I vividly remember the first time I ever photographed a Red-tailed Hawk. It was August of 2015, the summer before my senior year of college, and I was driving home from work on a back-road. I was only in my car for a couple minutes when this MASSIVE hawk flew in front of me and perched on a short post. I didn’t even bother pulling over- just parked in the middle of the road, grabbed my camera, and started tip-toeing towards the hawk. Didn’t want to spook it. I was so transfixed by the beauty and size of this raptor. He flew away after about 10 fleeting minutes of photography, observation, and awe; and I instantly craved more.
Just for some perspective, I took these photographs with an 18-55mm lens (my kit lens). This is zoomed in at 55mm. That’s how close I was! If I owned a telephoto lens at the time, I would have been able to see the details of his beak. I actually went out and bought a telephoto lens a couple weeks later to pursue this new and immediate passion of mine.
It’s truly incredible to look back on this one 10 minute encounter and see how drastically it has shaped my life- a passion discovered and a newfound curiosity and appreciation for the natural world.
I’m now hyper aware of the wildlife activity happening around me everyday, when I’m driving in my car and spot a hawk perched on a branch, or identifying all the songbirds visiting the feeder, or fondly listening to the soft calls of a barred owl before falling asleep at night. My travels have revolved around spotting and photographing new wildlife species too, and it’s exhilarating imagining where my camera will take me in the future.
Thanks for everything, Mr. Hawk.
Anna Mannello 