hawk Archives -

Birds ’round Here: Red-tailed Hawk

RidgetopFarm&Garden — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 19:13:45 +0000

The ever popular Red-tailed Hawk.

They are a year round visitor to our neck of the woods.

IDENTIFICATION

HEAD: brown
BREAST: light
BELLY: browns, streaked
WINGS: browns. light underneath
TAIL: rusty red/orange, with a skinny black bar near tip
BACK: browns

ADULT

HABITAT

The Red-tailed Hawk is the bird of prey I see most. I notice them along the highway watching the fields for food. I notice them at parks and wetlands. I see them on road trips through other states. We have them near our house. They can be found in most open areas of North America.

FEEDING

I am always a bit leery of this hawk when they are near our house. They have been known to nab a chicken.

I noticed this one in a tree enjoying a rodent for lunch.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

FAMILY: Hawks & Eagles
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Buteo jamaicensis

Most often I notice only one hawk near our house at a time. He/she doesn’t usually have any friends.

PHOTO GALLERY

I always wonder what they’re screaming about, when they go screeching through the sky.

HAPPY BIRDING!

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Birds of 2013: Week 50

RidgetopFarm&Garden — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 09:58:41 +0000

One chilly morning I walked around one of my favorite birding places. Much of the water was ice, but there were plenty of birds hanging around. It was a good walk for seeing large birds. I saw a bald eagle, blue heron, one red-tailed hawk catch breakfast & another one getting pestered by a kestrel.

The Bald Eagle that I almost walked by without seeing.

Ring-necked Duck

A rather angry looking Wood Duck.

Bufflehead

*new bird!* Hooded Merganser

Look at that long neck.

American Wigeon walking across the ice.

Red-winged Blackbird on an icy pond.

Brewer’s Blackbird

Great Blue Heron

American Robin

The ducks found a hole in the ice.

Red-tailed Hawk

This Red-tailed Hawk &American Kestrel were having a little tiff.

12 more days until the end of the year. Can I find 4 new species to make my goal?

BIRD SPECIES SEEN IN 2013:

SEEN SO FAR = 96 of 100

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Birds of 2013: Week 40

RidgetopFarm&Garden — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 07:57:22 +0000

For about a week we had a couple Cooper’s Hawks hanging around. They make the most fantastic sound & I was excited to see them. But I think one attacked our Mama hen, so I’m glad they’ve decided to move on.

I also spotted this flycatcher one day. I see them occasionally around our house.

I’m getting nervous about hitting my goal. I’m so close, yet not to 100. If the weather ever gets better this fall, I’ll have to explore a new birding area or two.

BIRD SPECIES SEEN IN 2013:

SEEN SO FAR = 91 of 100

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Birds of 2013: Week 37

RidgetopFarm&Garden — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 07:35:31 +0000

Just a couple days after I visited the wetlands alone, I came back with my kids. This time I had the time to explore a little more. I’m so glad my kids enjoy bird watching, too. It’s a fun thing for us to do together. For the first time in many weeks, I’m able to add more birds to my year-long list.

It was a beautiful day.

Brewer’s Blackbirds

Double-crested Cormorant

House Finch

European Starlings with Geese flying in.

American Goldfinch

Great Egret

Western Sandpipers

Pectoral Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs in middle of photo

American White Pelican
By far, the most exciting sight of the day

Osprey

Northern Harrier

Wowzers! Identifying the shore birds was difficult, but I think I got them correct. I’m able to add 6 more birds to my list. Plus, I’m going to add in 2 other birds I’ve seen, but haven’t been able to photograph. They are the California Quail & American Kestrel. These latest additions bring my new total to 90 bird species noted this year. 10 more to go in a little over 3 months.

BIRD SPECIES SEEN IN 2013:

SEEN SO FAR = 90 of 100

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Birds of 2013: Week 14

RidgetopFarm&Garden — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 04:21:19 +0000

I love Red-tailed Hawks. They are a beauty & a nice change of scenery from the small sparrows & juncos I typically see.

However, they make me very nervous when they circle above our poultry. There are 3 Red-tails that hang out around our house & lately they’ve been doing more circles than I care for them to be doing. I’m sure between the half peep/half quack of the ducklings & the cheeping chicks the hawks can’t resist coming to take a look.

They circle for quite awhile & I don’t feel comfortable going back inside until they are gone. I’m hoping my presence keeps them away.

Heading back to where I prefer them: perching atop a tree as opposed to circling above my babies.

I didn’t do much bird watching this week & therefor I didn’t see a new bird. So, I’m still at 58 different birds seen so far in 2013. 42 more to meet my goal.

BIRD SPECIES SEEN IN 2013:

SEEN SO FAR = 58 of 100

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Birds of 2013: Week 9

RidgetopFarm&Garden — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 04:50:16 +0000

I went to The Duck Pond again to find this week’s birds. I saw some great birds, including what I thought was a Red-tailed Hawk, but turned out to be a Cooper’s Hawk. My favorite birds of the week, though, were 2 juvenile Great Horned Owls I saw up in a nest. I haven’t seen many owls & this was only my second time catching them on camera. They didn’t hoo-hoo or even make a peep. There was a mess on the nice, clean path so I looked up & saw the nest. I investigated more & saw the 2 owls. That totally made my day!

Also, just in case you’re keeping count – I didn’t skip week 8. I logged it as the Great Backyard Bird Count instead.

Acorn Woodpecker

Killdeer

Cooper’s Hawk

Canvasback

Green-winged Teal

Great-horned Owl

BIRD SPECIES SEEN IN 2013:

SEEN SO FAR = 42 of 100

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