Standing like sentries on guard duty, hawks stared down on us
from utility poles as we passed through Kansas.
Most were Ferruginous Hawks, with Red-tailed Hawks making up
the rest. While not expecting an honor guard of hawks to greet us as we passed through
the Great Plains, I was pleased to see each and every one of them standing at
attention…really quite impressive.
I reviewed them as carefully as I could at 60MPH.
I rode from Wisconsin with my brother, Kenn and his wife Linda M. in their 5th wheel camper. They were on their return trip
to Arizona. I was behind the wheel
on this section of straight arrow, US 81, which divides Kansas into two equal
parts…east and west.
Kansas is flat…trees are rare. With few trees, the utility poles made good perches for
America’s largest hawk. Hawks scanned the countryside at regular intervals every
few miles. With little hope of not being seen by one, my only
chance for a picture of one was to be accepted by one…they were having no part
of it.
 |
| This is a Red-tailed Hawk |
I stopped the truck whenever I thought a hawk would allow me
a picture…I was wrong more often than right. Seeing me outside the truck would immediately scared him off his
high voltage perch.
He’d accept
hundreds of cars passing below him daily, but would get very suspicious when a
vehicle stopped. To date, I only
have these few pictures of Ferruginous Hawks, out of the dozens I saw. These pictures are not all from Kansas
either.
This Ferruginous Hawk just outside of Dodge City, Kansas was
the most accommodating. He still
flew away when he saw me, but he didn’t go far. He screamed and stretched and rearranged
his feathers, then circled above me until he too had enough and flew away.
Weariness of people has served the Ferruginous Hawk well. Neither
‘endangered’ nor ‘threatened’ the Ferruginous Hawk is common in Kansas…common and cautious. I have many mental images of them standing at attention on
utility poles, but few pictures.
He’s such a beautiful bird; I just wish he wasn’t so shy.
Allan
Good photos.
ReplyDeleteI observed over 14 different hawks (all Ferruginous) along US 96 between Wichita and Hutchinson. They were perched as if waiting to catch anything trying to cross the highway.