This is Helga, an extraordinarily large female red-tailed hawk. I know her name, and that's she's extraordinarily large because I was there when she was released back into the wild after being treated for a badly broken wing at the Raptor Center in Charlotte. Apparently they had to use the largest ID band they had for hawks to tag her. You don't get the sense of scale here that you would if you'd seen her in the flesh... er... feathers, but her wingspan was roughly 4 feet (about 1.3 meters for those of you in most of the world). One very big bird, and, for me, one very big thrill to see this happen.
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4ft.? wow, hawks are so much fun to watch, both fly and the dive they make after their prey
There's flesh underneath those feathers, I'll bet.
I live out in the country in Chatham County, NC, and we see some big birds: hawks, owls, herons. I haven't gotten the least bit jaded. It's the same thrill every time. My husband Bob and I refer to it as "having a nature experience."
One whopper of a shot, too. Look at that gorgeous crisp detail on those feathers. That was NOT an easy shot to get.
NICE!
I hope his GPS is working
Beautiful free Helga
Breathtaking. How DO you freeze moments like this?
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