To say this hawk is unusual is an understatement. Usually red-tailed hawks do not want to be around people. This one seems to crave attention. She can hunt anywhere on this big expanse of land. Instead she chooses to stick near the parking lot where people are.
She gives people plenty of chances to see her landing on posts, landing on trees, landing on the ground near them, and flying very close to where people are standing.
In the above photo she landed on the section of trail that was closed right next to the barriers and sign. She was stomping the ground hunting for a vole.
In the above photo she is hunting from the outhouse ventilation.
When the short-eared owls arrived from the arctic to winter, they would try to knock her off posts. Now she is spending more time hanging out on this tree. This attracts the owls to the tree, but they seem unable to fly close enough to knock her off. On Christmas she kept eating a vole while ignoring the close fly bys. Below is one of the approaching short eared owls. They seem to take turns going after her.
It is always a show when this particular red tailed hawk is nearby. She either gives us one or we get a double feature that includes the owls. I hope everyone had a Happy Holiday. Have a great weekend!
Sharon's Iconic Travel Photography Blog 