Red-Tailed Hawk, Looking Floofy

I am very fortunate in that I often see raptors on my drive to and from work. There are several red-tailed hawks who like to hang out on the light fixtures above the exit where I get off route I-99 in the morning to go to work.

On this particular morning, I stopped to photograph the hawk. I can't say for sure, but based on the size, I suspect it's a female, as female red-tails are as much as a third larger than the males. It's easier to tell which is which when you're looking at a pair of them together.

She was sitting on the light, surveying her domain. A tiny little bird landed on the light fixture not too far from her, and I thought, Uh-oh! But the raptor ignored the tiny bird, and took more interest in her grooming session. In this photo, she was looking a bit floofy because she had just fluffed up her front feathers. What a beauty!

My soundtrack song is a favorite John Denver tune about birds: Eagle and the Hawk.