I saw her before the little birds did. Rapidly she dived from the tree to catch a Titmouse at the birdfeeder. She missed her target and was unable to pull up before she crashed into the side of our house. My husband was startled by the loud thud as the hawk (we think it was a female Sharpshinned) hit. The dogs were very surprised to see a very large bird lying on the deck not a foot from their bed.
We all stared mesmerized by the beauty of this magnificent bird. I grabbed the camera to catch a few snaps through the window.
This was just before she took flight.
Not quite ready to go but fully alert.
Immediately after the strike. Note how she is already looking right at us.
(I didn't want to put this photograph first.)
Dazed, she got on her feet right away.
I stood by the window breathlessly waiting to get my first picture of a hawk taking to flight. Alas, I was distracted for only an instant...the very instant she decided to fly. Despite missing the photo op, I was nonetheless thrilled to see that this wondrous bird was not seriously injured. And thankful for the opportunity to see her so close.
18 comments:
Oh how wonderful to get the chance to see this beautiful bird so close and get some pictures!!!! I am so glad I came to say hi and thank you so much for your support and friendship!!! Circle is helping me so very much!! She just needs me almost all the time and that is good for us both at this time. She will get use to her new home and will not need me all the time and by then I will not need her all the time!!
Fabulous pics...thanks for being able to catch the opportunity and sharing!
Gorgeous! Glad she survived. They are scary fast on the attack, but that can make for savage collisions. The tail feathers seem to be the same length, which says Sharp-shinned, and the head/eyes seem more Sharp-shinned to me, as does the coloring. She's pretty big, so yes, I think mature female Sharp-shinned, rather than Cooper's. Those pics of the tail feathers are priceless!
I'm glad she wasn't seriously hurt. She really is pretty.
Sam
Those are great photos and I'm so glad she wasn't hurt.
Blessings,
Victoria
Hi there, She is beautiful! I'm glad you got to see her up close and personal; I would have been sad to see her get a bird. We had Grackles here several years ago that would eat all our small birds-actually would tear them apart and leave carcases all over our lawn. Thanks for sharing such great photos. Have a great week.
Hugs, Noreen
rare moment! and happy all turned out well!
xoxo
my misdemeanor was thrown out this morning! and I voted!
Amazing photos! Once in a life time up close shots!
The hawk must have been new to hunting. thanks for sharing your beautiful surroundings w us.
Nose taps to Ellie and Lucy from thei BFFF
Madi
I'm glad this beautiful bird was OK!
Fantastic photo op! She's a gorgeous bird.
You did great getting the camera and getting off some shots. I probably would have been as stunned as that hawk was!
She is beautiful and resilient!!!
Fascinating. And good ending. I had an ovenbird crash here once with the same result...:)
Glad she was OK. What a unique experience to be able to see her close up like that! Lucky you!
Such a beautiful hawk. Glad she was able to get up on her feet and then fly away.
wow, I know that stunned feeling after crashing into a solid object! She looks perfectly dazed and confused. How great to be so close, and to get these photos.
Thank goodness she was not hurt, and able to fly away after gathering her wits. Another episode in the day of a hawk. Hunting food has its risks.
We had a hawk stunned once by hitting our window. It lay for awhile, breathing hard. Its yellow eyes remained ever-alert. Finally thank goodness it flew away.
Great photos. We have birds hit the windows quite often. I always worry about them getting hurt.
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