Harris Hawk about to Strike!

[Meadster]

This will be my last thread for a while as I'm off to New Zealand on Saturday and am packing up all my photo gear for the trip ( 1 week "working" & 12 days on a photo tour of the South Island in winter).

This is a Harris Hawk I captured on display at the Center for Birds of Prey near Charleston, SC. He's about to pounce on a supplied morsel of chicken. These hawks are so interesting because they are the only hawks to hunt cooperatively & they share their kills with one another. He is hunching his back as a way to shield the view of his prey from possible eagles above that would try to steal it. I hope you all enjoy & I look forward to sharing again when I return in late July!

[leonaashlee]

Some of the photos from NZ are stunning...can't wait to see yours when you return. Have a great trip! The photo is awesome and so clear.

[Tally Wa]

Oohh, pretty bird! Hawks are amazing creatures.

[cciotti]

Awesome shot, great bokeh.

[juzten76]

Great shot!

[Gobae]

Beautiful bird. Harris Hawks are reknown (and controversial in falconry circles) because they are one of the few, or perhaps only, birds of prey that hunt cooperatively in packs.

[Heaterguy]

What a great shot. I hope we get to see what you shoot in NZ.

[fstopMike]

Marvelous detail on this one! You've captured his intensity and focus on the food very well!

[ilookalot]

crystal clear shot meadster,and interesting fact .hawks and eagles are my favorite birds although i dont know much about them.cant wait to see your shots when u return from nz.

[Meadster]

Thanks a ton for the kind remarks..... I just wish I had more time to spend at the Center for Birds of Prey as they had 110 individual birds... if only I could have shot them when they were not in their enclosures like I did with this one & the Saker Falcon i ahve posted before.