Red-Tailed Hawk

This Red-Tailed Hawk perched on our neighbor's fence last weekend.  As usual, Lon was the one who spotted it.  I'd been sitting with my laptop near the window for a long time, frequently looking out at the backyard.  I'd been entertained by our usual gathering of fine feathered friends.  Lon walked in after a trip to Janesville and within a few seconds he was pointing out the window, momentarily speechless.

Wow!  I grabbed my camera and focused in on this awesome hawk.  I didn't know what kind it was but it made no difference.  I kept snapping pictures in hopes that I'd get a photo as he flew away but that didn't work out. 

After the hawk left, I looked in the index of my Birds of Wisconsin book.  It didn't take long at all to identify our backyard visitor as a Red-Tailed Hawk.

In the above photo, you can see a tiny bit of his rust red tail.

 

 

I wonder what else we'll see in our backyard this winter!  With Lon's observation skills, I'm optimistic there will be more excitement to come.