Immature Red-tailed Hawk: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, December 2025 — One of the things I love about nature photography and observation is that you just never know what any day or any outing will bring. I almost always have my camera with me when I go out to do errands, just in case there is a moose in the road. In this case, it was a hawk sitting on the cable between the road and an empty parking lot. I was able to react quickly and get across the busy highway and into the parking lot, where I grabbed the camera from the seat beside me, rolled down the window, and took way too many shots of what turned out to be a young Red-tailed Hawk. The hawk was aware of me, but not concerned, and for a few moments, I just enjoyed its company…enjoyed being in the presence of a being so totally other than I am that it fills me with wonder. It lives a life I can only just barely imagine, and lives it so vividly, so intensely, that it fills me with appreciation. I always come back from such encounters filled with gratitude. Especially when I only went out for a doctor’s appointment and errands. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at ~ 350mm field of view. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.