Participant Photo: Red-tailed Hawk with Prey
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Talk about exciting, a few minutes ago my wife starting yelling for me to grab my camera and come to the kitchen. There, about 30 ft away was this RT Hawk, wings spread covering his prey, a squirrel. Snapping away through the window like crazy, he turned and must have seen me. He then dropped his catch and flew up to a tree. Within minutes he flew closer, changing trees and branches, coming closer each time. Eventually he flew off, leaving his prey behind, for the moment..
Categories: Predatory birds
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2 comments on “Participant Photo: Red-tailed Hawk with Prey”
I have learned this is known as the “mantling” position. In other words, his winds are spread and shoulders hunched to cover and hide his prey from other predators.
Noted the same posture this morning with red-tail on a mallard duck in my back yard, third in the last week. Dave (Maine)