My goodness, I actually went right by this Red-shouldered Hawk, while I was trying to follow another bird in flight.
Thankfully my peripheral caught it, and I slowly stepped back a few in hopes s/he wouldn’t fly.
Red-shouldered Hawk watching me
Just after I snapped the above shot, the hawk took flight.
Red-shouldered Hawk
S/he didn’t fly very far before landing again.
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk Close-up (cropped from the above photo)
Wow, I loved how close we were to each other! Close enough to feel the intent stares thrown my way. I gave a quick “thank you” to the hawk and left it to get back to its hunt.
— Photos taken at Big Cypress Swamp National Preserve
