I was sort of lackadaisical in getting out of my car before taking a hike. I walked around to the passenger side of the car to take out my camera. Wow, within no time … thankfully I had the 200-500 mm lens on the camera, a red-tailed hawk is flying so close I just had to get a photograph!

Surprise… it is flying back towards me, so a fantastic opportunity to take another photo, just in case my first one is out of focus!

This bird is going nowhere, except hanging out with me. What’s going on? The bird makes a small circle and is back! Do you know how heavy that lens is … I tell myself, don’t think about it, this is an opportunity, so take another photo!

One has to love those red tail feathers! Is it my imagination or does the bird see something to the left of me?Thank you hawk for flying back so I could capture that look! Oh this bird is not done, as it is now just about above my head!

And now it is above my head … with all of this happening within one minute of time from my first photograph to this last one. And then I went on my hike to see a green heron and northern shovelers, 2 bobcats, and other birds, but this minute was the most amazing for this day!

One and a half hours later I was back at my car and who do I see? I’m thinking it is the same red-tailed hawk, despite the fact there are many red-tail hawks in the area. So that is what you look like when you are not flying around; what fun!