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CJ Max | all galleries >> Galleries >> Falconry > Thor at the Beach
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20-JAN-2013 Cliff. Johnston

Thor at the Beach

Jamaica Beach, Texas

Thor is my current falconry bird, an Harris's Hawk. At a hunting weight of 480-500g he is less than half the size of Tara, a Red Tailed Hawk, who hunted at 1,120g. Unlike Tara, Thor is strictly a one person hawk. This photograph was taken at Jamaica Beach on Galveston Island, Texas. Technically it is all wrong as far as the lighting is concerned, but it turned out just fine for me :-)

In the background is the Gulf of Mexico and the sand at Jamaica Beach on Galveston Island. The weather was picture perfect. The sea gulls though went into an absolute panic when they saw Thor. They ganged up and squawked blue murder as they hovered about 10' overhead. Thor didn't bat an eyelash at them. Once they saw that Thor was not a threat they went about their business of scavenging on the beach. Every day at 4-4:30 PM a couple of Northern Harrier Hawks would fly by over the vegetation line between the beach houses and the water looking for quarry. The Red Tailed Hawks perched on the utility poles along the main road, staying away from the beach itself. Every bird had its territory staked out.

Canon EOS Rebel T2i
1/200s f/16.0 at 33.0mm iso400 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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