Hawk Pictures
How A Photo Opportunity Becomes Nature Lesson

Read how hawk pictures can become lessons from nature. Hawk pictures, photo opportunity and education, what more could you ask for?

This is the story of a photo opportunity that turned into a lesson from nature. “Grandma, can I use your camera? There is a bird on the ground, I want to show you.”

This has become a common request from my granddaughter, Jessica.  I love the way she is always quick to back up her request with a good reason. I must admit I feel honored that she wants to share in my picture taking adventures.

Even at my busiest moments I find it hard to resist a photo opportunity when it is presented to me. And so we set off together to see this bird on the ground. It turned out to be fledgling dove that was knocked from its nest during routine tree trimming. Little did I know at the time that I would get the opportunity to add to my hawk pictures collection as well.

When Photo Opportunity Becomes A Nature Lesson?

Fledgling Dove

This baby dove was on the ground. And he was not very happy about it. As we moved around him taking pictures from different angles he would turn to face us. He wasnÂ’t making much noise, but you could tell he was scared.

This photo opportunity was about to turn into a real adventure and a lesson from nature for the children. Jessica wanted to rescue the bird since it couldnÂ’t fly and no longer had a nest to be put back into.

So I told her if she could find a box to bring it home in, she could take on the job. At the time I really thought it would be better off with us than being trampled under foot where it had fallen.

Learning How to Care For an Orphan

Jessica gathered leaves to create a bed in a box and  carried the dove home. I was very proud of 10-year-old Jessica as I watched her take on this new project. She and her best friend asked questions of all the right people.  They learned:

• What young doves eat
• What to make bedding out of
• How to give the bird water
• The proper way to keep birds quiet and calm
• How to keep the bird safe from the other pets in the home

Jessica and her best friend took turns caring for the bird. So his home was a mobile one between our patio and theirs.

One day when I went to check on the bird, I heard the mother dove talking to her young. She was actually guiding her baby from a distance. Each time she chirped the baby dove would turn its head to one side.

I felt like I was listening to a private conversation. Of course I didnÂ’t understand the language, but I was able to report to the children that our little friend had not been abandoned after all. I secretly wanted them to be prepared for the day this new "pet" would get enough strength to fly off on its own.

The fledgling was flying from his new home out onto the patio several times a day now. I think the kids were having as much fun chasing him down as they were taking care of him. I was enjoying  the wonderful photo opportunity in our own back yard.

Adding Hawk Pictures to The Scene

You can see this whole story in pictures at our Hawk Pictures Gallery.

Hawk Pictures Gallery Enter Here

Then just a couple weeks later, this picture session came to an end as quickly as it had begun. The fledgling became brave enough and strong enough to fly into a nearby tree. The children tried to get it to come back to them. They just knew that it wasnÂ’t strong enough to survive in the wild on itÂ’s own.

Then suddenly out of nowhere, a hawk swooped down and grabbed the unsuspecting baby right in front of their eyes. I saw the hawk from inside our home and knew instinctively what would happen. I grabbed my camera and ran outside. Sure enough the hawk was perched on a nearby tree with his prize still hanging from his feet. These were hawk pictures I took with a heavy heart.

The Hawk Is a Bird of Prey

The children learned a lesson in survival that day. And we explained the best we could how this is the way the Hawk feeds its young. They did a ritual to honor the baby they had tried to save. This was their way of bringing closure. You never know what lessons you will learn when you are looking for photo opportunities in nature.

The hawk is a bird of prey.  Getting hawk pictures can sometimes be a fascinating process. The first picture in the gallery is of a hawk that came back for his meal to our house. That day when we got back from a walk in the park we found a mallard duck dead in our yard.

It was not until the hawk came back later did we realize what had happened.  I missed the first shot but I was able to add the chimney pose to our collection of hawk pictures.  If you are a fan of Mallard Ducks as we are, you may enjoy a visit to our Mallard Ducks Page.

More Hawk Pictures

This collection of hawk pictures are in the public domain. They were taken by employees of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. You can find a library of free images by visiting their digital library here fws.gov.

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