Red-tailed Pair...

Genesis 1:21-22 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

Red-tailed Hawk pair; Walton County, Georgia.

​Friday, 12:25 PM – Monroe, Georgia. ​Although it was a chilly 43 degrees with biting winds, I couldn’t sit stir-crazy in my office chair any longer, especially seeing a beautiful blue sky shimmering off the small wind-driven waves on the pond.  The Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) were finally there on a sunny day. It seems that every time I’ve tried to photograph them, they are sitting on the pond on overcast days. 

I went out to stealthily sneak up on the Mergansers. Unlike city park Mallards, these little ducks are so skittish and quickly paddle or fly to the opposite side of the pond whenever any person, car or truck passes by. I decided to sit and hope a passing public works vehicle on the opposite side would push them my way.
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While crouched in a shady spot and waiting for the keen-eyed guys to forget about me, I saw a hawk fly into a snag on the far end of the pond. A moment later, I saw a second hawk catching a draft on the 20 mile-per-hour winds.  I focused my 300mm lens on the hawk in the air. The short tail and streaked belly- band let me know I was watching a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). It was awe inspiring how this bird drove face first into the cold wind.  He was soaring and occasionally flapping his wings, but stayed perfectly in one spot in the sky. For 48 seconds I kept my camera still and without panning or moving, the hawk stayed within the focus grid of my camera. 

After the brief ride on the wind, he dove and then cut a sharp curve toward the snag at the opposite end of the pond where the other hawk was perched. I watched in amazement. Instead of perching on a limb next to the other hawk, he perched on the other hawk and stayed for about 8 to 12 seconds. 

​Though most sources state breeding doesn't begin until March, and mating usually follows aerial courtship displays, I’m pretty sure about what I witnessed. It certainly wasn’t a violent attack meant to drive an adversary away, as both proceeded to sit perched near each other for another five minutes or so. Both flew off as I invaded their privacy and neared the base of the tree for a better photo.  
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Satisfied I had cured my cabin fever for the moment, the biting wind drove me back into my office. Once again, the crafty little Mergansers managed to avoid a sunny day close-up photo! But at least they drew me out of my office to witness this Red-tailed pair obeying the command of their Creator!