I knew as soon as I pulled into the gravel parking lot that this would be a rewarding day because I could see another photographer pointing her huge lens at a leafy branch just above her head. And right as I pushed opened the car door, I heard the unmistakable scream of a juvenile coopers hawk. It took a minute for me to get my camera assembled and pull on my backpack for our morning walk around the lake, but the hawk wasn’t going anywhere. Most of my raptor photos are from pretty far away because I usually see them soaring overhead or perched in a high treetop, but this young one was down low, barely above eye level screeching their head off just in case they blended into the background for a second. And here’s what I saw. Look at the feather patterns! Like little leaves or droplets. And the back feathers look just like the bark of the tree they’re sitting on. Perfect!

A juvenile Cooper's hawk is squawking from their perch on a peely-barked branch.

A Cooper’s hawk on a diagonal branch with a fly just in front of their nose.

A juvenile Cooper’s hawk viewed from the back. Their back and tail feathers are shades of brown with white splotches so that they blend in with the bark of the tree they’re perched on.

While I was taking pictures, a grey squirrel showed up, scampering right in front of the hawk with a boldness that made me think they weren’t worried at all. Stretching out their neck, the juvenile seemed to know this was important, but they just weren’t sure what to do about it. I don’t know how much Cooper’s hawks eat squirrels, but the moment was filled with tension! The squirrel easily got away.

A Cooper’s hawk is camouflaged by leaves and branches as they look very intently withe their neck stretched out. Their eye is gleaming.

A grey squirrel is heading down a tree trunk with sharp-clawed paw just lifted up for the next step.

A Cooper’s haw clutching a thin branch with yellow feet and sharp slate grey talons looks intensely toward me. Their tail feathers are showing from the front with bands of white and brown.

A Cooper’s hawk perched on a wide branch is yelling.

A Cooper’s hawk looking straight at the camera in classic startled “birb” pose with ruffled feathers.

A Cooper’s hawk’s profile in shadowy light with a striking blue sky just visible behind silhouettes of branches.

Fluffy pink flowers are backlit in warm morning light among green leaves.

This was my first chance to photograph a Cooper’s hawk and it sure was a delight! Seeing the forms that other beings take close up always gives me a sense of wonder that rejuvenates me. And it’s always worth it to go out early to see light like this!

Since you’re probably here at least partly for the knitting, you should know that I’m having my annual summer sale right now! Use code SUMMERSUN for 15% off all my indie patterns in my web shop and on Ravelry.

I got to photograph Cooper's hawks!

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