Redtail Hawk with Snake

FM Forum Rules
Rules: One new topic per day

FM Forums \| Nature & Wildlife \| Join Upload & Sell	Search Used
1 2 3 4 5 end

Archive 2008 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #1 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

This is a pair of Redtails I've been fortunate to record for the last 3 years. In that time they have fledged 8 young ones. This year I got to watch 3 very healthy youngsters leave the nest. The parents are wonderfully attentive and hard working and there was a constant rotation of different meals coming in, often without the typical battle for food as seen in the other 2 years. This is the largest snake I've seen the female bring in and she had just taken it's head off and was holding it down on top of a light standard, where it was still thrashing around when I arrived for picture taking. She flew off with it for awhile till it stopped thrashing, I assume so it would'nt knock any of the fleglings off the ledge. There are also a lizard and a squiirel being delivered along with another small rattler. Not the most photogenic nestsite and background, but it does afford a fine opportunity to watch a successful pair of Redtails raise their families.
1of11

2012 © cbright

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:40 AM

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #2 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

2of11

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:41 AM

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #3 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

3of11

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:42 AM

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #4 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

4of11 Wings tucked in a high speed descent

2012 © cbright

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:43 AM

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #5 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

5of11 The Rattlesnake

2012 © cbright

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:44 AM

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #6 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

6of11

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:44 AM

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #7 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

7of11

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:45 AM

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #8 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

8of11

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:45 AM

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #9 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

9of11

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:46 AM

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #10 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

10of11 Youngster paying with a rattle

2012 © cbright

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:47 AM

Mstic
Offline
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #11 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

wow...amazing...they made their nest on top of some building?

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:48 AM

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #12 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

A lecture on the virtues of being a vegetarian.

2012 © cbright

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:49 AM

Imagemaster
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #13 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

Great collection, Chris. Good to see wildlife adapting to urban sprawl. Why doesn't some birding group install a more suitable nesting foundation on that building? They do it with Osprey on top of power poles.

Tony

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:53 AM

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #14 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

Imagemaster wrote:
Great collection, Chris. Good to see wildlife adapting to urban sprawl. Why doesn't some birding group install a more suitable nesting foundation on that building? They do it with Osprey on top of power poles.

Tony Hi, Tony. Thanks you. The company that owns the building is very protective of these guys, they have been so successful they are reluctant to change anything. The birds have nice warmth in the day and I assume the building holds some heat in the stone facade for nights. These 2 return and build every year and the nests seem to be pretty sparse, just enough so to speak. They are great hunters, with the Dad bringing in the bulk of the rabbits and squirrels and the female constantly sceaming at him to get more.

Jun 10, 2008 at 04:01 AM

cbright
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #15 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

Mstic wrote:
wow...amazing...they made their nest on top of some building?
Well it is actually on a ledge above some windows about 18 ft off the ground in the open with lots of people passing by all day. Very cool to watch.

Jun 10, 2008 at 04:04 AM

harshaj1
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #16 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

Awesome series Chris.5,6 and 7 are super action shots. Thanks for sharing.
Harsha

Jun 10, 2008 at 04:04 AM

Tim Kuhn
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #17 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

Chris amazing shots, wonderful behaivioural stuff. The fact that the head is removed from the snake, just plain amazing! Too cool and very well done. Wow, I learned something from this, thanks.

Tim

Jun 10, 2008 at 04:43 AM

Thang
Online
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #18 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

amazing shots Chris. Was that a rattler?

Jun 10, 2008 at 05:51 AM

Jfarmer
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #19 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

Very cool. I was just telling some of my students how hawks eat snakes. Nice story in these shots.
Jon

Jun 10, 2008 at 06:10 AM

JJBub
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #20 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

HI Christopher,

Great shots. Amazing and very cool to see. Thanks for sharing.

Jun 10, 2008 at 06:25 AM

1 2 3 4 5 end
FM Forums \| Nature & Wildlife \| Join Upload & Sell 1 2 3 4 5 end