Surprise discovery (juvenile BW hawk)
Yesterday (Aug 3) I was dumbfounded to discover a broad-winged hawk and nest in our yard. Several years ago a pair of breeding merlins made a very noisy impression on our neighborhood and frequently circled our tall white pines at breakneck speed, but until recently the soundscape of our yard this pandemic summer has been domninated by the exuberant vocalizations of northern cardinals, house wrens, chipping sparrows, and what I thought was a wood pewee with an unusual call (an extended "wee" not preceded by a detectable "pe"). It was only 2 weeks ago that I detected a raptor in our heavily wooded yard: one day a sustained frenzy of songbird calls and mobbing behavior led me to observe what I thought was a Coopers Hawk, but it never afforded me a good view as it flew away through thick foliage. But yesterday I finally investigated the persistent and atypical wood pewee song, only to discover as I walked toward the sound, that it was not a distant plaintive clear tone but a nearby harsh screech, coming from high overhead. Eventually I discovered the source: a juvenile BW hawk perched overhead near a nest. It glared at me as it repeatedly called -- for whom? Was it a fledged youngster reluctant to leave home, or a precocious nest builder issuing a seduction scream for a potential late-season mate. BW hawks are forest dwellers and aren't often seen soaring in open skies during breeding season, but I've seen others this summer, including one that was chasing and strafing a larger red-tailed hawk high above the Ashuelot River. Too bad the guest pictured here hasn't made a point to clear our yard of chipmunks. The bird was perched in very deep shade, generally hidden behind branches and foliage: taken with a high ISO and processed heavily to lighten the image and reveal plumage pattern. (Keene, NH; 3 August, 2020)
Surprise discovery (juvenile BW hawk)
Yesterday (Aug 3) I was dumbfounded to discover a broad-winged hawk and nest in our yard. Several years ago a pair of breeding merlins made a very noisy impression on our neighborhood and frequently circled our tall white pines at breakneck speed, but until recently the soundscape of our yard this pandemic summer has been domninated by the exuberant vocalizations of northern cardinals, house wrens, chipping sparrows, and what I thought was a wood pewee with an unusual call (an extended "wee" not preceded by a detectable "pe"). It was only 2 weeks ago that I detected a raptor in our heavily wooded yard: one day a sustained frenzy of songbird calls and mobbing behavior led me to observe what I thought was a Coopers Hawk, but it never afforded me a good view as it flew away through thick foliage. But yesterday I finally investigated the persistent and atypical wood pewee song, only to discover as I walked toward the sound, that it was not a distant plaintive clear tone but a nearby harsh screech, coming from high overhead. Eventually I discovered the source: a juvenile BW hawk perched overhead near a nest. It glared at me as it repeatedly called -- for whom? Was it a fledged youngster reluctant to leave home, or a precocious nest builder issuing a seduction scream for a potential late-season mate. BW hawks are forest dwellers and aren't often seen soaring in open skies during breeding season, but I've seen others this summer, including one that was chasing and strafing a larger red-tailed hawk high above the Ashuelot River. Too bad the guest pictured here hasn't made a point to clear our yard of chipmunks. The bird was perched in very deep shade, generally hidden behind branches and foliage: taken with a high ISO and processed heavily to lighten the image and reveal plumage pattern. (Keene, NH; 3 August, 2020)