Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk -- Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/1600s, ISO: 1250

Basically, I assume every hawk I see is a red-tailed hawk until proven otherwise.  I think it works out for the most part.  I'm always hoping to see golden eagles and occasionally I get lured into think I've spotted one only to discover it's a red tail.  Argh.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 150, image #1568.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk -- Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/1600s, ISO: 1250

I have my best luck with shooting hawks at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.  They sometimes like to hang out in the trees right along the auto tour route.  They're used to the cars there, I guess.  This was the first of two hawks I saw in the the trees there on Sunday before Thanksgiving.  I took so many pictures of this one I didn't even bother with the second red tail just around the corner.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II, 1/2000s, f/5.6, ISO: 250

This shot is from December.  I'm pretty sure this was the same bird I saw hanging around the shoreline for the entirety of 2014.  I haven't seen her (him?) lately.  Most of the birds have moved on now, but there are still plenty of rabbits and squirrels for the eatin', so I hope to see her back soon.

Beautiful Bird

Red-tailed Hawk -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm IS II, 

I caught this hawk in a tree on the auto tour yesterday at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in Merced,  Some hawks look tough, others look regal, others have an air of intensity.  This bird was absolutely beautiful.  Its legs looked strong and thick, its head sleek with rich colorful streaks of brown and gold.  Gorgeous.

Yeah, I'm kind of crushing on this bird.

Bad to the Bone

Red-tailed Hawk -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm f4.0-5.6 IS II, 1/125s, f/5.6, ISO: 6400

The sun was completely down when I came across this hawk sitting on a fence post just outside of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in Merced County yesterday.  I wasn't expecting much from this shot.  I had the f-stop at 5.6, which is as wide as it will go when zoomed out to 250mm.  The camera cranked the ISO up to 6400, which is as high as it goes.  I usually don't like the photos I get with a high ISO, they're usually too grainy.  In this case, though, I like how it turned out.  This bird looks like a bad ass, and the roughness added by the high ISO adds to the hard look of the bird.

I saw a lot of hawks at the refuge yesterday.  I'd guess I had to have seen at least four dozen.  I've never seen such a dense concentration of raptors, and I've been out to that refuge many times in the last couple of years.  I even saw a bald eagle a few miles away from the refuge yesterday, which is the farthest South that I've ever seen a bald eagle.