After about 1 minute of observing the Sandhill Cranes I saw something flying toward me and quickly turned my attention to this beautiful adult Sharp-Shinned Hawk (Thanks to Jerry Liguori for helping me with the ID) who took a path right over me. These are by far the best flight shots I have of this species, and my first of an adult in flight. There was an Male Northern Harrier that flew by a little later but did not get this close. It was interesting that the Cranes didn't even notice the Sharpie, or the Harrier for that matter, which are too small to take one of these birds. The other songbirds in the area however did take notice.
And a few more Sandhill Crane shots to round things out....
Learn how to ID raptors by reading Jerry Liguori's Hawks at a Distance: Identification of Migrant Raptors
which features one of my photos
which features one of my photos
Nice pics of the sharpie - shows markings well. I'd love to see Sandhill Cranes - read about them in Peter Matthiessen's book "The Birds of Heaven", about their far-ranging migration.
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