Copyright ©2022 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION!
The Red-Tail Hawk is back using the same nest as last year for this year’s breeding season. Yipee!
On the 15th while on my walk I think I spied a little head so when I got home I grabbed my camera and went back out to take photos of the nest and sure enough there was a chick in the nest and Mom too.
It wasn’t long before Mom took flight to stretch her wings. She flew into a tree across the way a bit to keep watch and once in awhile she called out letting the chick know she was near…I think. I kept waiting hoping the chick would sit up and it paid off.
Look how fuzzy and soft it looks! 2 weeks later look how big it is and there’s less fuzz and more brown.
The tree has leafed out quite a bit too making it a bit more difficult to see the chick. This is heavily cropped as well.
I’ll keep checking in on it and hopefully, I won’t miss the fledging like I did last year.
Fun Facts-gleaned from allaboutbirds.org
- The Red-tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that sounds exactly like a raptor should sound. At least, that’s what Hollywood directors seem to think. Whenever a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species, the shrill cry on the soundtrack is almost always a Red-tailed Hawk.
- Birds are amazingly adapted for life in the air. The Red-tailed Hawk is one of the largest birds you’ll see in North America, yet even the biggest females weigh in at only about 3 pounds. A similar-sized small dog might weigh 10 times that.
- The “Harlan’s Hawk” breeds in Alaska and northwestern Canada, and winters on the southern Great Plains. This very dark form of the Red-tailed Hawk has a marbled white, brown, and gray tail instead of a red one. It’s so distinctive that it was once considered a separate species, until ornithologists discovered many individuals that were intermediate between Harlan’s and more typical Red-tailed Hawks.
- Courting Red-tailed Hawks put on a display in which they soar in wide circles at a great height. The male dives steeply, then shoots up again at an angle nearly as steep. After several of these swoops he approaches the female from above, extends his legs, and touches her briefly. Sometimes, the pair grab onto one other, clasp talons, and plummet in spirals toward the ground before pulling away.
- Red-tailed Hawks have been seen hunting as a pair, guarding opposite sides of the same tree to catch tree squirrels.
- The oldest known wild Red-tailed Hawk was at least 30 years, 8 months old when it was found in Michigan in 2011, the same state where it had been banded in 1981.
I hope you all have a lovely week-end!
Fuji X-T3| Fuji 100-400mm lens| PS CC 23.2.2
more to come…
Circadianreflections Blog 
Wow! I’m sorry I didn’t see this before. You caught amazing shots, Deborah. It was exciting. Hugs on the wing.
Thank you! 🤗
Wow! Such great photos Deborah! I liked seeing the baby in its nest. I enjoyed learning about this hawk. 😃
I have been watching a mother Robin feed its baby this week… the baby is out of the nest but not strong enough to fly very far yet. It is interesting how they “talk” to each other.
Thank you so much, Jill! Isn’t that a wonderful gift to see!! How exciting.
Awwwe … very cool! Great spotting and captures.
Thank you so much, Denise! 😀 They’re growing and both are visible now. I hope to get out there again this week-end.
Wonderful photography as usual and thanks for some
Tidbits on these birds
How cool that the banded one from 1981 showed up in 2011
I could imagine the joy of the researchers who track this stuff – they must have been overjoyed
Thank you, Yvette! I know I would be thrilled if a banded bird was seen again all those years later.
☀️😊
How blessed you are Deborah to capture such a sweet moment in the life of this raptor’s life. Beautiful captures of the babies in the nest. Certainly something to be excited about witnessing.
Thank you so much, Ashley! It’s exciting to see them this young isn’t it.
Oh what a fine treat having the Hawk back at the nest. Look forward to you ongoing photos 🙂.
Thanks, John! I hope the wind and chill ease up this week so I can go see it.
I really enjoyed this celebration of the red-tailed hawk, Deborah. You did a great job covering some of the interesting facts about them, and your photos were a real treat. I especially enjoyed seeing the two images of the nestling, two weeks apart. What an absolute thrill for you, and for us.
Thank you so much, Jet! I hope the wind and chill calm down so I can get over there this week to see how much it has changed. Fingers crossed!
We have red-tail hawks here and love watching them soar overhead. They keep the crows away. How lucky to see the chick!
