I carried my camera on a 5-mile hike the other morning and hadn’t seen anything I felt like shooting. It seemed like one of those dull summer days.

Then, just as I was almost home, I came upon this guy standing in the weeds next to the Negro Bar parking lot, jumping up and down and flapping his wings. He didn’t seem to have any prey; I think he was just a young hawk getting the feel of his new equipment.

After a minute he flew up into a nearby tree and sat, just thinking things over and checking out the scene. Even though the nearby beach and parking area were crowded with noisy kids, a few adults, and one or two cyclists, nobody seemed to notice the bird of prey as he surveyed his front yard.