It was Mothers Day eve. The forecast was calling for 3-4 inches of snow overnight in Denver and surrounding areas. The forecast for the mountains above 10,000 feet was 18 to 24 inches. It started to become a reality around 8PM that evening. But, an hour before the snow started falling, this very brave hawk had perched himself on the railing of our balcony. Our house has somewhat of an elevated view from the rear and he was there searching for dinner. This was not the first time he blessed us with a visit. I would estimate he visited at least 4-6 times prior. Each time we saw him, we would be very quiet with no sudden movements. Each time, I was able to open the door all the way open so I could set my camera/tripod right inside my living room about 14 feet away. What a thrill. When it started raining, he paid no attention from what I could tell. He just started getting wetter and wetter until the water was dripping from his beak. Great photo opportunity. Now my family thinks the birds have unheard conversations about how I take bird portraits, so they come to my house. Silly of course, but it has been fun.
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Place: 14 out of 157 Avg (all users): 6.5513 Avg (commenters): 9.0000 Avg (participants): 6.3500 Avg (non-participants): 7.2222 Views since voting: 567 Views during voting: 126 Votes: 78 Comments: 8 Favorites: 0
What a beautiful creature, and how fortunate indeed you are to have this hawk visit you.
It's an exceptional image, and is not on the front page only because it is in exceptional competition.
Everything about this shot is perfect. I love shooting wildlife in the rain. My number one pick for the challenge. My only suggestion would have been to have a little a more space above the head. Also, as a 4/3 shooter I can't help but wonder if it would look better in that crop.
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