Red-tailed Hawk
(2-10-07)

Up close and personal at Fontenelle Forest.

Edit: To answer Vandana below, yes, this was a captive bird. I've never been able to get anywhere near this close to a wild one. This hawk is at the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center. She had apparently fallen out of the nest as a fledgling in 1998 and was found with a broken wing. The bone was repaired and healed well, but there was nerve damage and she can't use it, so she couldn't be released. She now lives at the Nature Center and is used for education. They periodically have events where they bring out the birds for people to see up close. She was an absolutely beatiful bird.

Red-tailed Hawk
(2-10-07)

Up close and personal at Fontenelle Forest.

Edit: To answer Vandana below, yes, this was a captive bird. I've never been able to get anywhere near this close to a wild one. This hawk is at the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center. She had apparently fallen out of the nest as a fledgling in 1998 and was found with a broken wing. The bone was repaired and healed well, but there was nerve damage and she can't use it, so she couldn't be released. She now lives at the Nature Center and is used for education. They periodically have events where they bring out the birds for people to see up close. She was an absolutely beatiful bird.