Tag Archives: Red-tailed Hawk
Aloft at the Museum
If you look skyward while walking the trails through Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind you’re likely to see one of five hawks or vultures which are regular visitors to the Museum.
Turkey Vultures are a daily sight as they soar, dip and bank across the Museum’s airspace.
The slightly smaller Black Vulture, while seen at [...]
Posted in Birds, Winter Also tagged Black Vulture, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Cooper's Hawk, nest hole, Red-shouldered Hawk, Turkey Vulture Leave a comment
The Raven and the Vultures
As I stood on the Wetlands Overlook peeping through the viewfinder of my camera and waiting for a Yellow-rumped Warbler to magically appear on the Wax Myrtle nuts that my camera was focused on, I heard the call of a Common Raven. I heard the call several times before I realized that it was indeed [...]
Posted in Birds, Fall, Winter Also tagged Black Vulture, carrion, raven, Turkey Vulture Leave a comment
At Home in the Wetlands
Two bird species that have become regular fixtures in the Wetlands, at least during the winter, are Red-shouldered Hawk and Hooded Merganser. Both species can be seen daily, or nearly so, depending on the weather conditions.
The Red-shouldered Hawk is present year-round and is the most common hawk species seen at the Museum, often hunting from [...]
Posted in Birds, Fall, Winter Also tagged courtship display, Hooded Merganser, merganser vocalization, Red-shouldered Hawk, red-tailed hawk call, wetlands 2 Comments
Nuthatch Landlords? Hollies under Assault?
There are still two pairs of Hooded Mergansers present in the Wetlands. There is one pair of Canada Geese present.
Red-tailed Hawks continue to be seen daily and Cooper’s Hawks have been noticed flying and perching in the vicinity of the previous year’s nest site. And, as mentioned above, Red-shouldered Hawks are once again showing up [...]
Blue Jays Hoard, Butter-Butts Swarm
Mallards are back in the Wetlands. Three Mutt Ducks (Mallard x Domestic) and eight or so “normal” Mallards have been feeding and resting in the quiet water and under the Willow Trees. Canada Geese are paying regular visits to the Wetlands.
For nearly a week after the passage of the cold front that moved through on [...]
Posted in Birds, Fall Also tagged American Goldfinch, Black Vulture, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blue Jay, Butter-Butt, caching acorns, caching nuts, Canada Geese, Chipping Sparrow, Cooper’s Hawk, Double-crested Cormorant, Field Sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Magnolia Warbler, Mallard, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-winged Blackbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Song Sparrow, Turkey Vultures, White-throated Sparrow, Winter Wren, Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers Leave a comment
3 Bald Eagles!
A female Wood Duck was in the Wetlands on the 21st of September.
Traditionally, the third week in September sees a push of migrating hawks through the region when the winds are from the north. More often than not, the winds were from the north during the third and fourth weeks in September. Unfortunately for those [...]
Posted in Birds, Fall Also tagged American Redstart, Bald Eagle, Belted Kingfisher, Chimney Swift, Common Yellowthroat, Fish Crow, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, House Wren, Magnolia Warbler, Northern Flicker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Hawk, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Scarlet Tanager, Sharp-shinned Hawk, White-eyed Vireo, Wilson’s Warbler, Wood Duck Leave a comment
Spotted Sandpiper Fly-by and other Comings and Goings
A Spotted Sandpiper was seen at the Sailboat Pond. The bird circled the pond once and then proceeded down the path toward Explore the Wild. Spotted Sandpipers prefer a muddy shoreline on which to forage for invertebrates. We don’t often see shorebirds at the Museum. If they stop in, they usually don’t stay long.
A young [...]
Red tails, Red breasts, and a Nervous NOMO