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There have been a few times lately when I’ve felt as if going into the field has been an exercise in futility.  We have had the hottest and driest summer that I’ve experienced since we moved to Arizona nearly a decade ago.  August seems to have been particularly brutal so far, with daytime high temperatures routinely getting well above 100 and lately, peaking each day at about 110 (about 43 celsius).  In heat like we’ve been experiencing most wildlife seeks cover.  Consequently, everything becomes harder to find and to photograph.

A few days ago I was driving through Arizona’s farmlands northwest of Tucson.  It was about 10 a.m. and, already, the temperature had approached 100.  Wildlife was scarce.

And, then, I came across a young Red-tailed Hawk, perching in shade near the bases of some pecan trees.

Red Tails will occasionally use low perches and sometimes, they will perch on the ground.  Most of the time, however, they like to perch near the highest local elevations, at the tops of trees and utility poles.  They are perch and pounce hunters.  Their favored style of hunting is to wait for an unsuspecting animal — most often, a rodent — to walk beneath them.  It then becomes a relatively simple matter for the hawk to leap from its high perch and descend on the prey from above.

But, in glaring sunshine and withering heat, most prey species go to ground and hunting becomes futile and exhausting as well.  Hawks can succumb to heat even as we can and sitting for prolonged periods exposed at the top of a tree or a utility pole on a very hot day is a recipe for problems. So, this youngster had abandoned thoughts of hunting for the time being and was simply cooling its heels.

I’ve referred to this bird as a “juvenile” Red Tail.  I’m 100 percent confident in that assessment.  Why?  Look at this bird’s eyes.  Adult Red-tailed Hawks have eyes that are colored in shades ranging from amber to deep brown.  Juveniles have very pale eyes as this bird displays.  Also, look at the hawk’s tail.  Adult Red Tails, with very few exceptions, sport brick red solid colored tails.  This bird’s banded tail is a dead giveaway that it is a juvenile.

Earlier this year I posted several times about a nest of Red-tailed Hawks that I’d discovered in the farmlands.  I made today’s image at a location that is only about a mile from that nest site.  In all probability, this bird is one of the three offspring that hatched and fledged from that nest.

Image made with a Canon 5Div, 400mm f4 DO II lens+1.4x telextender, aperture priority setting, ISO 400, f6.3 @ 1/160.