The best pose a Red-tailed ever gave me just happened to occur before sunrise on a cloudy day. So, I played with the Mono features of Light Room.

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Red-tailed Hawks are large hawks with typical Buteo proportions: very broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Large females seen from a distance might fool you into thinking you’re seeing an eagle. (Until an actual eagle comes along.)….. You’ll most likely see Red-tailed Hawks soaring in wide circles high over a field. When flapping, their wingbeats are heavy. In high winds they may face into the wind and hover without flapping, eyes fixed on the ground. They attack in a slow, controlled dive with legs outstretched – much different from a falcon’s stoop….. The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of open country. Look for it along fields and perched on telephones poles, fenceposts, or trees standing alone or along edges of fields….. The Red-tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that sounds exactly like a raptor should sound. At least, that’s what Hollywood directors seem to think. Whenever a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species, the shrill cry on the soundtrack is almost always a Red-tailed Hawk.”

Buck Horn Springs Road - Jackson County – Oregon - USA

Tags:   Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis Buck Horn Springs Road Jackson County Oregon Mark Heatherington

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Rogue Valley - Jackson County - Oregon - USA

"This is probably the most common hawk in North America. If you’ve got sharp eyes you’ll see several individuals on almost any long car ride, anywhere. Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings..... The Red-tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that sounds exactly like a raptor should sound. At least, that’s what Hollywood directors seem to think. Whenever a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species, the shrill cry on the soundtrack is almost always a Red-tailed Hawk..... The Red-tailed Hawk is one of the largest birds you’ll see in North America, yet even the biggest females weigh in at only about 3 pounds. A similar-sized small dog might weigh 10 times that."
- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

Tags:   Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis Rogue Valley Jackson County Oregon USA Mark Heatherington

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Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA

Habitat : Lakes and Ponds
Food : Fish
Nesting : Tree
Behavior : Aerial Dive
Conservation : Low Concern

"Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons." - Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

Tags:   Osprey Pandion haliaetus Close up Emigrant Lake Jackson County Rogue Valley Oregon USA Mark Heatherington Raptor Fish Hawk

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Please correct me if necessary. The "Coop-Shined" ID always makes me foam at the mouth :)) This one made a swing and a miss at some songbirds, perched for a moment before flying off through the branches with complete abandon. They are awesome birds.

Brown Acres - Jackson County - Southern Oregon

Tags:   Cooper's HawkRaptor Hawk Bird of Prey Brown Acres Mark Heatherington Photography Jackson County Oregon Accipiter cooperii

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I've been a bird nerd for many years now, but for the life of me Sharp-Shinned vs. Cooper's still makes me foam at the mouth. From this moment onward I'm creating my own species (we seem to be living in an era of personal reality creating anyway). Which do you prefer, Coopshinned or Sharper's? Joking aside, anyone got any tricks to reliably tell them apart??

Brown Acres - Jackson County - Southern Oregon

Tags:   1D3A5521 Cooper's Hawk Sharp-shinned Hawk Raptor Hawk Bird of Prey Nature Wildlife Bird Mark Heatherington Photography Oregon Nature Photography Nature Photography Wildlife Photography Bird Photography Oregon Wildlife Photography Jackson County Oregon Brown Acres Rogue Valley Oregon

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