The color of this hawk in the morning light was so striking it was difficult for Melanie to finish taking photos. She kept saying, "okay, that's enough," and then I would reach to turn on the car and hear the shutter tripping again as the hawk moved into a different pose. There were not many passerine birds at the refuge in October, and there was almost no water in the ponds. But the raptor activity was about the best we've found anywhere.