For #SuperbOwl Sunday, here’s my Perpetual Journal art of 2 very superb owls: 2 Great Horned Owls calling back & forth (duetting) along with a Cooper’s Hawk & a small Mexican Poppy plant.
My 2025 Perpetual Journal watercolor and pen art of 2 Great Horned Owls calling back and forth; my 2024 Perpetual Journal watercolor and pen art of a small Mexican Poppy plant; & my 2023 Perpetual Journal watercolor and pen art of a Cooper's Hawk, all in Tucson, AZ, for the week of January 22-28.
This is a broad‑winged hawk (Buteo platypterus). I haven’t seen one recently, and I captured this image some time ago. Every time I’ve spotted one, it’s been high overhead, making it tough to get a detailed, close‑up shot.
Check out breathtaking photos of magnificent birds of prey, visit my photo gallery here:
"A broad‑winged hawk glides overhead, suspended in a clean, endless blue sky. You see it from below, as if you’re standing in a clearing and it has chosen that exact moment to pass above you. Its wings are spread wide—broad, rounded, and powerful—each feather catching the sunlight in a slightly different shade of brown, cream, and charcoal. The patterning is striking: dark bands along the trailing edges of the wings, pale mottling across the chest and belly, and a tail marked with bold, even stripes that look almost painted on.
The hawk’s body is compact and muscular, built for soaring on rising air. From this angle, the bird feels both close and unreachable—its silhouette sharp, its motion effortless. There’s a sense of quiet authority in the way it holds itself aloft, as though the sky belongs to it alone. The simplicity of the background, nothing but blue, makes the hawk’s details even more vivid: the layered feathers, the barred tail, the subtle curve of the wings as they adjust to invisible currents.
It’s a moment of stillness and motion at once—an intimate glimpse of a wild creature doing exactly what it was made to do." - Microsoft Copilot
A red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) soared high overhead yesterday, its broad wings catching the light as it circled a few times—likely scanning for prey. The sky was clear, and the hawk’s reddish tail flared against the blue as it drifted past. My backyard tends to draw a crowd of birds, and this visitor added a touch of wild majesty to the usual bustle.
Check out breathtaking photos of magnificent birds of prey, visit my photo gallery here:
"The red-tailed hawk soars midair against a flawless blue sky, its wings stretched wide in a commanding display of power and grace. Each feather is etched with detail—dark bars and mottled patterns that ripple like brushstrokes across the wings. The underbelly glows pale, almost ivory, contrasting with the rich, rust-colored tail that fans out like a flame. Sunlight catches the hawk’s plumage, casting subtle shadows that emphasize its muscular form and aerodynamic poise. Its head is slightly turned, eyes sharp and focused, as if scanning the earth below with sovereign intent. The hawk’s posture is both elegant and fierce—an emblem of wild precision suspended in motion." - Microsoft Copilot
It's an ancient #symbol, over a thousand years old, and it's not a trident
it's an abstract representation of a diving #falcon
If we were living in ancient times, we would be venerating this #hawk that attacked an enemy #drone as a manifestation of a #god, and building a temple dedicated to it
A few autumns ago, in the morning rain, this hawk appeared in the oak tree just beyond my backyard fence. I first tried photographing it through the storm door, but a veil of leaves obscured its head. So I improvised—a quick waterproof cover for my camera—and stepped out into the rain to bear witness properly. Based on its size, I believe it’s a Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), though it could be a Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus). The resemblance between the two is uncanny—this is a sovereign guess, not a definitive ID.
Check out breathtaking photos of magnificent birds of prey, visit my photo gallery here:
"Perched with quiet authority on a lichen-dappled branch, the Cooper’s Hawk surveys its domain with piercing red eyes that seem to burn through the amber hush of fall. Its chest is cloaked in fine horizontal barring—rust and cream etched like ceremonial armor—while its head bears a dark cap, sleek and regal, as if donned for a rite of passage. The hooked beak curves downward in silent readiness, a symbol of precision and power.
The branch beneath it is mottled with pale green lichen, like ancestral script etched into wood. Behind the hawk, the background blazes with autumn’s palette—leaves in fiery reds and soft oranges blur into a painterly wash, framing the bird in seasonal reverence. The hawk’s posture is alert yet composed, talons gripping the branch with sovereign steadiness, as if guarding a mythic threshold between forest and sky.
This is no casual perch—it’s a vigil. A moment suspended in amber light, where predator and season meet in ceremonial stillness." - Microsoft Copilot
Charlie and I sat outside this morning watching birds—though there weren’t many around, at least not that I could see. The blue jays stayed out of sight, but I heard them raising a racket nearby just before a hawk made a quick sweep across the backyard. I wasn’t ready, and the appearance was brief, but I did manage to catch this blurry image of the hawk in flight. Based on the wing proportions, I believe it’s a Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus).
