tree near City Hall. You can see the picture here: http://www.kcra.com/news/bear-wanders-into-heart-of-redding/29774178 So, I hope we keep getting some good rain! 🙂
Yes! I have seen the wild creatures react to the rain for the last three days and have been amazed. All the birds rushing the puddles and takes endless baths for the sheer joy of it, a coyote pup who let me come near and talk to him, it just dawned on me now that he probably has never seen rain! You can sense the animals going, okay all reticence is over, aren’t we living creaures all just estatic with the rain! If people haven’t lived through drought in a wild place they would think I am being fanciful, but the more you live around wild creatures the more you learn, they are much like you! Thanks for knowing~
So glad to hear of the rain, especially for these beautiful birds you have captured. Getting them in flight really is wondrous Cindy. Fabulous.
Ahhhh, so encouraging and motivating! Thanks much~
First, gorgeous pictures! Second, your loving description of these hawks reminds me of how I feel about ospreys here at home. Free and above it all! Simply beautiful.
Yes, your love shines through! So glad to have met a kindred spirit!
I feel like I’m soaring with them. Such freedom. You are fortunate
To have these close encounters. I hope you get some much needed rain in the Hollar, a very special place.
Awwww, you are very kind and most appreciated~ <3
You are so right that there are no words to describe the beauty of these amazing birds.
Beautiful shots.
Thank you for knowing~
Cindy – your photography is exquisite. Every photo is a testament to your love for these amazing winged creatures.
Awww, you are a lovely person Rebecca. Cheers to you~ <3
You always surprise me with how detailed your photo’s are Cindy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one so close up. This guy would be excellent at Pilate’s, look how long and lean he is in flight with his talons perfectly in place. Very cool. The second shot looks like he’s coming for you? I’ve seen a Hawk snatch ducks of a frozen lake. Silly ducks would stay too long 🙁
So beautiful 🙂
Mil grazi~