Sept 2011 "Photo of the Month"

Red-tail Hawk                       

Photo of the month / Eric Horan

September/ 2011 Lowcountry Calendar

I’m so happy the Laurel Hill wildlife drive in the Savannah Wildlife Refuge is open again after a long but necessary construction project by the Army Corp of Engineers’. They renewed the fresh water canals from higher up the Savannah River to irrigate the compounds, in order to mitigate the higher salinity levels brought on by deepening the Savannah Shipping Channel.

This wildlife drive is a jewel of a place for any wildlife junky (photographer, birder or the like). Different the year around it provides a insiders view of a wide diversity of wildlife behavior, without having to leave your vehicle. But if you do leave your vehicle it can be all the better. This Red-tail Hawk I spotted from the car, perched high up on a pine tree limb. I stopped and got out with a 400mm lens. The bird was just out of range for this lens so I shot a frame or two and waited and watched. After several minutes the bird took flight and came my way. I have witnessed their curiosity before, and wondered if I might be so lucky to have him he come over to check me out as he circled right over my head.

 PHOTO TIP

So much of good wildlife photography is just “being there” with the animals & birds, staying in the moment and observing their natural behavior. And because my previous observations in the field, I knew that the hawks at times, showed a certain curiosity, and so I waited for the bird to move. Call it luck and in one sense it is, he did not have to come my way, but because I have seen them behave this way on previous encounters, I had hope that he might J

To see more about Eric Horan, his images and his Lowcountry Wildlife Photo Safaris, please visit us at www.southernlight.biz.