Free.
A soon as I read the theme for this week I knew which photo I was going to use. This red tail hawk was a most wonderful and patient subject. He / she posed for me for almost an hour, then as if we could read each others minds, as I was finishing up with my last photos, it took flight.
Before Departure.
Jeff Sinon Photography 
Fabulous, Jeff! The hawk is gorgeous. Well done!
Thanks Karina, the hawk was a huge bonus find. I was actually at Odiorne Point in Rye looking for screech owls that frequent the park. Thanks to a couple of crows harassing the hawk, it came swooping down and landed in a tree only a few yards from me. I couldn’t believe how close it let me get, or how long it stayed around for me.
That’s awesome! Luck favors the prepared though, right? 🙂
Thanks Karina. So very true. 😀
That’s a free spirit alright!!! Inspiring as always Jeff 🙂
Thank you so very much!
Wow, what wonderful shots. I love the close up, Im sure I can see a playful twinkle in her eye 🙂
I’ll take your word for it. Personally I think that look is, “if you were a little smaller you’d be breakfast.” 😀
They are beautiful, but kind of scary me when I am at the park exercising.
Yes they are. There’s something about raptors that makes them more appealing to me than almost any other birds. I think its there piercing, intelligent stare.
Unless your hawks are REALLY big, or you’re very small, they should leave you alone 🙂
I have seen what they do to the squirrels on the ground. I wouldn’t want to run my day.
Well, yea, if you’re as small as a squirrel that could be a problem 😀
You are funny, Jeff. No, I am not as small as the squirrels. I was trying to describe how the feast on those creatures.
Glad I could make you laugh 😀 Nature is cruel, no doubt about it.
Great capture of a handsome specimen Jeff!
Thanks. I couldn’t believe my luck when it came flying in to land near me. If I ever run into the two crows that were harassing it, I owe them a big thanks 😀
Perfect photos for the challlenge. To see a hawk soar in the sky is a beautiful thing.
Well done ….!!!!
Thank you, they are truly spectacular birds.
Birds are truly free spirited and what is better than a hawk, the king of the skies. Nailed it again Jeff! 😉
Thanks! You’re too kind, but I’ll take it 😉
You were lucky to get so close! Great shot!
Yes I was, I had to zoom out for several of them, and even at 120mm I was too close and chopped off the tail in a few. I wish more wildlife cooperated so nicely 🙂
Definitely a good choice for free spirit!! Beautiful!
Thank you very much!
Very nice Jeffy. What lense did you use?
I rented a Sigma 120-400 OS, a great lens that compares very well with Canon’s 100-400L at almost half the price. It’s on my list of lenses I want.
I’m not really much of a birder, ut with all the snowy owls we had in our area last winter, I couldn’t pass them up. This red-tail was a huge bonus find on my way back from trying to get some more of the owls.
Gorgeous capture of the bird but he doesn’t look to impressed by you in the last two :). What a great catch in that first one. The sun caught on the tail of the hawk makes this image for me.
Thanks Brandon! Those raptors always look like they would eat me if I were small enough 🙂 At first I wasn’t very happy with the results of the first one. I was really trying to get the whole bird in flight, which I am obviously not good at, but then I saw the “light” so to speak.