Big Bird ... aka the red tail hawk in the yard

I can't believe I got this picture!

For one, it was taken with the little digital camera that I bought with the idea of taking pictures of little things close up (which I have not quite mastered yet), but I figured why not try it.

In all that yuk of snowy weather yesterday, I saw him swoop across the yard and land atop the big pine tree in the back corner of our neighbor's yard. (Swoop is the best word I can think of for the truly majestic grace of one of these wonderful creatures in flight -- amazing)

anyway, he sat there in the tree, swaying in the wind, looking this way and that long enough for me to shoot about a dozen pictures, and this one cropped up the best.

it was like he knew he was posing for the photos, turning his head first right then left......

then off he went, gliding off into the snow, giving me a great look at his beautiful red tail feathers (but I didn't get a picture of that --- unfortunately)

maybe the reason there have been so many birds created in the studio in the last few years is because I see a variety of different ones in my back yard