GalaxyCat Loc: Boston, MA

I was in the woods, in a park called, "Stanley Ringer Park" (in Boston, Massachusetts, USA) and I saw briefly, a hawk fly by, and I was no where near my camera on a tripod, and I couldn't see where the hawk went. I have to wonder: how on earth do these people on this forum find such fantastic shots! I only saw a hawk for 2 seconds! And I searched and searched; never to see him again. Never mind pointing a camera at it!!! How do you do it?

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Stay by your camera and observe and listen.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Lots of time and lots of shots. A few guys go to the local reservoir almost every day top get shots of the eagles. I can't imagine how many thousands of shots they have.

This woman is selling her book of eagle photos - or trying to.
http://www.blurb.com/b/982696-eagles-of-the-ashokan

And -
http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/photos/7613256/

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

If you study the upper reaches of big trees, you might get lucky and spot a large nest. It could be a hawks home. In the Spring the hens will lay eggs, then hatch out chicks, and both will be collecting food. That is your best time of year to catch hawk shots. Other times of year it is mostly luck. When I am a passenger on country trips I keep an eye out on tree tops.

russelray Loc: La Mesa CA

I go out from 6:00 a.m. to noon every day and wander around with my camera looking for shots that weren't there yesterday, last week, last month, last year.

GalaxyCat Loc: Boston, MA

I saw her book; looks impressive! Maybe I'll buy her book someday!

Anvil Loc: Loveland, CO

I've never had any success using a tripod with birds of prey. They don't usually stay in one spot long enough for me to use a tripod -- even if I'm already set up on one, with a Gimbal style head. Waterfowl with that setup, sure, but I've always had better success with raptors going freehand, with a fast shutter speed. My cameras have three custom settings, and I reserve two of them for birds in flight. The essential difference between the two settings is focus type. One setting is for a clear sky, and for that I use the full complement of focus points, although I may shut it down to a single zone. The other setting is for a complex background, like a hillside or trees. On that setting, I will choose a focus option that is tighter. Both settings will be based on manual mode, but with auto ISO. The camera I use to capture BIFs features exposure compensation when using manual with auto ISO. That comes in handy, because a dark bird against a bright, blue sky will generally cause the camera to expose for the sky, instead of the bird, leaving the bird underexposed. (Trying to use spot metering when following a flying raptor is difficult, at best.) I will usually add between one and two full stops of compensation. I will always use a shutter speed at least as fast as 1/1000 second, but most of the time, I will use 1/1250.

I'm as much a purist as anyone -- I prefer to use full manual mode, whenever I can. Birds in flight are just to fast for me to be able to make all the adjustments in an instant, so I cheat, and use exposure compensation with auto ISO. The important thing is to get the shot, however you do it.

GalaxyCat Loc: Boston, MA

I was just using a tripod to focus on a tree, set the timer, run next to the tree, and wait. I have nobody else to take pictures of. DH not interested, no other family or friends around. I plan on taking pictures around Boston. But for what reason? None. Just practice. Practice for that once of a lifetime shot? One never knows. I oil paint from photos. Apple Computer has really screwed me big time. Their "icloud" has taken all of my files off my MacBook Pro, and there's only about a hundred files on the "icloud." I am missing several hundred pictures, and approximately a hundred short stories, documents, partial novels and other notes. I have not purchased another Apple computer, and I don't want to have anything to do with Apple Computer. I supposedly have gigabytes of storage on their "iCloud," but none of my videos are there either. I did have about 75 videos of Diana Fischer and I recording the composing of the music to my screenplay, "Quilt Mania the Musical." It's been 10 years now, and nothing has become of "Quilt Mania the Musical." The screenplay is available on Amazon Kindle, but only one copy has been sold in a year. A woman wrote a wonderful review as she said, "I like the loving characters and the uplifting songs." There are 8 songs. It's an amazing play.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

I have an Osprey photo (actually a bunch I was using burst and tracking it as it circled overhead) over a pond at the park where I photograph water birds. And a few of hawks that came to my backyard after the birds at the feeders or the lizards among the flowers . The one eating the lizard was ignored by the birds, it was a type that only eats rodents and small reptiles.

But generally you learn where the places are that the raptors (hawks, eagles, falcons etc) hang out and you go there, watch to see where they tend to land or fly past and set up your gear either hand held or on tripod in what you hope is a good spot. (Oh, in general there is no such thing as a lens that is "long enough", no matter how long a lens you have a bird will appear just a bit too far away.)
And be prepared for a learning curve, a lot of waiting and a lot of failed shots.
There are some very good books etc on this type of photography (a few are free or have an abridged PDF version for free), Google for "bird photography", "raptor photography" etc and you will get a lot of books, videos, articles and of course people wanting to sell you on their class/workshop on the subject.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Are you looking for a specific type of Hawk, or just birds of prey in general.. When I'm birding I go Every weekend.. If it's cloudy and rainy I'm out Looking for specific birds. In General with All types of birds, find the food source and you find the bird. Hawks Love cultivated fields, open meadows, open roads cutting thru heavy wooded areas, just to name a few places to start.. They are also territorial, so once you find one, your in the general area they hunt. Keep a journal and hit the back roads. I would youtube bird of prey sounds so you will recognize one when you Hear it and not see it. This year I have added Spoonbills and Wood ducks to my list while out photographing other subjects. I'm always looking and listing everywhere I go.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Your first issue was not being near your camera or tripod. You need to have your camera in your hands at all times is you want to get the shot. Second depending on the lens you use, you might have better luck hand holding than mounted on a tripod. If you are ready to shoot and you camera has a good AF system and is in servo and high speed mode you likely would have been able to get several shots in a few seconds.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

Move to Oregon!

shutterhawk Loc: Cape Cod

As someone who shoots hawks almost exclusively I find the keys to be insane levels of patience and perseverance coupled with some knowledge of your subjects. Being near but a respectful distance away from a nest can present great opportunities. If the birds are "talking" to you you're too close. Spend some time at a recognized hawk watch during migration but don't expect instant gratification. I spent 4 hours at a migration site and got nothing until this Red-tail landed about 60 feet away to have breakfast. Yes, Lady Luck is important but youve got to be ready when she smiles.

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

The ONLY time I use a tripod for bird shots is if I have found a tree with a nest in it. Otherwise I hand hold the camera with a decently long lens and try to keep my shutter speed high enough for good sharp images.

CookieRahll Loc: Brasher Falls,NY

Shutterhawk....I'm really impressed on this shoot, you could almost count the toes on the mouses foot! Great Shot!