Where The Hawk Flies

Rumbling northward down a Llano Estacado ranch road trailing a cloud of dust, I eagerly make headway toward the Running Water Draw. It’s late afternoon and the air still holds a hint of dust kicked up by lively daylong winds. Given the low density of air at the nearly mile-high tablelands, the dust causing haze will settle by nightfall. 

I’m in pursuit of a Red-tailed Hawk—a photo of the diurnal raptor—before it returns to its nearby roost. However, an enchanting shift in the mood of the prairie diverts my attention. I stop to immerse senses in an ethereal work of art, as Mother Nature paints the world with serenity. The dust-laden air, warm hues of fading sunlight bathing broken cloud cover, and flaxen glow of withered prairie grasses have come together in a gilded symphony of light—a golden hour.

© Ilija Lukić 2026

Where The Hawk Flies

Ranch road south of Running Water Draw near Clovis NM