TomKal foto

I had waited to take my first photos of the hawk for a long time. It’s a magnificent predatory bird, and so I really wanted to photograph it. And how did it happen? It was a sheer coincidence. Thanks to the kindness of the owner of some breeding ponds, I and my father-in-law, who is often my companion in photography trips, went to the ponds at night, to a previously selected place. The objects of our photographs were supposed to be common pochards and tufted ducks. We put up our portable backpack hide, stretched out a camouflage mesh, covered everything with dry reed and leaves and waited. The ducks were luckily quite mobile, flying between several reservoirs, so a few hours after the dawn, the photo session began. There was a pair of mallards with their young swimming towards us. Suddenly a hawk attacked the baby ducks, which immediately hid in the grass at the pond’s edge. The head of the duck family fought back right away, so that the hawk, avoiding the confrontation with the drake, sat on a nearby branch, looking for the young. It was jumping from one branch onto another for a while, but nothing. Then it flew away as quickly as it occurred. The whole incident lasted literally 2-3 minutes, but it was within a hand’s reach, in good lighting, so that we managed to take some good photos. I also keep one picture of the hawk that is out of focus in the gallery, but for two years this photo was the only one of the hawk that I had, so it’s perhaps out of sheer sentiment. Year after year the relationship between the populations of the hawk and the buzzard is being reversed. Reportedly hawks used to be common, while buzzards used to be rare. The decline in the population of the hawk results from the culinary preferences of this bird, which is sometimes also called a pigeon-hunter. Despite the ban, numerous effective traps set near lofts and poultry houses have lead to such a radical decline in the population of this species. To locate the size of this bird I’ll just mention that the wingspan of the hawk is about 1.3 meters, and its weight can reach 1.5 kg. This data applies to the females, which are a little larger. Hence this magnificent predator belongs to our middle-sized birds of prey, whose extinction would be an irreparable loss, both in view of biological balance, and loss of aesthetical values, derived from communing with this bird. Let’s hope that this gallery will develop with time.
Last minute news – 11/2017
After many years I have encountered a Northern goshawk for the second time. It was just as random as the first one, the difference was in terms of the light  that was worse and the distance was bigger. So it was all against taking better, more interesting pictures for the gallery of this gorgeous representative of the family of falconiformes. But I have to add information and some photos as acknowledgements of the encounter with this bird such a rare in Poland.
Last minute news – 11/2017 Spain
The hide for Bonelli’s eagle cannot be used every day. Bonelli’s eagles does not exceed 2 kilograms in weight, so one large meal from a hare can cause a situation in which the bird won’t come the next day. Therefore, during breaks between two photography sessions, for the morning session, the organizers proposed a hide from which the northern goshawk could be photographed. And indeed, the bird appeared at the dawn. The changing colors at the dawn are best reflected in the photos uploaded in the gallery. They are undoubtedly the best pictures of this species that I have ever managed to take What is more, I managed to record the voice of a female northern goshawk. A smaller male sat for a while nearby, but as a reaction to the female’s voice – it flew away. Who knows, maybe the bait station was too small for two birds?
Lasty minute news-11/2019
This time in Poland, of course, new photos of Northem goshawk were created from the shelter. How different from the previous ones. Finally, my little monotonous Northem goshawk gallery has variety in the presented photos. The bird itself, its ruby eye makes an amazing impression. Now my gallery captures all the charm and beauty of this bird, although who knows what else will be done and what changes will then in the gallery. Northem goshawk goes to the news.