How cool is this??? I was sitting in my kitchen editing, and what lands right outside our backyard — a red-shouldered hawk! Such a magnificent bird! At first, he was on the ground. I could tell he was holding onto something because he kept looking down and picked up his claw and put it down again. He kept looking around and for some reason, let the little creature go. That’s when he flew up and stood on top of our fence for about 5 minutes.

When I started out in photography, I would go to a local nature center and try to capture these birds. If you want to improve your photography – go shoot birds! It’s not easy. They were always so far away and on the move… so, to have one land on our fence so close, is pretty amazing to me.

I started wondering if this was some kind of sign, so I looked up the symbolism of the red-shouldered hawk. Apparently, hawks are a messenger bird. When you see one, it means you’re going to get a message — something that will help you see the bigger picture in your life and bring you guidance.

“The red-shouldered hawk is a symbol of coming into your true destiny. This bird will take you down the path that is meant for you to take.”

Not sure if I really believe in all that stuff, but it sounds encouraging. Anyway, I was pretty excited to have one land right outside. These pictures would have been so much better, but I had to take them through my window.

Don’t you just LOVE nature?