Photo of the Day: Swainson's Hawk

Swainson’s Hawk, Cherry Hills, Colorado

This was shot in my back yard with a Canon D60 with a 75-300 lens. I was perhaps 30 to 50 feet away at the time and the Hawk seemed little concerned with my presence. This hawk was one of three that were raised in my yard by two adult Swainson’s hawks that nested in an Elm tree against the driveway.

The tree came down after they had grown up and moved on, the final victim of Dutch Elm disease and the last of some 30 elm trees on the acre and some to meet such and end. The hawks have come back each year and found nests in the area, once in the neighbor’s yard, and another year one nested about a mile away. It always makes me nostalgic when I’ll see one of them soaring overhead or swooping down for a squirrel or rabbit kill when I’m on a walk or a drive in the neighborhood.

A few more photos of these majestic birds can be found in my old photo.net portfolio.

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