It is my good fortune to have a brother-in-law who as a result of residing in Tsawwassen most of his life has a vast amount of knowledge concerning the history and wildlife of the area. During a recent visit he kindly let me benefit from this knowledge by taking me 'out back' on a 'raptor photo expedition'. While driving the country roads a mile or so off highway 99 we encountered two cyclists repairing a flat bicycle tire, oblivious to the humongous Red-tailed Hawk peering intently down at them from atop some hydro wires on the opposite side of the road.
Quickly stopping the car we cautiously exited ... with myself commencing to shoot photos, all the while getting closer and closer to the Hawk ... which perched above nonchalantly sat and stared ... directly ahead ... occasionally throwing a glance in our direction. I was quite surprised to eventually find myself taking pictures of this magnificent creature while directly underneath it.
Waiting for the Hawk to depart for an 'in-flight' shot proved fruitless ... it simply wasn't interested; nor did passing traffic or other distractions cause it to alight ... what was the attraction? Chickens could be heard making noise nearby ... but they were enclosed in a barn ... ooops ... a closer look determined not all of them were in the barn i.e. a few were wandering about under heavy duty farm equipment which was sheltered by large trees ... and therein lay the Red-tailed's magnet ... in Hawk terms ... it was at MacDonalds ... simply awaiting its order to arrive.