Redtail Hawk and Mouse Colorado                                 click to enlarge

As a wildlife photographer you spend a lot of time searching for subjects. You go to places where there is a high probability that you’ll see animals like Yellowstone, Glacier, or Rocky Mountain National parks, and you’re always watching out for those lucky spontaneous breaks that can happen. What you always wish for is some way to have continuity and access to your subject so you can reliably document their lives over time. This rarely happens, like in almost never.

But every once in a while you catch a break and are given an opportunity to have a long-term project. That’s what happened with this pair of Redtail hawks. Since 2005 through 2012 I have had the good fortune to be able to photograph this family as they reestablished the nest in the spring, mated and laid their eggs until the young fledged and left the nest. In 2012 we had a series of incredible wind storms that literally blew the nest out of the tree, leaving not a single-stick of it remaining. Since then the hawks have not rebuilt the nest.

What was special if not miraculous was the nest was built about 30-40′ up in a cottonwood tree and by some capricious act of the photo gods a circular opening was left that perfectly framed the nest and its inhabitants. If I stood on a hill about 150 yards away I had a perfect view into the nest. As the summer progressed and the trees leaved out they did not cover the opening. It was as if it were a deliberate act to allow the family to be photographed without the usual peekaboo effect through the leaves and branches that normally happens.

The opening was only visible from one vantage point and if you moved 15′ in either direction you lost the visibility. But through that opening I watched this family over the years feed and raise their young, tend to the nest, change parenting duties, occasionally suffer the loss of one chick or another, and watch the young birds leave to start their own lives. The image above is of the female bringing home a freshly caught mouse for the chick, still in its bobble-headed white phase, just barely visible behind its mother.

Even though the opening was more of a window I always thought of it as a looking glass reflecting the Redtail hawks lives back into my lens. Its been almost two years now since the family was uprooted by the storms but I’ve often seen Redtail hawks flying over the area. I’m sure they have found new nesting sites and there may be a slim possibility that the nest could still be resurrected but if it isn’t their time here has been recorded and can be shared by all who view their images. As time goes on I will share other moments of their lives.