{"id":9459,"date":"2013-09-13T06:21:25","date_gmt":"2013-09-13T12:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=9459"},"modified":"2026-01-04T12:24:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T18:24:20","slug":"red-tailed-hawk-on-the-red-rocks-of-the-centennial-valley-finally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/09\/13\/red-tailed-hawk-on-the-red-rocks-of-the-centennial-valley-finally\/","title":{"rendered":"Red-tailed Hawk On The Red Rocks Of The Centennial Valley – Finally!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Red-tailed Hawk on red rocks<\/h2>\n

\"YoungYoung Red-tailed Hawk on a lichen covered rock – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/2500, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Since my first visit to the Centennial Valley of Montana on June 18, 2010 I have wanted to photograph a bird; preferably a raptor, on the reddish\u00a0orange lichen covered rocks found\u00a0throughout the valley. On this last trip that finally happened!<\/p>\n

\"YoungYoung Red-tailed Hawk \u2013 I waited for this! – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/2000, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

On Wednesday morning as I headed west through the valley I spotted this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk resting on a lichen covered rock close to the road. I had nearly passed it and needed to back up to get a good angle and light.<\/p>\n

The problem was that another vehicle was coming towards me and I thought the bird would fly away before we got the chance to photograph it.<\/p>\n

Once the pickup passed the young hawk I was ready to move slowly into position and wouldn’t you know it another pick up hauling a trailer crested the hill to the east. I sat there holding my breath as it passed the very tolerant Red-tailed.<\/p>\n

It didn’t fly even with all that traffic near it!!<\/p>\n

\"VeryVery calm Red-tailed Hawk juvenile – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/2000, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

The immature Red-tailed Hawk didn’t show a single sign of alarm as I moved into a good location to photograph it.<\/p>\n

Although there were a few cows close by that had gotten out of the fences pastures and were moving towards me grazing on the roadside grasses and mooing very loudly.<\/p>\n

I guess they thought I had some food for them. My focus though was on this handsome young raptor. You can see a bit of left over food on the hawk’s bill.<\/p>\n

\"SeriousSuch a serious looking juvenile Red-tailed Hawk – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1\/640, ISO 250, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

The bellowing cows drowned out any chance I had of hearing Elk trumpeting in the Centennial Mountains<\/span><\/a> to the south but the young Buteo calmly surveyed the area around it as my camera shutter buttons clicked away.<\/p>\n

I bumped my ISO down to capture more fine detail in the plumage and the rock. I don’t think I have been close to many Red-tailed Hawks that were as tolerant of humans than this one was.<\/p>\n

\"Red-tailedRed-tailed juvenile fluffed up because of cows that are close by\u00a0– Nikon D300, f7.1, 1\/640, ISO 250, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 357mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Then I realized that the hawk’s crop was full (you can just make that out in this frame) and it was sitting on the rock digesting its food which may have accounted for some of its tolerance.<\/p>\n

It must have caught its breakfast not long after the sun came up because it was still early when\u00a0I photographed it.<\/p>\n

\"JuvenileJuvenile Red-tailed Hawk surrounded by cows\u00a0– Nikon D300, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 250, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Even as the cows came closer the young hawk just stayed perched on the rock although one time it fluttered its wings as if it were going to lift off and then settled back down again.<\/p>\n

In this frame you can see one of the cows in the background that had walked within less than 20 feet past the Red-tailed Hawk. I don’t think I have ever seen a Red-tailed so at ease around cattle.<\/p>\n

\"Red-tailedRed-tailed juvenile staring right at me – Nikon D300, f11, 1\/300, ISO 250, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

The plumage on this Red-tailed was so lovely, crisp and clean, unlike some of the adult Red-tailed Hawks I saw that were in the process of molting.<\/p>\n

In this frame the cattle were getting what may have been a little too close to the young Red-tailed Hawk<\/span><\/a> because it fluffed up and showed signs that it might lift off. Mind you at this point the bellowing cattle were loud and very annoying even to me.<\/p>\n

\"JuvenileJuvenile Red-tailed Hawk on a lichen covered rock\u00a0– Nikon D300, f7.1, 1\/500, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

When the hawk lifted off it had its back to me and oddly enough one of the calves took off and started to chase the hawk, it was a very strange sight.<\/p>\n

The hawk landed on another lichen covered rock just briefly before the cattle annoyed it once again…<\/p>\n

\"BackBack view of the juvenile Red-tailed Hawk\u00a0– Nikon D300, f8, 1\/500, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

And flew up to the top of a fence post and watched the cattle pass by. It felt magical to be in this young raptors presence and to finally\u00a0create the images I had formed in my mind years before.<\/p>\n

I hope it doesn’t take another 4 summers to get more of them!<\/p>\n

It was a wonderful trip up to Montana but it was cut short because of bad weather moving in and with bad weather comes poor light so reluctantly I decided to leave.<\/p>\n

The last trip to Montana each year is bittersweet because it will be months before I see the Centennial Valley, the Centennial and Beaverhead Mountains, and the amazing nature that the area contains again. \u00a0Still, I had two full days of shooting and as always Montana delighted and enchanted me.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Red-tailed Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since my first visit to the Centennial Valley of Montana on June 18, 2010 I have wanted to photograph a bird; preferably a raptor, on the reddish orange lichen covered rocks found throughout the valley. On this last trip that finally happened!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":166287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1513,27,223,12,449],"tags":[2663,4170,2497,4169,2237,4067,4071,4104,153,2356,4209,2315,5434,102],"class_list":["post-9459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beaverhead-county-montana","category-avian","category-centennial-valley","category-montana","category-red-tailed-hawks","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-buteo-jamaicensis","tag-buteos","tag-hawks","tag-hawks-of-montana","tag-immature","tag-juvenile","tag-perched","tag-raptors","tag-red-rocks","tag-red-tailed-hawk","tag-summer-3","tag-valley","tag-wildlife"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/red-tailed-hawk-red-rock-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-5653.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-2sz","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":28061,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/09\/01\/welcome-september\/","url_meta":{"origin":9459,"position":0},"title":"Welcome 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