"River Raptor" While birdwatching in the Tucson, Arizona area, I came upon this beautiful Cooper's Hawk as it sat perfectly still, hunting in a small, marshy area. It was hunting from the ground and stalking prey from above. At one point, it actually shot straight up and caught a bird from a nearby palm tree! Incredible! This image is one of several of this bird that I captured as it hunted and bathed in the marsh. To see a raptor sitting in cold water for at least 15-20 minutes was a most incredible sight. This was absolutely a highlight of the day for me and a bird behavior I have never witnessed prior to this moment. It was a gorgeous sight in the wild. You may also watch a brief video of this bird here: http://youtu.be/acMNsB6iCX4 (Thankfully, the bird moved into a clearer area for photographing it after I filmed this clip!) ©2011 Langell Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

"Who's that staring back at me?" A Cooper's Hawk bathes in a stream in Tucson, Arizona while studying his reflection. ©2012 Lisa Langell. All rights reserved.

"Moonhawk" The December Full Moon in Arizona is my favorite moon of the year, given its early rise that coincides with sunset, making for lighter skies and beautiful horizons. On December 9, 2011, I was photographing the moon over Four Peaks Mountain and other nearby mountains from the edge of the Tonto National Forest in AZ. I was just about to put away my gear for the night, as I got the images I wanted and the moon had since risen beyond the peaks at too high of an angle to capture it beautifully for landscapes. Just then, a Harris Hawk flew atop a nearby Saguaro. I happened to have enough time to switch over to my 500mm lens + 1.4x teleconverter, mount it to my tripod (already set up), run about 50' to frame the shot, and grab this image before the hawk flew away. It all happened in seconds. What a moment! ©2011 Langell Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.