It was hard to choose which Red-shouldered hawk picture to post today. Yesterday morning at dawn, I had been out on Geoff's small boat, this time alone. I drifted in the stillness of the dawn and approached birds up to just a few feet in glorious light and perfect conditions. We were at Loxahatchee reserve, a massive wilderness area and the small boat had been towed out deep in to the reserve and away from the slip before I climbed aboard and drifted away on my own. The Red-shouldered Hawk hardly even contemplated me as I approached him to just a few feet. At one point as I photographed him, he flew to the tree that the boat was tied to, aware but oblivious of me. He was at that point, so close I couldn't get him all in the frame as he peered down looking for early morning prey.
The presence of the hawk meant that other birds were a little hard to find as they would be on the menu, but a Loggerhead Shrike was calling and showing well as were Mockingbird, Purple Galinule and the usual heron species. All in all this was an outing of a lifetime and an immense privilege to have the chance to photograph in a wilderness all alone.
Wildlife in a Suburban Garden 
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