Photos

I took this picture in a bush near my apartment condo. complex. The bush is located in the middle of the City of Waterloo.

Red-tailed hawks can grow to 56 cm (22 inches) in length and can have a wing span of up to around 127 cm (50 inches). Their wings are also extremely broad when compared to their wing span and body length, and this fact makes it much easier to identify red-tails in flight (i.e. if you somehow miss their beautiful orange/red fan shaped tails). They are my favorite bird of prey because of their beautiful colouring, their instinct to hunt pests (e.g. rodents), and their impressive all around look.

Red-tails have an incredible ability to adapt. If necessary they can prey on a wide variety of animals (e.g. even rattlesnakes), and therefore, they have become one of the most widely distributed hawks in North America. With respect to the southern most parts of Southern Ontario (i.e. including Waterloo Region) they can normally be found year round.

I love photographing these birds. In this photo the hawk is scanning the area for (I'm guessing) prey. I was able to snap quit a few shots from several different POV's. However, I missed his flight; it was too quick. I do have pics of two other red-tails in flight (i.e. one older and one juvenile), which I will eventually be posting. I was shocked at how cooperative this bird was because they usually fly away long before I can get shots like the ones I was able to get. I find it interesting that their tails do not appear red from a front POV like in this picture.