Redtail Hawk with Snake

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Archive 2008 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

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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.
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Jun 10, 2008 at 03:40 AM

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p.1 #2 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

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Jun 10, 2008 at 03:41 AM

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p.1 #3 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

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Jun 10, 2008 at 03:42 AM

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p.1 #4 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

4of11 Wings tucked in a high speed descent

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Jun 10, 2008 at 03:43 AM

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p.1 #5 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

5of11 The Rattlesnake

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Jun 10, 2008 at 03:44 AM

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p.1 #6 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

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Jun 10, 2008 at 03:44 AM

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p.1 #7 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

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Jun 10, 2008 at 03:45 AM

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p.1 #8 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

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Jun 10, 2008 at 03:45 AM

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p.1 #9 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

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Jun 10, 2008 at 03:46 AM

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p.1 #10 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

10of11 Youngster paying with a rattle

2008 © cbright

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:47 AM

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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

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p.1 #12 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

A lecture on the virtues of being a vegetarian.

2008 © cbright

Jun 10, 2008 at 03:49 AM

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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

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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

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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

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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
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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

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p.1 #18 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

amazing shots Chris. Was that a rattler?

Jun 10, 2008 at 05:51 AM

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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

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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

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p.1 #21 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

Great captures, and what a brave food source for the RTH to go after.

Edited on Jun 10, 2008 at 07:16 AM

Jun 10, 2008 at 07:16 AM

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p.1 #22 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

Chris,

all great shots - - but I have to say, my favorite is # 10. That's one I'd have as my desktop - - too funny a pose

Got to love a baby with a rattle....

Lil

Jun 10, 2008 at 09:14 AM

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p.1 #23 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

Great series Chris, Now we all know "What's for dinner?" with Red-Tails. The rattlesnake series is truly amazing. What is the area where the RT's might have caught the snake ie, state,city, forest, park etc.

Jun 10, 2008 at 11:50 AM

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p.1 #24 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

Awesome series Chris! Kudos

Gene

Jun 10, 2008 at 12:02 PM

trailhiker
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p.1 #25 · Redtail Hawk with Snake

Just a fantastic series, Chris! How lucky you are indeed to have witnessed this for the past 3 years. I watched a Red-tailed nest on a building ledge in 2005 and had been waiting for their return, but the window-washers took the nest away earlier this year..

#6 is awesome.

Best Wishes,
Steve

Jun 10, 2008 at 12:44 PM


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