I love seeing them soar too. Thank you so much, Jennie! The Red-Wing Blackbirds are harassing Mom RTH probably because they fear she’ll go after their young ones.
Oh, no… sometimes nature doesn’t go the way we hope.
Interesting facts you’ve enumerated. Is it common for a red-tail hawk to re-use a nest the way this one did?
From my observation yes, they do. I’ve also read they do and may have several nests in their territory to chose from. Another fun fact- I’ve seen Owls occupy RTH nests. 😀
Some people are squatters, too.
Sadly, that’s true!
How exciting to see and photograph! I do hope you see the chick fledge too.
It is exciting. I hope so too. Thank you, Belinda!
What a super-find and oh how adorable!! Looking forward to more shots!!
Thank you, Donna! I was planning to go this week-end to check on them, but the weather has turned windy and cold and it might rain. You can imagine how bad the light is right now! I may have to wait until next week. I picked up a lifer yesterday! A Warbling Vireo who is sitting on a nest! I’ll be checking on that one too but, not as often as she’s an hour drive from home and a hike to get to. Still I saw her! 💃
A Warbling Vireo, yay! 💃 I saw my first Warbling Vireo a couple weeks ago too! 🙂 In a historical church cemetery no less, lol. I keep returning for a photo, but he keeps avoiding me, little stinker hehe. But it is still a thrill to add a lifer no matter a photo or not! Congrats, Deborah on adding another lifer!
Thanks, Donna! I hope you get a good image of your WV!
How awesome, Deborah! 🥰
Thank you so much, Cheryl!! 😍
I was hoping you’d have chick photos and of course adult (bird) photos are also enjoyed. 😎
Thank you, Janet! I’m glad you like the images! 🥰
You have the most amazing stories to go with your photos. Memorable!!!
Thank you so much, Rebecca! I don’t think I can write at all so your comment made my day! 😍
So exciting, Deborah. I hope you catch it leaving the nest.
Thank you, John! Me too! 😀
Oh goodness, such good shots and of a special event. Thank you for shring.
Thank you so much, Judy! It’s always exciting to see chicks in the nest. 😀
We have a couple of nesting pairs around here and I love to see them coasting on the thermals. I haven’t seen a nest, though. It’s probably very high up in one of the local eucalyptus trees.
It is exciting to see them nesting and soaring isn’t it! Hopefully, you’ll soon be seeing a young fledging learning to fly too. That would be exciting!😀
You know that old The Troggs song, Wild Thing? As I was looking at the Red-tailed Hawk photos, what echoed in my mind was “Hawk Chick, you make my heart sing!” I simply love the 2 photos 2 weeks apart, where you can see spring blossom on the tree’s leaves and on the Red-tailed Hawk chick. Beautiful!
LOL! I love that you thought of that song when looking at the chick!! Thank you so much!!😀
The photo of the hawk is a sweet scene with a beautiful bird. The chic is adorable. Thanks for sharing these, Deborah.
Thank you, Dan! I’m glad you like the images. I’ll be checking on the chick again this week-end maybe it’ll be up more?
We have red-tailed hawks around here, but I don’t think I’ve heard their voices. I see them in the trees or flying overhead “making lazy circles in the sky.”
They sound so cool! I see why the movies use their calls. I hope you get to hear one someday.
Great photos! You’re lucky you were able to get shots of the baby…we have a few mating pairs here in my neighborhood and they’re loud. There’s a big nest in a giant pine tree behind my house. We can see the parents go to it and can hear them, but we can’t see up in the nest.
Thank you, Dawn! That’s so cool!! Maybe you see the youngster flying or learning to soon. That would be really awesome.
A wonderful series of images. What a joy to watch the young ones grow up and the dedication of the adults to feed and raise their young ones.
Thank you so much, Robert! It is pretty neat to see the chick and Mom. I haven’t see the male anywhere.
Fascinating! I’m not surprised the red tailed hawk’s voice has been used instead of the tinkle-y peeps of the bald eagle. I was surprised however, the first time I heard a bald eagle in the wild! 😁
Deb
LOL! Me too! The Red-tail call/scream is really neat to hear. I always thought the Bald Eagle would have more fierce call. 😀