Copyright ©2018 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
While out birding in Central Valley last month I saw lots of Red-tailed Hawks. This one was happy to pose for me. 🙂 At least I think this one is a Red-tailed Hawk.
Red-tailed Hawks are quite common here. Their habitat is wide open fields. They like to perch in trees along fields, fence posts, and telephone poles.
Their Behavior- from All About Birds:
“You’ll most likely see Red-tailed Hawks soaring in wide circles high over a field. When flapping, their wing beats are heavy. In high winds they may face into the wind and hover without flapping, eyes fixed on the ground. They attack in a slow, controlled dive with legs outstretched – much different from a falcon’s stoop.”~allaboutbirds.org
They’re so common here I almost take them for granted. I’m always hoping to spy other types of Hawks instead of them, but when there are none about I’m so happy they’re here.
Sunday, I planned to go out to do some photography at the coast, but the wind was blowing 20-25 mph, and it was cold and gray, so I stayed in and watched Season 1 of Monk. Guess who found Streampix? 🙂 I hadn’t ever watched that show before, but I really like it. I’ll be watching every season til I am caught up. Yep, I’m hooked. 🙂
Recently I’ve also binged watched Vikings, and Camelot. Those are two more T.V. shows I’m now Jonesing for the next season to begin already!
I’m currently reading A Dead Guy at the Summerhouse by Marian Allen who I discovered here on WordPress via Thursday Doors. You can find her here. She writes Sci-fi stuff too. Yeah, she’s right up my street. 🙂 Check her out if you enjoy reading these genres too.
So, what are birds are seeing in your neighborhood, what are watching and reading right now?
Nikon D810| Nikkor 200-500mm| Hoodman Digital Film
more to come…
Circadianreflections Blog 
A beautiful subject and fantastic capture! It’s always wonderful when wildlife poses for us! It rarely happens for me which is what I need because I’m not too quick. 😦
Thank you so much Denise! Most the time I don’t feel quick. Birds are skittish, and very figidity! I have had far too many butt shots, and missed shots. 🙂
Wonderful photo, Deborah! ❤️ I often see these hawks soaring in the sky – I wish I saw more owls but they seem to be a rare sight. 🦉
I have a question for you, what iPhone camera lens do you recommend? I’d like to get one for my iPhone 6s Plus – thank you! 😃👍
Thank you so much Jill!
I have the Olloclip 4 in 1 for my iPhone. I don’t use it as much as I thought/hoped I would. I like the wide angle and 10x macro lenses the best of the set. I’m pretty sure you can easily find this set on Amazon.
Thanks Deborah! 😃
beautiful thanks
Awesome capture, Deborah, the blue sky background adds a lovely touch!
Thank you do much Donna!🙏🏻😄
I haven’t heard of Steampix, I’ll have to check it out. I am hooked on Living Alaska right now. It’s a show about couples and families moving to Alaska and house searching. I’m reading a cool book on the history of food in American, The American Plate, a Culinary History in 100 Bites. I love the picture of the Red-tailed Hawk!
I love any kinds of hawks and falcons. I enjoyed reading your book interests and how kind to share new (to us) blogs.
I like The Alienist and watch reruns of comedies like Modern Family, Last Man Standing and The Middle. I watch a lot of Hallmark movies.
I have been reading “Y is for Yesterday.” I have read the ABC books since 1982. Kinsey Milhone is the detective in the series. There isn’t any “Z” sadly due to the fact Sue Grafton died.
My next two books are written by Anneli Purchase (“Marlie”) who blogs, as well as John Howell, (“GRL.”)
Thank you for asking, Deborah. 💐
Many, many years ago I started reading the ABC series but didn’t have the patience to wait the 2+ years in between books so I went looking for Murder Mystery Series that were complete or nearly so.
Let’s hope there is a really good outline for the Z book in Sue Grafton’s papers and one of her children or successors works with a ghost writer…a good one to get that last work out. Then I’ll read the whole series. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your current reading list, and movies. I’ve only watched a few Last Man Standing episodes, and then it got canceled. Too bad. I liked what I watched. I can’t get into The Middle…I can’t put my finger on why not…maybe it’s the parenting style? I don’t know, but I don’t watch it. I watch a lot of Hallmark movies too. I especially like their Holiday love stories. To keep me sane I need a good romance of some kind between murder mysteries, and drama. 🙂
Before the Hallmark romance channel I always threw in a romance book, and I always rotate poetry into my reading. It keeps me balanced.
I don’t read much non-fiction outside of what my hobbies are. My scope is pretty narrow really. 🙂
My friend Deborah, mysteries are always my first choice of reading, too! I used to read more romance but they are more predictable. I like the zany Janet Evanovich and the serious Alex Cross series. I also enjoyed the Ladies Murder Club series. Have you ever read cat mystery books? Once in awhile I read Lillian Jackson Braun books or Rizzoli and Isles stories from the original books. Smiles, Robin
I see birds soaring and think they must be hawks! Such a great picture
Or Buzzards. 🙂 Thank you so much Lynn!
maybe so?? hmm
He is amazing! What a lovely, peaceful day to snap photos of this handsome hawk.
Thank you so much Trish!!
Great capture Deborah! I love Vikings, but haven’t watched Camelot. I’m reading The Picture of Dorian Gray for my month of reading classics. 🙂
Thank you so much Amy!
Vikings! Wow it’s intense. I think the fighting scenes run too long, but the rest of the drama I like.
Camelot is only season, now I’m waiting for the next season to find out where it’s going.
I have a vague recollection of reading The Picture of Dorian Gray when I was 18 or 19. I liked it. I hope you’re enjoying it.
I’m reading Marian Allen, too 🙂 Sideshow in the Center Ring. It’s fab!
I’m watching The Killing.
I’m almost never seeing birds of prey, but when I do they’re Coopers and red-tail hawks. I’ve never gotten such a good shot of one. You take beautiful photos – lovely!
Thank you so, very much Joey! I like the little Coopers Hawks I don’t see them as much as Red-tails.
I’ll have to make a note about Marian’s book that you’re reading. I’m going to look up the Killing. I’m intrigued and love murder mysteries. 🙂
He’s a great bird – you shouldn’t take him for granted 🙂
… and I loved the show Monk. You’re the 2nd person to bring up that show recently. Now I want to find it and watch it again too 🙂
Thank you so much Joanne. I really shouldn’t take it for granted and will try to appreciate them more when out birding.
I’m hoping the show stays good all through the seasons. I think I can watch 8 seasons. I don’t know if there’s going to be anymore after that or if it was canceled, but I’m in for watching the 8 seasons I can get. 🙂
I hope you find it!
I enjoyed the show until it was eventually cancelled. I was sad to see it end.
Love the hawk, Deborah. We have Netflix and have watched “Blue Bloods” all the way through several times as well as “NCIS.” We’ve been watching “Heartland” an.d the last season of “Longmire”, but the Olympics have interrupted that. 🙂 My husband watches lots of other things, including sci-fi, but I read voraciously and endlessly. Speaking of that, I’m off to finish trying to catch up on blogs I follow, then back to my current book.
janet
Blue Bloods! I’ve watched that series all the way through a couple of times myself.
I haven’t heard of either of the two others you mentioned. I’ll have to look them up.
I hope you made a dent in your blog reading!
We have cardinals, mockingbirds, pelicans, gulls, ospreys, ducks, hawks, starlings, and mourning doves in the neighborhood. I am beta reading The Lost Years of Billy Battles by Ronald Yates. It is the final book in the Billy Battles trilogy and marvelous.
Ooh, I’ll have to wait for the final book to be released and check it out.
You have Cardinals! You remember we don’t have them here in Calif. I’d love to see one or a pair.
You have a wonderful variety of birds. I’d love birding there!
We are on the migration fly zone. We get all kinds. Birders come from all over the country. Next week is the Whooping Crane festival.
OMG! I wish I could be there for that!
It is a big deal.
I know it! Southern TX has long been on my “Birding Bucket List”, and FL. So many birding places to see but so little time and money. 😦
This week’s Views is the Whooping crane festival. Unfortunately I’m not going to get close to the cranes. Go figure. I need a new gear issue.
Monk is a good show. My current obsession is When Calls the Heart on Hallmark. That is a very handsome hawk you have there. How nice when they pose!
Thank you so much Camie! You know I started to watch that show, then Christmas programming came along and I couldn’t it find again, and to be honest I haven’t looked for it since. I should have He-Man find it and set it up to record the new shows so I have them to watch when nothing else is on.
Sharp photo. He looks a little different from our redtails….I suppose there is regional variation. I’ve been noticing birds singing in my garden the past few days which is pretty early. A house finch, the one with the purple breast and the great song? And juncoes and chickadees and hairy woodpeckers and even a flicker! Also, crows. I love crows and am happy to see their numbers back up. I’ve heard that snowy owls are in the ‘hood but I haven’t gone out to look. Oh, and canada geese by the hundreds, of course. Silly things.
You have a wonderful assortment of birds! The Flicker is really great! I do think you’re right about there being regional differences in the Red-tailed species plus there’s the light morphs, dark morphs, and it gets tricky trying to ID them…for me anyway.
I hope you get to see the snowy owl! I’d love to see one someday.
Thanks for the lovely comment Melissa!
Wonderful photo, beautifully lit!
Thank you so much Belinda!
Great shot of the hawk, Deborah. We’ve been seeing these guys more often around here as continued building reduces their habitat. Otherwise, we are seeing our normal winter birds, and some really small birds. I’m not sure if somebody is having babies already (due to mild winter) or if this is something new. Trying to get a decent photo to research.
I’m getting ready to do some additional trimming on my cable tree. I’m more of a slow binge watcher. My daughter would laugh if she saw me using the term, but I follow a series slowly. It has to be over, because I can’t follow them live.
Thank you so much Dan! I hope you get a good image so you ID the bird. Can’t wait now to find out what you got there.
I’m getting that way with series books. I can’t hardly wait the years it sometimes takes for the next book to be released. I bought the whole Sharpe’s Rifles series at once and that pretty much sealed the deal for reading a book series that way for me.
I have to check my wife’s camera. I think she has a good picture of this guy.
The last time I read all the books by an author was when Kurt Vonnegut was actively writing in the 60s and 70s. I think that’s the only time I knew when a book was going to be published.
I haven’t bought the Game of Thrones series yet. I’m waiting for that one to be finished so I can just read them all one right after the other.
Such a majestic bird. They are a pleasure to watch. Your photos capture so much detail.
Thank you so much Jennie!
You’re welcome!
🙂
Great photo. I see mostly seagulls, pigeons and egrets here at the beach. The TV here is prehistoric so I can’t name one good show. I have watched Monk, and he is definitely an interesting character. I have read 21 library ebooks on my tablet since the first of the year – I’m a fast reader. 🙂
OMG! You’re a prolific reader like my Mom. She goes to the library every week and checks out stacks of books, and reads them all! I think I’m a fast reader, but I’m not as fast as you two!
The birds you’re seeing are interesting too! Egrets are lovely, and usually very still so they make great photography subjects.
What a fun post, Deborah! I love watching hawks. There’s one I sometimes see who hangs out around/above the Amtrack train station the work shuttle passes. Magnificent. Meanwhile a murder of crows has settled in for the winter just over the hill from home. They “decorated” my car quite completely, blue became white/brown.
Thanks for the book recommendation. What I wouldn’t give for some pleasure reading time…
Streampix??? Must investigate. I cut the cable cord in 2014. Netflix and Youtube are enough. But if they have Monk…. It didn’t sound at all appealing to me when it was on broadcast, but a few years ago I discovered (and loved) it when Netflix was streaming it.
Have a wonderful Wednesday. Hugs
I am slowly weening myself away from the TV cord and viewing more stuff on Netflix, Youtube, and Amazon Prime, but I’m not ready to cut it completely yet.
Thank you so much for the lovely comment on the image.
We get a lot of crows visiting the little water fountain we have the front yard if we keep it going. It got so bad we had 30 or more crow out there so we drained and now only run it a few times a year. It’s a bummer cause I love the fountain.