Red-tailed Hawk with Gopher Snake; attacking Kingbirds made a nest in the same tree as the hawks.

A realistic estimation of this adult female's (assumed because it was

the larger of the pair) wingspan would be at least 4.5 ft. That makes

the snake close to 5 ft in length (including the freshly removed

head...) with a weight of at least four pounds of solid, water-laden

muscle. Given that the max weight of an adult female RTH is only a bit

over four pounds, it's not hard to see why she tired quickly while

trying to get this meal to the chicks. It took her 3 tries because of

the Kingbirds.

excellent shot, 3 in 1, well done

Steve, this photo is quite an accomplishment. To catch these birds in a life and death, mid-air skirmish is amazing. I wonder where you were when you shot this? It looks like you are shooting straight on, looking right into the hawks eyes. She seems to have a look of determination, and I don't think of birds as having expressive faces. The smaller bird looks like a devil. The composition is excellent. An amazing achievement when you consider this is an action shot and the three subjects are moving! The beautiful flowing line created by the hawks body, and extended by the snakes body is attractive. The light is excellent, the colours beautiful. A very impressive piece of work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful moment ^^^ My max anon

 

***Ali***

Great shot, this photo shows real patience on the part of the photographer. Well done, --George

Excellent... just excellent!

 

Great capture!

Una verdadera maravilla,la definicion y composicion son extraordinarias,y los tonos y profundidad de campo son perfectos.

Saludos y max anon.

Very cool action Steve, looks like the kingbird want a piece of the snake too.

Wonderful and unbelievable capture. (10/10) Best regard

Awesome capture Steve, those Kingbirds are defensive parents.

An awesome photo, Bravo! ~ Gary

Outstanding originality.The background and sun are quite harsh.

Really great shot, Steve! Best regards, Linh Dinh

Light not so great, but nevertheless an awesome capture. Very unusual shot.

Thanks for the comments and critiques. Your ideas are most helpful. Yes, the lighting was really lousy; nearly high noon. I guess I could mess with it some in PS but in nature you take what you get and I'm not expressing any lack of gratitude here.

Really amazing photo! Great timing and composition is spectacular as well. Thanks for sharing.

Great capture of all the time!! All the best!

 

Rakesh

You get there at right time...

Outstanding 7/7

muhteşem bir fotoğraf tebrik ediyorum

dear to mr.Steve , untill now over a year but I still jealous to you to get this shot . IT'S wonderful time second and none . should be hang on the wall .

Steve, I would have to say this is one of your best. Very nice work. FS

It's going to be hard to top an image like this (may be with better resolution ?). Bird with snake with another bird going after him is something that probably impossible to duplicate. TFS!