The Hawk is a photograph I have been wanting to capture. This past summer, my part of town was home to three hawks that I would often see circling above. I had attempted to photograph them on my phone and a few times with my DSLR, but none of those photographs came out very well. I was rushed a just trying to capture anything.
But then a rain storm happened, and while sitting upstairs my youngest son yelled that the hawks were on the trampoline.
After a rain, a hawk will shake its feathers, change positions, and spread its wings to dry them off, often "sunbathing" to evaporate moisture and regulate its temperature. Hawks have specialized, waterproof feathers that help repel water, though they still need to dry their plumage to maintain proper insulation and body heat, especially after a heavy downpour.
So there they were perched right in the backyard. We watched them for some time. I tried getting a picture from the window, then from the deck, then slowly walking out in the backyard. As we got closer to the hawks they flew away. I thought I missed another opportunity.
Suddenly two came back and landed on the fence 5 feet away. I quickly snapped as many photographs as I could without daring to get any closer. The photograph above is one from that session.
The Hawk was taken in July 2025 with a Sony a6000 and a 55-210mm lens. It has been edited in Adobe Lightroom.
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Section: Photography
Tags: Not So Wildlife, July, 2025, Connecticut, Hawk, Bird, Nature