“Hawks on High” Installation
About the Photographers:
From the Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal are journalists who’ve spent the past decade writing about the wonder of birds as well as the growing pressure on bird populations. They’ve traveled extensively to tell the stories of birds in articles, on their website FlyingLessons.US: What we’re learning from the Birds, and in their book on bird conservation, “A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save our Vanishing Birds.” About a year ago, they moved to Nashville, where their two grown children and two-year-old granddaughter live, and have been attending St. Augustine’s ever since.
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Anders has photographed birds across the U.S. and Latin America to illustrate the couple’s articles, website and book. These hawk photos are mostly from the East, where birds such as Red-shouldered Hawks and Red-tailed Hawks are plentiful. Unlike more than half of all bird species, most hawks are thriving in North America, since they sit at the top of the avian food chain and are more adaptable than many birds.
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The Red-tailed Hawk soaring above is an easier shot than most, since these birds move slowly and often circle around repeatedly. Then it’s a matter of the quality of light. In this case, the sun was positioned just right to shine through the edges of the bird’s plumage against the bright blue sky.
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Catching birds in flight, such as the Red-shouldered Hawk with its wings and legs spread as it takes off and the Red-shouldered Hawk in midflight, takes long stretches of waiting and then being ready the instant a bird makes its move. The Cooper’s Hawk as well as the Red-shouldered Hawk with a bluish tinge were taken from a distance with a long lens, which can still scare birds away. In both cases, they stayed put just a few seconds to get the photo.
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The Black-collared Hawk was diving into a waterway just feet from where we were drifting in a boat in northern Belize. It lunged almost directly at us, capturing the moment with talons spread wide seconds before splashing into the water to snag a bundle of snails.
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The close-up of the Red-shouldered Hawk staring straight at you was a moment of pure luck. This hawk flew up and landed on a fence post 10 feet away. This is a juvenile, not yet as skittish as it would become, so it just sat and watched as if posing in a studio.
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It was a pleasure putting together these photos. I went back through scores of shots of not just hawks but all kinds of raptors, which had me thinking about how these birds help us see the wonders and beauty of the natural world as well as the perils on our altered environment. I ended up writing this piece about why birds of prey are such captivating creatures that hold a special place for so many people.