Red-tailed hawk standing in winter grass near a roadside in Oklahoma

Red-tailed Hawk Standing In Grass

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I had left the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma when I saw this Red-tailed Hawk standing in the grass. It was busy feeding on something and was ignoring the vehicles going by. I stopped in the road and began photographing this hawk. A short time later, a loud car came by and scared the Red-tailed Hawk off.

Red-tailed hawk standing in winter grass near a roadside in Oklahoma
A red-tailed hawk pauses between bites in the grass near Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge.

Wildlife Notes

I had already left Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma when I spotted a red-tailed hawk in grass near the road. It was focused on a meal and seemed to ignore the passing vehicles. That is rare, so I stopped and started shooting.

Red-tailed hawk lowering its head to feed in dry grass beside the road
Head down, fully focused, this hawk ignored normal traffic until a louder car passed.

Wildlife Notes

This hawk was on the ground and feeding on something in the grass. I could not tell what it had, and I’m not going to guess. What stood out was how locked-in it was. It barely reacted to normal traffic.

A louder car came through and that changed everything. The hawk lifted off and disappeared fast. That’s a good reminder that even when a bird looks calm, it can be on a hair trigger.

Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) are common across North America and show up in all kinds of open habitat. Roadsides and fields can attract prey, so it’s not unusual to see one hunting low or feeding on the ground.

Photography Notes

I photographed this from the road, quick and steady, before anything spooked it. With a long lens at a fixed f/11, I pay extra attention to shutter speed and support.

Gear Used:

  • Camera: Canon EOS R5
  • Lens: Canon RF 800mm F11 IS STM

Technical:

  • Location: Near Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma)
  • Date and Time Taken: January 8, 2023 (12:33 P. M.)
  • Aperture: f11 (Fixed)
  • Shutter speed: 1/800
  • ISO: 400
  • Focal Length: 800 mm (Fixed)

If you’re shooting a roadside raptor, the biggest win is time. Get a few frames quickly, then keep your movement minimal. In this case, I got the look-back, the head-down feeding posture, and a clean side profile before that loud car ended it.

Side profile of a red-tailed hawk standing in grass near the road
A quick roadside portrait before the hawk flushed and flew off.

Closing

This was a short encounter, but it’s the kind I never regret stopping for. A red-tailed hawk feeding in the open does not stay put for long, especially near traffic. When it happens, shoot first, settle in second.