Nearly three weeks since I have gotten close enough to the Red Shouldered Hawks

My Red Shoudered Hawks of Tingsgrove and Beyond blog began with over 100 photographs of them and has since progressed into the "beyond" season. It has been nearly three weeks since I have gotten close enough to the Red Shouldered Hawks to try and snag a photograph. In these days, they no longer yell and scream and make themselves known when they hunt. Instead, they hunt rather quietly and still, waiting for the right time to grab their prey. Yesterday, the timing was just right, as I took a break to walk along some of the pathways on the grove. As I made my way along the first path, the noise of the Blue Jays began to gather momentum, the Mourning Doves all flew in different directions, and smaller song birds dove into evergreen bushes and took a still pose, beaks upward. I had my camera in hand, yet the canopy of heavy green foliage made it impossible to get a good view, yet I knew that either one of the adult hawks, or young ones was right before me. It is a frustrating feeling to be so close, maybe 100', or less and not be able to view them, let alone get a photograph. If I moved to close, it may fly and I would ruin it's opportunity to get a meal, so I too stilled myself. It was really getting loud, and so many birds were yelling their plaintive cries, and yet, this is nature, and it is the way things were created to happen. If prey was taken, I do not know for certain, what I do know, is that when the hawk flew right beyond my scope, it was most assuredly, one of the young ones, for I saw the beautiful light colouring of it's chest feathers, as it flew quickly along the wooded path before me. Even without getting a photograph, it is always a thrill to be this close to nature at it's best, as it was meant to be. I feel honored to have the many opportunities to view and photographs these magnificent birds of prey, and hopefully shall still capture a few more photographs as Autumn season arrives and the leaves begin to fall~