Birding at the Racetrack

Megan and I use an incentive system for the boys. When they do chores, behave well, etc., they get a marble placed in a mason jar.  When the jar is full, they get a reward. Weston has been wanting to go try the go-karts for a long time, and finally we had a perfect day for it.  He had a blast.

The track is situated right next to the I-71 corridor, a habitat that is often frequented by red-tailed hawks.  What luck that a beautiful bird soared right above our heads while waiting in line.  I just happened to have my telephoto lens and camera all set up for action shots.  The red-tailed hawk had eluded me for quite some time.  I just didn't have any great photos of this common bird taken in Ohio. Not anymore!

-Tom

A Juvenile Hawk

As a relative beginner when it comes to trying to identify every bird that I see, juvenile hawks can pose problems for me. I took this image at Blendon Woods from the same vantage point as many of the other images I have been showing the past few days. After examining Lilian Stokes' images here, I think this could be a juvenile red-shouldered hawk. What do you think?

Tom

P.S. I photographed this bird flying above a man-made pond surrounded by both forests and fields this past Saturday, March 6, in Columbus, Ohio.