Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Territory Disputes

I'm just about to give up searching for wildlife for the afternoon, exhausting every local spot, when I see a friendly face whom I share the same passion of nature. (Hi Pam!) I stop for a chat and catch up with what we've seen and not seen in the recent days.



As we are talking, a few red-tailed hawks take to the sky and start soaring around...




Then another hawk decides he wants to cause some trouble and takes to the skies also...



We knew this unproductive day had just changed gears...



We watched as the pursuit went on.



I can only guess that an unwelcome bachelor hawk had his eye on a pretty lady, and her mate was going to battle for her love.



Then when everything settles down with the 3 hawks, along comes Mr. Eagle, minding his own business...



A hawk decided that Mr. Eagle couldn't soar in his territory, so he was going to go head to head with him.



The hawk might have been the underdog in this fight...



...but he had the will to prevail.



The eagle left without much of a fight.

It was a very cool sight to see. You just never know when things might happen and change the course of the day.

10 comments:

CountryDreaming said...

What a fascinating aerial battle! I also love how you tied it all in with your final philosophical sentence, and the message you leave us with.

Marsha said...

Unbelievable! What an amazing capture...you'll never know how much I enjoy coming here each day.

Shelley said...

Great story and photos hannibal! I was rooting for the hawk (I always admire a plucky spirit!) Bird behavior is so fascinating to me and you share glimpses into it so well!

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

Those are some amazing photos.To be at the right place at the right time is such a joy.
Blessings,Ruth

jalynn01 said...

wow! What a fantastic aerial show for us to watch. Loved every minute of it and every shot! I love coming here too! Never know what I'll find but I know I'll enjoy it very much. Have a great day Hannibal.

The Birdlady said...

That's a wonderful series!

Tina said...

What a post this is!! Amazing shots and boy were you in the right spot! I guess hawks don't know that they are the underdogs with eagles..love is blind, I guess.

Anonymous said...

Amazing series of images.

Rattlinantler said...

Wow what a find! You never know what will show up and if the camera will be ready!

Eve said...

WOW Hannibal, I almost missed this one!! Fantastic. I had two red-tails and a Rough-leg have a little go around but it was too far away and not as spectacular as this! Thanks for the great sighting!