Sunrise hawkstalking sometimes provides extraordinary lighting conditions for lucky photographers. Scott Kemper captured this remarkable shot - this is his original, untouched image.
Though their hunting skills improve daily, they still cry out for food in the hopes that the distant, but always watchful haggards will respond.
Shannon O'Donnell... and T2 usually appear somewhat indifferent...
Shannon O'Donnell
... to the strident food squawks from the juveniles.
Scott Kemper
And chasing Mom or T2 while squawking doesn't work either.
Scott Kemper
Somehow, though, the haggards communicate where their food drops can be found, and this lucky juvie feasts on a mouse it located in one of the ball field trees...
Scott Kemper
... while this one found a dead bird, which, judging from the flies, had been dead for a while.
Scott Kemper
The haggards do a marvelous job of balancing the demands for food with leaving them hungry enough to persist in trying to hunt. The young hawks HAVE to learn to catch their own food in order to survive when they migrate in the early fall. Hunger drives them to hunt, and each day, despite the pathetic food cries, they are successfully catching more food, and learning those essential hunting skills.
A fast-flying swallow tempts this juvie...
Scott Kemper
... but it knows it has no chance against such a nimble flier. Voles and rats in the grass are much slower and easier to catch.
Scott Kemper
The talons crush the prey to death, and some dry grass is caught up from the initial fierce pounce.
Scott Kemper
Then up to a firm, flat spot to begin eating what looks like a young rat.
Shannon O'Donnell
Scott Kemper
Bugs in the grass also provide a snack for a hungry hawk. All those talons for a tiny insect!
Scott Kemper
Here are some close-ups of said talons - primary hunting weapons whose owners are right at the top of the food chain.
Scott Kemper
George Lloyd
Kay Meng
Not all hunting expeditions are for "live" prey.... some just truly seem for fun! Once again, Scott Kemper was right on the spot, and this time caught The Slaying of the Soda Can. It started with a normal spying of prey and preparation for take-off.
Scott Kemper
The deadly launch...
Scott Kemper
Talons down...
Scott Kemper
... and in for the kill!
The soda can put up a good fight...
Scott Kemper
Umm... how do I get out of this slightly embarrassing situation?
Scott Kemper
Keep calm and carry on... killing the can.
Scott Kemper
Then make a graceful exit, looking purposeful...
Scott Kemper
... and deadly.
Scott Kemper
These small grassy meadows and parks that are their hunting grounds are surrounded by the urban paraphernalia of the sixth largest city in the United States. In addition to their acceptance of humans in their environment, they have also adapted marvelously to the variety of perches available from which to look out over the landscape.
While there are plenty of traditional, simple tree perches right in the heart of Center City...
Scott Kemper
... the hawks also choose many highly technical, if not downright dangerous perches.
Scott Kemper
The scaffolding of billboards provide great look-outs...
Joe Debold
... as well as comfy spots to kick back and rest one's talons.
Jennifer Wong
The rail yards nearby also provide high spots from which to survey the ground below for rats and other vermin.
Scott Kemper
And the broken goal post on the ball field near the Art Museum has been a favorite spot for a couple of years now.
Shannon O'Donnell
Of course, lamp poles are always popular... at sunrise especially,
Scott Kemper
... as well as later in the morning.
Jennifer Wong
It's hard to believe that there is much to hunt in the middle of Eakin's Oval in front of the Art Museum, but several times a summer, a hawk will proudly perch atop George Washington's hat!
Carolyn Sutton
And as one hawkaholic observed about the image below, "You can't make this stuff up!"
Scott Kemper
The wonderful photographers who generously allow me to use their images in this blog have captured some breathtaking shots of the young hawks in flight. Here Joe Debold gets the whole sequence from lift off to full flight when the juvenile left the scaffolding on the billboard.
Joe Debold
Joe Debold
Joe Debold
Joe Debold
Scott Kemper is a master of the perfect plumage shot, whether landing...
Scott Kemper
... with pantaloons catching air...
Scott Kemper
...or taking off.
Scott Kemper
A bonus in the image above is the expression on the other hawk's face as it watches its sibling get airborne!
In one of this summer's rare rain showers, you can see the water drops beading up on the feathers, showing how weatherproof is a hawk's plumage.
Scott Kemper
Scott is also great at catching hawk silhouettes - a riveting confluence here of nature and industry at sunrise.
Scott Kemper
Here are some other particularly expressive images...
Flexible...
Joe Debold
Handsome...
Joe Debold
High maintenance...
Joe Debold
Pensive...
Joe Debold
Finally, here is a video treat from Pamela Dimeler taken on Thursday morning, July 19. Pam followed one of the juveniles who was perching in a tree alongside the Schuylkill river. It then flew down and pounced on a pine cone in the grass and played with it for quite some time. The lack of mantling seems to indicate that the hawk knew from the start that though it had not caught prey, it had snagged a most entertaining object.
The hawk was loath to leave its pine cone, and flew with up with it into a nearby tree - unusual behavior. It then tried eat it - perhaps pecking out some insects - and almost tumbled out of the tree trying to keep hold of it. Pam then followed the hawk as it flew from tree to tree, eventually landing in a pine tree (5.09) from which it launched a successful hunt, capturing a large vole in the grass.
After devouring the vole, the juvenile bounced around the tree balancing precariously on thin, wobbly branches until a passing train's whistle startled it into flight. Great job, Pam!
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