All About the Fauna

This is a mighty big red tailed hawk, I suspect it's a female. 

I was using my new beautiful long Tamron lens that my husband 

gifted me for my birthday. 

These are okay... but I realized when I got home that I was much, much too close to the bird.

I suspected it, so I jumped out of the car and put the shorter lens back on. 

Look at the difference! 

When she took off again. it was much clearer. 

As you see. 

Up she went to a convenient dead tree. 

One of my classmates thought she had something in her talons... I posted one of these pictures on Facebook earlier today... but I don't think so, I think she just had her talons curled. 

Whatever she dove on in the grass must have gotten away. 

And then, of course, I saw this one a long way away, over by the Big Ditch, 

and wished I had the long lens on again. 

The dogs were being so patient, I didn't have the heart to change things out again. 

I saw something move in Hawk Country on the way out tonight, 

but it was just this little fella, a WAYS up in the tree. 

I decided to turn off the gravel and go to paved on the way home tonight, and I was 

glad I did.  I saw this in the distance. 

Then I saw why it was hesitating. 

There was another waiting to cross. 

The odd thing was, they were both jakes, young males. 

By the time I got even with them... they had disappeared into the roadside cover. 

Oh, she's smiling all right

I was a ways from it when I shot this, and it was still alive, sadly.  

It was a rather large rat, and darned if she hadn't gone down in the pasture and 

gotten it silently, usually there is a little barking.  

Where there are chicken flocks there are mice and rats. 

Not fauna, but flora... and no wonder poor Keith is sneezing nonstop!