An Aerial Duel Raven versus Red-Tailed Hawk | October 31, 2010 |
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It was a fairly active day at Jo Hayes Vista (with over fifty redtails flying overhead in four hours), but the highlight of the day was a duel between a raven and an adult red-tailed hawk.
I've a sequence of seven photos showing the two of them (and then they dropped below the treeline).
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The photo above is the redtail's uh-oh moment and the realization that there's trouble overhead.
Next, the hawk tries to maneuver away, and it looks like both birds are flying vertically.
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The redtail cannot fly faster than the raven.
Incidentally, considering how both of them are approximately the same size, I'm assuming that the redtail is a male. (A female redtail would be larger.)
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Both of them are upside-down! | |
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And then there's another race. |
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Wheeeee! Upside-down flying is truly remarkable.
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And then the two dropped down out of sight. | |
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Of course I wish I knew how it ended, but what a beautiful display between the two.
Photo note: I used a Pentax K20D, with the Sigma 150-500mm lens for these photos, which were taken today, 31 October 2010.
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My State College, Pennsylvania, photo bird list (including hawks)