I am re-posting this post from late January today, as I had another encounter with this same Red-tailed Hawk a couple of days ago and I posted a short video and some pics on Notes. Given the interest in those videos, I thought it would be good to share this post again for readers who might now have been subscribed back then.
I hope you all enjoy!
Back in September 2023 this beautiful red-tailed hawk visited my yard two afternoons in a row.
The first day was September 26. I was walking my daughter out to her car and I looked towards my neighbors yard and saw a hawk sitting on the lawn next door.
I did not have my phone or my camera, but my daughter pulled out her phone and took some photos.
After a minute or so it flew towards us and landed on a large limb in the hickory tree in the back yard.
We stood about 10 feet or so away from it and watched it for quite a while.
Eventually we walked around to the other side of the tree, as it had it's back to us and it sat there for a good amount of time before it flew off. I didn't have my camera or my phone but my daughter had her phone and took some pics and videos.
It was a magical experience to stand there, the two of us, communing with the beautiful red-tailed hawk.
I've had a lot of encounters with hawks. It was wonderful to share this one with my daughter.
The following afternoon the hawk returned.
I returned home from running some errands the next day. As I parked my car, I looked over towards the dilapidated unused vegetable garden in the backyard and saw the same red-tailed hawk sitting on a flipped over black pot in the garden. I quietly opened my car door and left it open and I proceeded to walk quietly towards the hawk. He sensed my presence and movement and he flew up onto the fence and just sat there.
Here’s a brief video I took of him sitting there and some phone photos.
Then he looked about and continued to sit there on the fence.
After I took these photos and the video I was able to go into my apartment and grab my camera and take some other photos as well. I’m saving those for another hawk story in the future because I have so much more to share about hawks here.
I’ve had lots of close encounters with hawks for years now, but this was in my backyard and the hawk stayed in the yard with me present for a good 10 minutes or more.
If you enjoyed this post you also might enjoy reading these two pieces:
As noted above, stay turned for more hawk posts and other bird posts as well!
As always the comments are open! Let’s talk hawks and back yard birds!
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Lovely photos! The hawks love fence posts. Beautiful!
A beautiful bird! Nice photos!