Never Underestimate the Power of Determination
Came upon a Red-shouldered Hawk while out for a walk today. I was struck by the look of determination in its eyes. The Hawk flew-out and hit the ground off in the distance, then flew to a nearby tree. Probably enjoyed a bit of breakfast… can’t say what it ate, but I don’t think it was a vegan meal : )
Whether wheeling over a swamp forest or whistling plaintively from a riverine park, a Red-shouldered Hawk is typically a sign of tall woods and water.
It’s one of our most distinctively marked common hawks, with barred reddish-peachy underparts and a strongly banded tail. In flight, translucent crescents near the wingtips help to identify the species at a distance. These forest hawks hunt prey ranging from mice to frogs and snakes.
Red-shouldered Hawks return to the same nesting territory year after year. One Red-shouldered Hawk occupied a territory in southern California for 16 consecutive years.
By the time they are five days old, nestling Red-shouldered Hawks can shoot their feces over the edge of their nest. Bird poop on the ground is a sign of an active nest.
The oldest-known Red-shouldered hawk was a female, and at least 25 years, 10 months old when she was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in California in 2000. She had been banded in the same state in 1974.
(600 mm, 1/1600 @ f/8, ISO 640, processed to taste)
Never Underestimate the Power of Determination
Came upon a Red-shouldered Hawk while out for a walk today. I was struck by the look of determination in its eyes. The Hawk flew-out and hit the ground off in the distance, then flew to a nearby tree. Probably enjoyed a bit of breakfast… can’t say what it ate, but I don’t think it was a vegan meal : )
Whether wheeling over a swamp forest or whistling plaintively from a riverine park, a Red-shouldered Hawk is typically a sign of tall woods and water.
It’s one of our most distinctively marked common hawks, with barred reddish-peachy underparts and a strongly banded tail. In flight, translucent crescents near the wingtips help to identify the species at a distance. These forest hawks hunt prey ranging from mice to frogs and snakes.
Red-shouldered Hawks return to the same nesting territory year after year. One Red-shouldered Hawk occupied a territory in southern California for 16 consecutive years.
By the time they are five days old, nestling Red-shouldered Hawks can shoot their feces over the edge of their nest. Bird poop on the ground is a sign of an active nest.
The oldest-known Red-shouldered hawk was a female, and at least 25 years, 10 months old when she was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in California in 2000. She had been banded in the same state in 1974.
(600 mm, 1/1600 @ f/8, ISO 640, processed to taste)