Red-Tailed Hawk Taking Flight

 I had a cool experience of observing a family of Red-Tailed Hawks Sunday morning.  After several shots of the younger birds hunting in the fields, the adults moved to the backside of that same field.  One of the adults sat in a tree for 20+ minutes preening and watching over the field.  Finally being spotted by several Mockingbirds, the dive bombing and general harassment started.















Eventually as if saying it had  enough, the hawk gave a little pre-flight stretch and expelled a stream of waste.

Enough was enough and it began making a turn for take off.

In a graceful and powerful seemless motion, it lifted its wings for take off.

As quickly as the take off started, it put on the brakes and attempted to stop on a small limb that jutted out from the side of the larger limb.
















The limb gave way sending the hawk forward.

We have lift off.