Red-tailed Hawk with Prey.

[Karl Egressy]

I was very fortunate to have witnessed this natural hunting and subsequent take off, thanks to a lady who pointed it out for us.
)Posted the take off earlier)
Later I asked her how she knew that we were birders/photographers.
She said; You drove very slow and looked at the sides, instead of the road.
Thanks for looking.

Canon 1D MIV
Canon 500 f4.0 L IS II.
ISO 800
1/2000 s
f5.6
HH kneeling down

[Randy Stout]

Karl:

Strong side lighting worked well here. Sharp and well exposed, mouse a big plus.

The inclined hill gives the image some 'tension'. I might try a version levelled out. The tail just fits without being cropped. Not necessarily better, but an option.

Cheers

Randy

[Loi Nguyen]

Nice to be able to catch one on the ground with prey. I see the image a bit too contrasty. Did you increase contrast during PP? If the IQ could take it, I'd suggest cropping a bit tighter. The three big branches on the LHS are a little bit distracting. Loi

[dankearl]

Nice habitat and behavior photo, Karl.
Sharp as can be, I might try to smooth the BG out just a bit.

[Enrique Patino]

Great catch here Karl. I also would be tempted to "clean up" the BG a bit, and I would try to selectively adjust the sat or vibrance on the bird and not so much on the BG or FG. Nice light and the prey is a +

[Grace Scalzo]

Some interesting suggestions above, and an image worth working on till it totally pops. I'm a bit torn here because while I do like the fallen leaves, seems to me like the real action and interest is in the prey. Maybe try a tighter crop, especially from the right side. Cloning artifacts on right side noticed. Terrific image to have in your files, Karl!