Adventures with Wildlife -- Stalking a Hawk...(An Epic Story)

Subtitle: I Sure Could Have Used a Longer Lens
[Photos of Jill and me were taken by Gail]

Last Sunday, Jill (yes, our Jill), Bob, Gail, and I went for a hike along the shoreline and hillsides of Pacifica. I debated on what equipment to bring, Since we were hiking, I decided to travel light, so I only brought my D100 w/24-135mm and my Voigtlander Bessa R w/50mm Jupiter-8. As we walked along the trail, I looked up on the hillside, and I spotted a large bird sitting on an old fence post. I recognized it as some kind of raptor, so we stopped to get a better look. I wasn't sure exactly what it was. It was big, and I thought it might have been a golden eagle, but then I thought that it was not big enough to be an eagle.

This is what I saw when I happened to look up the hill from the trail:



As we were looking, it suddently took flight, and I immediately knew that it had spotted a meal on the hillside. Sure enough, it pounced down on its prey, probably a rodent of some kind. There it sat for a few seconds with its victim in its claws as we looked on in amazement. As it was eating, Jill started getting closer to it, and I followed close behind.

Jill and I decided to get closer to the bird:



Closer still:



Hawk standing on prey, which was hidden from view by the brush:



We were able to take a few pictures of it before it finished its meal and flew off. At this point, I was already wishing that I brought a longer lens, but at least the long end of my zoom was effectively a 200mm equivalent. I didn't have time to think to bump my ISO up for a faster shutter speed, so my picture of the hawk in flight was blurred. I made a mental note to be ready if I had another opportunity to shoot it in flight.

A little fuzzy, but at least I got something:




Gail got a great shot of us and the hawk in flight:



As we hiked on the trail, circling around toward the top of the hill, the hawk flew back to its favorite spot. This time, we were looking down at it from above.

On our way up the hill:



Bob and the intrepid wildlife photographers:



Again, we tried to get closer for a better shot. We were able to get pretty close this time, I would say within 15 or 20 feet, or so.

Jill beginning to down the steep hill, and closer to the hawk. It was keeping an eye on us all the time:



Jill waving to the hawk to get its attention:



You can see how steep the hill was. This is my favorite action shot by Gail:



I got a couple of good ones:




Then it got tired of us and took off. This time, I was ready for it. After I took a few shots of it perched on the post, I made sure that my ISO was set higher, and I was prepared for him to go at any moment. I managed to get one good shot off before he got too far.

My one nice shot of the hawk in flight:



Is anyone out there familiar with this bird? From my research on the internet, I think that this is a juvenile red-tailed hawk. The tail is not very red yet because the red feathers don't come out until its first molt.

Gail was hanging back all this time, taking pictures of Jill and me stalking the hawk. I guess I should have, but I wasn't expecting this opportunity to photograph this beautiful bird. It was a great experience.

I hope you enjoyed the story and pictures :).

--Warren