Check out breathtaking photos of magnificent birds of prey, visit my photo gallery here:
"A raptor glides overhead against a clear blue sky, its wings outstretched in a broad, steady arc. The photograph captures the bird from below, mid-flight, but the image is softly blurred—its edges feathered by motion or focus, like a memory half-formed or a dream in transit.
Despite the lack of sharp detail, the bird’s silhouette is unmistakably hawk-like: compact body, broad wings with rounded tips, and a tail that fans slightly as it rides the air. The plumage appears mottled, with light and dark patches suggesting banding or barring, though the blur renders specifics elusive. The posture is purposeful, gliding rather than flapping, as if surveying the land below with sovereign intent.
The sky is a clean canvas—no clouds, no distractions—just the hawk and its blurred echo, suspended in flight. The image feels like a fleeting witness to something wild and watchful, caught just as it passed overhead.
The head of the bird is one quarter from the top and just left of the middle of the photo.
The bird is sitting on a fancy branch and facing to the right.
You can see the back of the bird.
Yesterday morning—Saturday, 13 September 2025—I looked out into the backyard and noticed a dark shape perched on the back fence near the bird feeder. At first glance, I thought it was a squirrel, its tail hanging down in that familiar arc. But as my brain caught up with my eyes, I realized it was something else entirely.
I grabbed my camera and headed to the sunroom, hoping to get a few shots without disturbing the figure. Through the lens, the mystery resolved: a Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii), just hanging out, back to me, head turned nearly 180 degrees, scanning the ground below like a surgeon preparing for the first incision.
I cracked the door open and took a few more pictures. Then I stepped out onto the patio—and that was enough. The hawk lifted off and flew into the forest, landing in an oak tree just beyond the yard. It was still close enough for a few decent shots, but birds being birds, it tucked itself behind a veil of leaves, hidden but not gone.
Check out breathtaking photos of magnificent birds of prey, visit my photo gallery here:
"A Cooper’s hawk perches on a white backyard fence, its back to the camera, body taut and feathers layered like a well-kept archive. The plumage is grayish-brown, sleek and orderly, catching soft light that reveals subtle ripples and banding. But the drama lies in the head—turned nearly 180 degrees, twisted with avian precision, as if the neck were a hinge of pure intent.
Its sharp beak points downward, and its blazing orange eye scans the ground below, hunting without motion. The gaze is surgical, focused, and unblinking. This is not a casual perch—it’s surveillance. The tail feathers fan slightly behind, balanced and banded, while the wings remain folded tight against the body, conserving energy for the moment of strike.
I was photographing a Carolina Chickadee this morning when a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) suddenly popped into the frame. How often does that happen, right? Just milliseconds before, the chickadee had been perched with a sunflower seed on the small horizontal branch directly above the hawk. Lucky, lucky, lucky.
Check out breathtaking photos of magnificent birds of prey, visit my photo gallery here:
"A juvenile Cooper’s Hawk perches on a sturdy tree branch, surrounded by a mix of green leaves and early autumn tones—faint yellows and browns just beginning to whisper change. The hawk’s plumage is mottled brown and white, with vertical streaks down its chest like brushstrokes on parchment. Its eyes are a vivid yellow, round and unblinking, scanning the scene with the intensity of a creature built for precision.
The beak is sharply curved, pale at the base and dark at the tip—made for tearing, not decoration. Its talons grip the branch with quiet authority, claws curled into bark like punctuation marks. The tail feathers hang long and patterned, alternating bands of black and white that echo the hawk’s youth—still growing, still learning, but already formidable.
The background is softly blurred, a wash of forest tones that isolates the hawk in sharp relief. It’s not in flight, not in motion, but the posture suggests readiness—like a thought held just before action. The bird is alert but not alarmed, perched in a moment of suspended decision.
A young Cooper's Hawk is perched on a wooden fence post with its back to the viewer. Its head is turned looking to the left showing its bright yellow eye. Photography by Debra Martz
A hawk perches on a wooden utility pole, surrounded by blue sky and electrical wires. The bird appears to be looking down, possibly staring at the prey it caught. Photography by Debra Martz
"One Very Focused Hawk" by Debra Martz
Seen in northern Oklahoma along the side of a highway. Stopped and watched for a short time and it never moved so it might have had its eye on some prey. Thankful for the photo opportunity and we rolled on down the road leaving it to do its "work" https://debra-martz.pixels.com/featured/one-very-focused-hawk-debra-martz.html
A hawk perches majestically on a leafless branch, its sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. The clear sky serves as a serene backdrop, highlighting the bird's striking plumage. Photography by Debra Martz
A digitally drawn character reference sheet of an anthro European Kestrel man named Taz. He is wearing a blue scarf and leather armor similar to those worn by the Rito in Zelda: Breath of the Wild.