The Adventures of the Stealthy Belly Band, the Red-tailed Hawk.

When last we met, Belly Band the Red-tailed hawk, whom I was leaning toward being the female of the pair, was heading off into the distance.

 In actuality this is what she looked like using my long lens so in actuality she was about twice as far away as this view and no more than a speck.

  I cropped this down so you could see BB's wing span. That is definitely more of a female span than a male's.  She's gliding, looking around.

She catches an updraft.

 She starts to gain altitude.  There is no flapping involved here.

 She's still gaining altitude.  She's now at the top of that ribbon of blue sky.

                                                     Faster.

                            She tips up slightly.

 She banks left.  Yes, the bird is still Belly Band.  They've switched off so many times I keep checking whenever I get a chance.

Her right wing tip flips up.  

She heads towards a wood lot.  Suddenly there is the most gosh awful ruckus over my head.

It's a flock of geese trying to arrange themselves into a tidy flying V and everyone has something to say.

The cacophony continues but things are shaping up. 

  I often wonder if they are honking get out of the way or make room or here I come or whether it is just a sound cue so everyone knows where everyone else is?

WAIT!

Then I realize....where did the hawk go?  DRAT!  I look back.  She of course is long  gone having taken her chance to disappear while I was distracted.

We shall meet again!

Happy Hawking!

Donegal Browne