Adult Red-tailed Hawk perched on a ridge, West Desert, Tooele County, UtahPerched adult Red-tailed Hawk

Tooele County beckoned yesterday and I am glad it did because I found and pointed out this adult Red-tailed Hawk. The day turned out to be sunny and warm which was delightful after the long winter we had here in Utah.

The Red-tail didn’t stay perched long.

Adult Red-tailed lifting off, West Desert, Tooele County, UtahAdult Red-tailed lifting off

And it lifted off in a different direction than I had expected. I like this pose because the wings are up, the hawk is focused on the direction it is heading and the feet haven’t completely left the perch yet.

Red-tailed Hawk right after lift off, West Desert, Tooele County, UtahRed-tailed Hawk right after lift off

Adult Red-tailed Hawks have such dark eyes and this image shows that well along with the beautiful earthy tones under the wing and the chest.

Red-tailed Hawk flying over a ridge to the east, West Desert, Tooele County, UtahRed-tailed Hawk flying over a ridge to the east

The hawk was heading east and the light was nice. I can’t tell you how many images I have dumped into my recycle bin because the light wasn’t great.

Red-tailed Hawk flying above the ridge, West Desert, Tooele County, UtahRed-tailed Hawk flying above the ridge

As the hawk flew lower I lost focus right after this image was taken.

It was a wonderful day.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Red-tailed Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.

These images were taken with a Nikon D300, f6.3, shutter speeds were between 1/1250 to 1/1600, ISO 500, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4 x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited