Always have your camera ready
As a photographer, I often forget that it is not always about getting the perfect shot. Sometimes, it is to remember the experience I had. Shared with family or nature, negating these photos would in effect be negating the experience. Keeping my camera at the ready will always ensure that I can capture these moments and remember them in more vivid detail. These images will likely not be worthy of any portfolio work, but they will still be treasured for the experience.
Image taken from my phone upon realizing the bird was a Cooper’s Hawk
While this was not my first experience with a Cooper’s Hawk, it was definitely one of the most memorable and I was glad I could have my camera to capture the experience. As I was taking the garbage out, I looked up to the top of the car port and saw some bird talons. Realizing these were not from a crow, I saw the Cooper’s Hawk fly to a neighboring car port. I knew these predatory birds would not often venture close to humans without reason, and while returning inside decided to walk a bit farther away so as not to spook the bird. It was then I saw an injured dove on the ground. I came to the conclusion that the hawk was on the hunt.
Tamron 180mm Zoom Lens
After grabbing a lens I thought would suffice, I returned outside to find the hawk in hot pursuit of the dove, only inches behind in flight. I saw it land in a nearby tree and was able to take a few images of the successful hunt. Knowing how the bird would react, I tried approaching sideways and not directly approaching. I quickly found that this lens would not suffice in getting any decent shots of the encounter so I returned inside to get my larger lens, hoping that it would stay put while I did so.
Tamron 150-600mm telephoto lens
The gamble paid off, and I was able to photograph the bird in detail from across the street. As I said, these images will not be portfolio worthy, but this was my first encounter getting any decently detailed images of the hawk. Trying to move to get some more unobstructed shots did not produce any greater result than this, and the bird eventually grew weary of me and opted to move to another tree farther away to be at peace.
Tamron 150-600mm telephoto lens
This was also not my first image taken of a Cooper’s Hawk after a successful hunt, that was done months ago, but at the Shorelands Preserve fifteen minutes away. For that it was only after I looked at the images that I realized this was something special I had photographed. Again, nothing worthy of the portfolio, but images that I keep for the experience of seeing these majestic creatures fulfilling their role in nature.
Tamron 150-600mm telephoto lens
It is not cruel, it is not spite, it is nature. Taking the life of another creature is not evil, it is survival. We become numb in our daily lives and forget that in our daily routines there are creatures out there that do more than we do in order to survive another day. Their very survival depends on their skill of finding food and, like the hawk, being able to successfully hunt in order to eat and ensure its own survival.
