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Pennsylvania is well-known for several mountain sites at which to watch either the spring or fall raptor migration. One of these spots is at Tussey Mountain, which is only 10 miles away from where Sue and I are living at State College.
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Since being able to watch a large hawk from hopefully a closer distance seems a fine experience, we went to the Tussey Mountain hawk watch site. The trail (part of the midstate Pennsylvania hiking trail) began at Jo Hays Vista, a convenient viewing point for State College itself. After two-thirds of a mile (or 15 to 20 minutes), the hawk watch site has good views both north and south.
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We chose to sit facing north and saw several raptors over an hour and a half. One of them - a red-tailed hawk - had the decency to come reasonably close. The first four photos are a direct sequence, as the hawk came to give us a lookover.
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A red-tailed hawk is a buteo, or large, bulky hawk, perhaps 18 to 24 inches long with a wingspan of 48 inches. In number red-tail hawks are common, but their appearance is truly striking.
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After the first pass, this fellow swung around to have a second look at us.
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It was incredible to see the hawk soaring, a dance of the heavens.
Photo note: I used a Pentax *istD, with the SMC reflex zoom 400-600mm lens at the 600mm end.