Juvi Red Shouldered Hawk...with no fear

Went by one of my favorite parks in town only to find a young Red Shouldered Hawk. He was hunting little mole crickets and didn't seem to mind me being 15 feet from him. The portrait shots i took were from 10 feet away and was all I could do to to get him in frame with a 500mm lens....


Had a bit of tough lighting, he was in and out of the shade....








Now he shows me some trust for these shots....

Great "close encounters"!! It must be wonderful having this kind of ready access to such beautiful subjects.

Looks like you had a few shots demonstrating the "nictitating membrane" ("3rd eyelid") that birds and others animals have.

Eric,

This is such a great opportunity you have discovered for yourself. What remains to be known is the provenance of your fortune? Is your ability to find birds about town? Is it luck perhaps? Maybe.

My thoughts are that your good fortune comes from honed skill in hunting. Do you think this is really there to be discovered in most other big cities? After all, as we encroach on the predators’ territory, they could adapt to what's available and they will find some niche for survival.

Here, the pictures of this fearless hawk show the wonderful match for the feathers and the colors of the hunting area. So such persistence may be critical for survival in urban area. OTOH, what predators can catch these birds in the city?

Asher