Red-tailed Hawk Photography

Anyone who lives in southern Ontario knows about the amazing road side views of the Red-tailed hawks... as a child, I would see these birds resting on the top of telephone poles while on drives through the country with my father.

(Click on the images for a full size view)

I told him I wanted to get some pictures of these great birds, and he laughed... "never!" he said. Well my sense of determination took me to these hawks later in life, and photographing them is sure a challenge!

Starting in mid-October, through to spring you will find a red-tailed along most major highways and service roads locally.. many are between Hamilton and St. Catharines Ontario along the service roads of the QEW Highway.

The nice thing about winter shooting here, is that the sun is low in the sky all day long, so harsh light is not usually an issue. And the snow is your friend! When a bird is flying low and the sunlight is reflected up from the snow, the under-side of the bird has some great natural light.


Everyone complains about how skittish these birds are, and in my up-coming book I will share some details on how I approach these birds, and get them to pose for me. One trick is to find a first year bird. They seem much less fearsome, and I have often got into 15 feet from them while they are perched.

Still, one of my favourite birds to photograph, as I often spend 4-7 hours on the road trying to get the perfect shot! Still looking too!

In Here is my gallery of Red-tailed images.., more to come this fall.

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Foot Note: I have just added a logo / link to a great camera store where I have purchased all of my equipment. Camtech is owned by Roger Burrough, his store is located on Hamilton Mountain in Southern Ontario, Canada. Roger and his team provide an excellent service, and I highly recommend you give them a call for all your equipment and service needs.