Watching raptors from blinds at the Santa Clara Ranch in South Texas a few weeks ago gave us lots of opportunities to photograph the action. There was plenty of competition among the several raptor species that visited the area. By the numbers, Crested Caracara were the most common visitors but Harris’s Hawks and Black Vultures also competed and even a few Turkey Vultures. It was a real challenge to recognize the patterns so we’d know when the birds were going to leave their perches in order to get the best flight shots. This shot shows off the bird’s wing structure and the patterns of the feathers as it leaves the perch.