| Expanded Information |
| Red-tailed Hawks Nesting |
| NEST .. Platform (bulky bowl) of sticks lined with bark and other finer materials and greenery in tree 15-200 feet high. Made by both sexes. Rebuilding and re-arranging the nest is ongoing during the nesting period. Watch in late winter for fresh evergreen pieces to be stuck into the sides of a previously used hawk nest .. a sign that nest will be used again for their nesting in the current year. EGGS .. 2-3, sometimes 4, rarely 5 .. bluish white with dark marks INCUBATION .. 28-35 days by both parents Female remains with young for first several weeks. Male brings most food and female tears it into smaller pieces. After about 4-5 weeks food is dropped into nest FLEDGE .. 6-7 weeks after hatching = 44-46 days. Altricial, not capable of strong flight for another 2 weeks or more. Young may stay with parents for several weeks, hunting together. Juvenile hawks leave the area around September and instinctively head for the Braddock Bay area in Canada, to form up into juvenile communities before dispersing to find their own territories. VOICE .. Adult is a down-slurred scream like "tseeeaaaaarrrrrrr" Fledgling is a harsh up-slurred "klooeeekk" IMMATURES .. brownish-grey tail that shows pale banding COURTSHIP .. Male & female soar in high circles with shrill cries. Male may fly high and then dive repeatedly in spectacular maneuvers; may catch prey and pass it to female in flight Male & female may sky dance .. fly high & fast in wide circles in the sky, getting closer & closer until they are able to grab each other's talons in mid-air and hang on as they tumble together in spinning circles, until they let go and each goes rocketing off in a different direction. Most spectacular to see and something I was lucky enough to witness myself, last year in late winter, through my spotting scope on a beautiful, blue sky, cloudless sunny day. While the female is on the nest, the mail may fly high, circling above the nest, and then divebomb the nest in a quick drop, landing alongside the nest to impress his mate. |