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Raptors, Bosque del Apache, New Mexico

I love taking images of birds.  If I have a choice I would much rather capture a bird in flight, just taking off or just landing rather than sitting on a perch. I find these images more interesting than a still image.  Small birds are the hardest to catch in flight because they fly so fast and often with irregular flight patterns and because they are so small you have to be fairly close, all of which adds to the difficulty in getting decent images. Raptors are a different story since they are normally larger, have smoother flight patterns, and are often quite elegant even when sitting still.  Where I have a problem is in identifying which raptor is which.  So if I get the name wrong please correct me.  The first two images above are, I believe, of a Red Tail Hawk just coming off its perch.
This is a Northern Harrier.  He seemed to have a nest near by and worked this same field every evening, flying characteristically low, hovering, and descending to the the ground as he is about to do here.
I think it is best to get images where you can see their eyes, but this Harrier just looked too good to me not to share it.  Hovering during its evening hunt the light caught it beautifully.
Sharp Shinned and Coopers look very similar.  My first take was that this was a Coopers Hawk, what do you think?
The best guess I have with this one is that it is a juvenile Swainson's Hawk.  I believe the light eyebrows are the giveaway, but definitely not sure.  In any case, I love the boldness of his stare.  Could it be a male Northern Harrier?


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  1. AnonymousOctober 3, 2023 at 7:09 PM

    Enjoying your pictures. I accidentally hit the unfollow button though…,

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