Hawk Perched upon Signpost
Walking in the Hinckley Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks today, the first day of summer, I spotted a group of visitors looking at something along the path ahead. As I drew closer I discovered they were watching and photographing a hawk! The bird was perched upon a signpost and did not appear to be bothered by the attention of nearby humans. Carrying my DSLR fitted with a 400mm telephoto lens, I was able to capture especially close-up images of the beautiful raptor at it watched for people and potential prey.
Watching Me Watching
At one point a cicada flew within a couple of feet of the hawk and the bird turned to watch. Fortunately for the insect, it was just a bit out of reach for the hawk and, for its part, the bird seemed to think pursuit wasn’t worth the bother.
Turning to watch a cicada as it buzzes by.
I left after several minutes of photography, moving around and a bit closer to my subject. Not wishing to spook it into flight, I left the hawk still on its perch from which it could see and be seen.
PhotonStopper 
Wow! what a stunning encounter 🙂
It was, indeed, rare and wonderful to get so close to a wild bird of such beauty!
If you have any photos of kestrels, I’d love to see them – I am to write about them soon 🙂
Thanks but no, I’ve no shots of kestrels.