White-tailed Hawk
White-tailed Hawk (juvenile)
Harris's Hawk
Crested Caracara
Crested Caracara (juvenile)
Swainson's Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk (adult & juvenile, l-r)
Turkey Vulture & Black Vulture (l-r)
.
Red-tailed Hawk
In addition to our 4 ponds (see "Blinds" page), we have two Raptor areas--one for morning photography and one for afternoon photography. Chicken is fed twice a week to maintain a high level of activity. Let's step through some pictures and look at the Raptor facilities at Laguna Seca Ranch.
As you can see in this picture (below), three mannequins are placed inside the blinds every day to help the raptors become comfortable with a human presence. Once you are in the blind, you will see that the birds at Laguna Seca Ranch are not afraid of people. Even if you make movements with your equipment, they will continue to feed. These blinds are for morning shooting.
Perches -- PVC pipe is placed in the ground at various locations. Photographers can choose between perches of various sizes and shapes. The perches are staggered in height and position (background/foreground and left/right) so that you have numerous opportunities to get the perfect shot. We have a stockpile of perches for your choice.
The afternoon blind (shown below) holds six photographers at ground level.
Raptors not pictured:
American Kestrel
Merlin