His Own Personal Raptor

The sun has just set on the beach at Padre Island, when a young man walks out onto the sand with a raptor (hawk or falcon?) perched on his wrist.




(Remember to click on the photos for full screen)

The light is not bright enough for clear pictures but the colors are wonderful.

And the show is too good to not try to capture it.

The hawker spins his lure as the raptor makes pass after pass at it.





He so fast that I keep losing him in the failing light.

A hit on the lure, and the bird is down. He is rewarded for his kill.

And again and again the lure is deployed.

After a time the bird says, hey guy I'm tired and swoops down over my head to land on the roof of a nearby cabana.

But soon he is called and is off again.