Fine Art Images from the American Southwest

Tag: Swainson’s Hawk

Swainson’s Hawk In Flight, Colorado

Swainson’s Hawk in flight, Colorado. I know where they live and nest, but the uncanny scrutiny this male is giving me suggests he knows where I live. Although… I’m pretty sure he could see himself clearly in the large front element on my lens. Thanks for looking. G

Swainson's Hawk in flight, Colorado.

Nesting, Swainson’s Hawk, San Luis Valley

Nesting, Swainson’s Hawk, in the San Luis Valley, southern Colorado, from a few years ago now. I still head to this location but the nest and the tree are long gone. It feels much more remote than it used to without this tree. This was the only time I saw a hawk nesting here. I know that raptors abandon nests for the parasites to die off, only to return to it in another season. So it was wonderful when my friend Mark Collins and I spotted it occupied by this Swainson’s Hawk after a number of years. Stay safe and well in your nest. Thanks for looking. G

Nesting, Swainson's Hawk, San Luis Valley

Monarch Of The Hay Bales

Monarch of the hay bales, San Luis Valley. I firmly believe this is a Swainson’s Hawk, as it wasn’t sporting a red tail in the the next few shots after it lifted off and soared to the west. These bales were a field of wheat a week ago. This raptor didn’t waste any time ensconcing itself on the highest vantage point in it’s dominion of the farms and fields in the San Luis Valley. Thanks for looking. G

Monarch of the hay bales

Swainson’s Hawk Colorado

Swainson’s Hawk Colorado, giving me the business. About 50 feet up, I got this picture of it looking straight down the barrel of a 300mm lens, the only kind of shooting I like. Thanks for looking. G

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Swainson’s Hawk, San Luis Valley

Swainson’s Hawk, San Luis Valley, Colorado. We stumbled across this beautiful creature and made a few images as it let me know, in no uncertain terms, that I was encroaching on it’s nesting territory. There were many hawks this day and any approach seemed to entice them from the nest, to abandon the chicks in order to distract us intruders. We moved on and left them to their familial duties. Thanks for looking. G

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Hawk Nest And Ute Mountain

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After numerous years, the tree and Swainson’s Hawk’s nest near Ute Mountain on the plateau has finally succumbed to the elements. The nest, were it not for the fact that it is now three feet above the ground and within reach of predators, would have lasted for many more generations of raptors. The structure of the nest is bound together with an armature of barbed and bailing wire. I expect to see the tree disintegrate around it while the nest remains a reminder of what once was.