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This Swainson's Hawk - is very concerned that I am competing for prey in the huge field outside of Rock Creek (Highway 3 at the Harfman Road field) in Kettle Valley.

Traveling west from Grand Forks (where my travel companion and I photographed Doukhobor artifacts and buildings) we saw an abandoned farm house off the road. Parking in the dirt road which led to the Harfman cattle Ranch my friend and I scrambled across the main highway to another dirt road that led to a farm a kilometer or so away from the abandoned buildings we wanted to picture.

As we walked down the dirt road toward the abandoned buildings I saw overhead, not one, but three Swainson's Hawks hunting together in low, circling patterns not far ahead. Without warning, one of the large sized hawks circled right over out heads, not more than 20 feet above, screeching at us in a rude sort of kreeeeeer! Perhaps to scare us away, or perhaps just to let us know that we were in Hawk Territory and not to disturb anything.

With no further contact or problems, the hawk hunting party left toward the river just to the south of us.