Flight~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Uncategorized, Wild Life

Harris Hawks lift off from my glove,

soar straight up in the sky to fly,

and land precisely back with Jim.

Flying hawks is incredible.

Lethal precision hunters,

they are woe to birdies in the sky,

and critters fleeing on the ground.

They are savage beauties,

and magnificent creatures.

Cheers to you from the Harris Hawks~

264 thoughts on “Flight~”

  12. Just wow – they’re gorgeous and powerful but look at those talons. I bet prey never knows they’re coming! Were they heavy or hard to hold on your wrist? Thanks for sharing this experience with us!

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    1. One of the most amazing things about raptors is their silent approach. I have been dived by harrier hawks and great horned owls. They are silent, especially the owls. An owl ruffled my hair as he dove at me. It was a warning. He could have easily hurt me. I never knew he had launched until I felt his air currents ruffle my hair. Thrilling experience. They are so controlled დ

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  15. One might not be so far from right thinking you’re actually a bird come back to earth in human skin. I understand the “glamor” of these hawks, but also have an eye for the far flung flight of an albatross. Imagine months long flight never coming to ground or sea. Now that’s living in air (tho they land kinda like a brick). Confess too fondness for gulls, though know what a ruckus they can make – love them anyway.

    Happy wings for you Cindy.

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    1. I have followed many albatross and they are magnificent pelagic birds. They were particularly amazing crossing The Drake Passage into Antarctica, both there and back we had unusual calm skies. I also saw them nesting on Cape Horn. Magnificent creatures, living for years in ocean before they come ashore to nest. They follow the wakes of boats and glide on the air currents დ

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      1. The new comment button seems to have gone AWOL so I’m piggybacking here – sorry! You reeled me in with that wonderful first shot. What a stunning series of photos of this exciting bird.

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  20. Oh my goodness, you are living one of my dreams to fly a hawk.
    How wonderful are those photos.

    I had the next best thing on Tuesday if this week.

    A Sparrow Hawk sat on my garden fence.
    He frightened all the Sparrows into hiding and complete silence in my shrubs.
    He flew away empty beaked . Thank you so much for making my morning xx 😘
    💙💙💙

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    1. How wonderful to see this! I am happy for you. Falcons have the same effect. If every bird instantaneously vanishes from our feeders, I know a falcon is in the air and I go out to look at him. Eerie experience დ

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  30. They are such a glorious bird Cindy, they hold themselves proud. Great pictures and to hold one so close would have been a delightful encounter. Thank you for sharing dear lady, it was beautiful to see 😀❤️🙏🏽

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    1. Now that is my kind of Inn. I would love to stay there. We have Swainson’s hawks that congregate in large numbers in the spring when the wild flowers bloom in the desert for the sole purpose of eating the catepillars that eat the flowers! We are going to see them next week დ

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  43. I have been watching the hawks here diving down and they are amazing. Wonderful photos Cindy. The circle of life is something we all have to accept, even those little birds and rodents.

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    1. Yes, we do. Raptors have an important role to play in keeping the ecological balance. Watching hawks dive is simply incredible. I am glad you experience this Carla დ

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  45. Hi Cindy, hawks are lots of fun to watch! There aren’t any Harris hawks by me, but we have lots of other species. I particularly enjoy watching the Coopers hawks, since they’ll sometimes land on the ground and chase their prey on foot. I believe Harris hawks do the same thing.

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  50. We have some type of smaller Eagle that hunts our neighborhood. They search f0r their pry so high in the air and they make make this screeching noise, like they are talking to one another. Great photos.

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  63. Cindy – a fabulous collection of photos. You know how to position the camera to offer us the very best view. I had never heard of Harris hawks before and when Tim suggested they hunt in groups, I had to find out more. Can you imagine that they have a wingspan of up to four feet, and can weigh up to three pounds. And yes, they are social birds and often hunt in groups of two or more, with each bird taking a different role in the hunt. We live among extraordinary creatures. Thank you for bringing us the best of Harris hawks.

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    1. We learn new things everyday from our wonderful blogging community. I love the co-operative hunting factoid. I would so love to see this! Thank you dear Rebecca & take good care my friend დ

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  73. Pingback: Flight~ — (from Cindy. Don’t miss any of the amazing photographs.) | Rethinking Life

  85. Pingback: Flight~ – charles french words reading and writing

  86. I think I’m justified in being a little scared of this big guy, Cindy! He’s definitely magnificent, but I’d hate getting caught by those claws and that beak!

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    1. Thank you Lakshmi. I am a solo birder. I can’t imagine getting any acceptance of my presence with a wild bird in a group of people. I like being alone in nature. Thank you for asking Lakshmi & take good care დ

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  95. Amazing. Yes, they are beautiful killers. And so useful. Their drastic decline in France has led to an explosion of rodents and other “pests”…
    It must have been a unique experience to have one fly off yout -gloved- hand.

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  106. My friends daughter has been training for years now with hawks it’s incredible to see her raise a baby and free it to the wild . Are you guys trainers as well? These photos are beautiful!!!

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      1. Oh and do they ever train us.. I see the hawks and eagles soaring our front yard and area and I can hear them chatting to one another… I can also hear them talking when my little dogs come out… I had to get them coyote jackets.. the wear large prey eyes on their backs w protective spikes on their backs and proven materials eagles can’t penetrate.. I’m a hawk out there too when their out 😂beautiful to watch .. untrusted with my dogs.

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  107. I’ve got red-tail hawk and maybe some eagles in my area.
    But not that magnificent Gent! Wow! Thanks for sharing all the birdies!!
    Nature is beautiful.

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