Red-Tailed Hawk

Sean,

The catchlight was natural from the setting sun. They are spectular birds. I was very happy this one allowed me to take this picture from ~17ft. I see these every day to and from work, but they are usually greater than 250ft away in a field.

Specs:

f/5.6

1/640s

@250mm (Canon 100-400L IS)

ISO-500

I see alot of them while I'm at work. I get to watch them catch prey, perch majestically (like this one), and soar within feet of me. But I can't have a camera anywhere near work. I work on a flight line for a defense contractor and cameras are a big no no. It's a real bummer, but I love watching them. I had one perch over a shrub, while I believe he was waiting for a meal to emerge from it. I approached him and he didn't move. I got right under the guy, and he just glanced my way then back to his pending meal. Oh, to have had a camera.