BOPIMBY (birds of prey in my backyard)

[T. Rush]

simply beautiful. Thanks for the photos. Keep' em comin.

[TiNi]

i really hope you get to see the twins take their first flight

great pics, thanks for sharing them with us

[Langanobob]

The babies from our neighborhood redtail nest are very slow at becoming skilled hunters and I think Mom and Dad feed them for a long time.  There are plenty of ground squirrel colonies and when a young redtail goes after one it invariably misses and continues the pursuit on the ground. The squirrels catch on real quick that the babies are klutzy and instead of fleeing for their lives, they dodge around and start a game of "Hey, here I am over here!"   Fascinating that these lowly ground squirrels have such a highly developed sense of sport and are literally willing to risk their lives for it.

I didn't see it myself but my neighbor saw a squirrel dart right between a baby hawk's legs and then stop and turn around to taunt him.

[duqette]

Wow! Great photos! Keep on postin'! 

Mmmmmmm .... squirrel ..... 

[Johnny OrganDonor]

Happy 4th.  The young hawks were all out of the nest this morning and moving all over the tree.

[Kopfjäger]

Happy 4th.  The young hawks were all out of the nest this morning and moving all over the tree.

They are looking for a better seat for the parade, and fireworks. 

[Johnny OrganDonor]

They hop and flap to different limbs and are starting to eyeball nearby trees.  We're thinking they may make the jump soon.




Lotsa preening this morning (and attempted larceny)


Check out that talon


Front and back shot


Lotsa flapping too - it was actually lifting off a bit but I couldn't catch a mid-air shot






Later

[Kopfjäger]

Won't be long. 

[Johnny OrganDonor]

Won't be long. 

Yeah, we're gonna be empty nesters   

Can't wait to see em fly though and don't want to miss their first flight.  Glad I'll be around for a few days.

[red baron]

I never realized how long their legs are.


Look out rodents.

[Kopfjäger]

I never realized how long their legs are.


Look out rodents.

That body will grow into those stems in a hurry. 

[Howie]

Send them on over to Da Bronks.  I have an Austrian Black Pine or a Magnolia for them and a lot of squirrels.

[Jarvicious]

Beautiful pics Johnny.  Growing up in Boy Scouts we had an active member that managed the local Raptor Center so he would freqently bring a random Redtail or the Center's beloved one winged Bald Eagle to Eagle ceremonies or large gatherings.  We have tons of raptors (of all kinds) here in central midwest and it's always so entertaining to see them floating around or on a fence post off the highway, but seeing them so close (and in your case, in the wild) is another experience all together.  Oh, and maybe I'm wrong here, but do your pics make them look a bit smaller than they really are?  I had one park outside my dorm in college for a day or two and on the ground she stood about 14 inches tall.  I'm pretty sure it was a Redtail Hawk anyway.  I can't get over the plumage on those chicks.  Stunning.

[Johnny OrganDonor]

.............. Oh, and maybe I'm wrong here, but do your pics make them look a bit smaller than they really are?  I had one park outside my dorm in college for a day or two and on the ground she stood about 14 inches tall............

The babies are still a bit smaller than the adults.  I think you're about right on the adult size.

Here are a few more shots from this morning.  I switched to a mirror lens for more focal length and a different depth of field blur



flaps up......check





flaps down......check





Mama brought in a fresh kill - maybe you can see a size difference.  I didn't realize that she was still tearing the meat and feeding the young ones - they're doing a pretty good job of tearing thier own meat.

[Langanobob]

All I can say is "Wow!"  Thanks again for taking the time to post these pictures.