Red-tailed Hawk Taking Flight photo by Larry Jordan
I caught this Red-tailed Hawk taking off from its perch, or should I say it caught me taking its photo and took off. The easiest way to ID a Red-tailed Hawk from below is the dark bar at the fore edge of the wing. The adult will also show a light chest with a dark belly band like this bird.
But the best way to be sure of the ID is when the Red-tailed Hawk banks enough to see the top of its tail. It then becomes obvious.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great Skywatch Friday! Go see the other great sky photos too!
17 responses so far ↓
1 kitty // Nov 26, 2009 at 11:45 am
An impressive bird! I actually really like the taking-off shot – it’s legs look so powerful.
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2 Eaglesbrother // Nov 26, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Simply fantastic shots of the Red tailed Hawk…we have some here I keep trying to get closer to for a better photograph..seldome succesful..as they are rather shy.
Eaglesbrother
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3 John // Nov 26, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Cool shots! I like how red-tails give the appearance of having landing gear.
.-= John´s last blog ..SkyWatch: Magnolia =-.
4 Eileen // Nov 26, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Happy Thanksgiving. Great shots of the Red tailed hawk.
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5 Rune // Nov 26, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Great shots! Happy SkyWatch
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6 eden // Nov 26, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Beautiful shots . Happy Thanksgiving
.-= eden´s last blog ..Sky Watch Friday =-.
7 Tricia // Nov 26, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Fantastic ‘In Flight’ shots!
.-= Tricia´s last blog ..Sky Watch Friday – An October Evening =-.
8 Japa // Nov 26, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Impressive shots of hawk and the skies.
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9 Twitted by FroggyFitz // Nov 26, 2009 at 9:53 pm
[...] This post was Twitted by FroggyFitz [...]
10 VioletSky // Nov 27, 2009 at 3:33 am
You can really get a sense of his impressive wingspan at this angle! His body looks puny in comparison.
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11 Elisabeth // Nov 27, 2009 at 3:40 am
Congratulations on these shots…not an easy task. Very nice captures.
.-= Elisabeth´s last blog ..SkyWatch Friday =-.
12 Nicole // Nov 27, 2009 at 9:01 am
He’s gorgeous!
Congrats on these beautiful shots!
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Rainy in Egypt =-.
13 Joe Todd // Nov 27, 2009 at 10:36 am
Hawks and sky go together . Very nice
.-= Joe Todd´s last blog ..SKY WATCH FRIDAY:: SKIES OVER LANCASTER,OHIO ON THANKSGIVING DAY 2009 =-.
14 chris // Nov 27, 2009 at 11:58 am
Hi Larry,
I’m so envious of your raptor pictures. I’ve almost never been able to get one, even of the common raptors in France. I guess one has to know them a bit to get these nice shots like yours!
.-= chris´s last blog ..Here we are! =-.
15 Paula // Nov 27, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Really cool photo and thanks so much for the birding tips, they’re very, very helpful.
.-= Paula´s last blog ..Monochrome Weekly: Unfurling Banana Leaf & Two Announcements =-.
16 Debra // Nov 28, 2009 at 11:31 am
These really are fantastic shots and I love the one of the hawk taking off! I am quite envious that you are able to get such wonderful shots of birds in flight. I’ve been trying to get a good shot of two eagles that fly over our house from time to time, but I haven’t figured out the right settings to have my camera on, so they are always just a little blurry. I’m wondering if I need a different lens too. Anyway, I am determined to get a good shot of them someday!
.-= Debra´s last blog ..Skywatch Friday =-.
17 Scott // Nov 30, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Were these shots captured at your home? If so quite jealous.
Heather and I went birding along the levees on Sunday and saw quite a few red-tailed hawks. Just love them!
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