Red-tailed hawk in flight

This past weekend, as I stood in our backyard, somehow I sensed that I should look up in the sky.

And there it was, a red-tailed hawk in flight.

It quietly soared, carried by the air currents, from north to south.

Alas, my camera doesn't have a strong enough telephoto lens for a very sharp image of a bird so far away. I can't tell if this is a juvenile or adult.

One of the largest birds in North America, it is a very impressive looking hawk.

They live in almost every type of open habitat on the continent, and eat mammals such as rabbits, mice, ground squirrels and voles. They also eat snakes and birds such as starlings and blackbirds.