… probably my favorite perch in the world to shoot Red Tail Hawks and other life that lives on a cliff, is the the tram that goes up Red Tail Cliff to my friends home on the top of it, some two hundred feet above the ground. I bring my coffee and a snack and spend several hours in the tram 100 to 175 feet above the surface whilst shooting the Red Tails and whatever else shows up on the cliff. There is an amazing amount of life on the cliff and it is a treat every time I go up … I have yet to be disappointed and have captured some amazing shots.
The photo above is one of the young Red Tails that has just fledged (left the nest) and he is very focused on prey as he descends towards it … currently about 150 feet above the surface, but heading towards an outcrop from the cliff below me.
First below is another fledgling that spent some time on a rock outcropping about fifty feet directly across from me and he is engaged in hopping from a lower place to a higher one. Pure determination on his face to do it perfectly!
Below him are a couple of adults pondering what they have brought into the world while perched at the top of the cliff two hundred feet above the ground … they’ll be helping the kids transition to self sufficiency over the next several weeks and then they all move on. About 80% of young Red Tail Hawks perish in the first year … the real world is harsh and unforgiving! Red Tails mate for life and life expectancy in the wild after the first year is about 20 years.
Into a new day and week … always a chance to get it right! Choose joy and share a smile with those you meet and greet … keep breathing … the day is just so much better then 🙂
Cheers,
Ted
I ask no odds of any man,
I am not one that follies sway.
I am the source of my rewards,
I do my work each day.
The fruit of trees, the grain of fields,
Wherever use and beauty lurk—
The good of all the world belongs
To him who does his work.
It matters not if rich or poor.
This is the future’s great command,
Who does not work shall cease to eat;
Upon this rock I stand.
Though work bring naught of power
nor wealth
Spare me from want of common needs,
And give a share of manly health,
A few good friends of honest deeds;
And till death’s peaceful slumber nears
A life of undishonored years.
Work by Max Ehrmann
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The easiest way to reach Mr. Grussing is by email: ted@tedgrussing.com
In addition to sales of photographs already taken Ted does special shoots for patrons on request and also does air-to-air photography for those who want photographs of their airplanes in flight. All special photographic sessions are billed on an hourly basis.
Ted also does one-on-one workshops for those interested in learning the techniques he uses. By special arrangement Ted will do one-on-one aerial photography workshops which will include actual photo sessions in the air.
More about Ted Grussing …