I went out on the patio to turn on the hose. When I turned around, this red-shouldered hawk was perched on a trellis at the other end. That made me jump! I had to walk within about eight feet of the bird to get back inside. Then I took photos from inside before seeing if they’d let me go back outside without flying away.

Back outside, I managed to take the photograph below from about eight feet away. It’s barely cropped at all. I was too close to get their whole body into the frame.

Here’s a larger version of the take-off shot, which you can click on to see more detail.