Backlit Hunting Hawks

​Job 39:26 “Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soar and spread its wings toward the south?"

Red shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus, raptor, bird of prey, Walton County Georgia

Tuesday, 1:14 PM - A bright blue, sunny sky with a touch of warmth has returned after the last few days of cold temperatures. Our impending snow storm predicted for last Friday turned out to be only a light dusting of powder and, thankfully, no ice. By mid-afternoon, the day continued to warm up.

Two Red-shouldered Hawks were perched over a drainage ditch and scanning the ground for rodents. Buteo lineatus is a medium-sized hawk that resides here in the eastern United States. They aren’t quite as large as the Red-tailed Hawk, but are quite conspicuous, especially while the leaves are off the trees. This pair allowed me a surprisingly close approach. I was able to walk so close that a full extension of my zoom lens wasn’t even needed. But just my luck, such a beautiful opportunity for close up shots of two beautiful raptors and they were, of course, backlit by the bright sun.

Red shouldered Hawk perched on a branch in Walton County, Georgia. Buteo lineatus is a medium-sized raptor bird of prey in eastern North America.

Backlighting can be used for effect, such as silhouette shots, but otherwise makes it difficult to photograph properly . Either the subject will be properly exposed but the bright background will be blown out, or the background will look good but the subject too dark to discern detail. It is best to change your position to realign the sun, or to place a darker object such as a tree or hill behing the subject to mute the bright sky. Also, a bit of post-processing work can sometimes salvage the photograph, but is often apparent if the shadows are boosted too much.
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I was worried my shots wouldn’t come out because of the backlighting. But it isn’t always about the photography. I was still able to watch these two beautiful raptors for a few minutes and observe their behavior. One took off as I pressed in a tad closer, but the other remained on its perch just above me for quite some time. The chilly air caused me to retreat before it did.
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Walton County, Georgia. ​

Red shouldered Hawk sitting in tangle of trees in Walton County, Georgia. Buteo lineatus is a medium-sized raptor bird of prey in eastern North America.

Red shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus, raptor, bird of prey, Walton County Georgia