Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk

Just over a week ago, a fellow birder had sent out an email to everyone, saying that he was going east of the city on 7 September 2016, to visit Lynn Gratz and her partner at Marsland Basin, and that anyone else was welcome to join him. This was enough incentive to make me do the drive eastward. I have been out there maybe three or four times before, but by carpooling. This day was the very first time I had ever driven there myself. So much traffic and construction on the eastern edge of the city, so I really don't like that drive, until I am way past it all. I certainly hadn't intended doing a long drive like this is my new car, at least not until it has been 'broken in'.

The weather was beautiful all day and there were a fair number of birds, especially shorebirds in the water and on the mudflats. Too far away, really, for photos, though I did take some.

Just before I got there, I spotted this beautiful juvenile Red-tailed Hawk perched on a fence post. Didn't see it till I was almost past it, and then I couldn't figure out how to put my widow down, lol, so had to turn around. Then I found that the Hawk was too low down because of a ditch, so I couldn't see it from the driver's seat through the passenger window. Silly new cars with the front console!!! In my old car, I could slide across and point out the passenger window, if needed. So, had to drive down the road and turn around again! This time, I found how to put down my window and managed three quick shots before the hawk flew away. My photo is horribly blown out on the chest feathers, but better than nothing. These were really the main photos I took that afternoon - and by the time I had driven all the way back to Calgary, I was exhausted.