Red-Shouldered Hawk in Flight

Some more red-shouldered hawks for the Owlman. In three of the last four days, a red-shouldered hawk has been observed in the Colvin Run Habitat. Today, this hawk was perched in a tree and observed at sundown. With his dark brown back facing me, the tree being about 50 yards away, and his static position at sundown, he was very difficult to see.
Our house, located on a hill, overlooks a meadow that is about 40 feet below. As I approached the hawk, he took off for the meadow. The result was a rare opportunity to photograph the hawk from above while he was in flight. In this photo, you can see the white barring and striping on the top of the tail and wings. Even in the dim light of dusk, this is a large and beautiful predator.

Day of the Hawks: Cooper's Hawk

In addition to the pair of red-shouldered hawks today, this Cooper's Hawk also was observed. I got a photo of the Cooper in one of the azalea bushes, but also observed him on the ground under the bird feeder as he attempted to grab one of the smaller birds to eat.
As the Cooper's and red-shouldered hawks are about the same size and have some similar color traits (feddish chest, reddish under the wings), here is how I tell the two apart:
>Cooper's back is dark gray while the red-shoulder's back is dark brown with some white specks.
>Both have barred tails - Cooper's is black bar, red-shoulder's is white
>The red-shoulder's neck is much thicker than the Cooper's. When observing them with a bright or blue-sky background this can be very helpful.

Day of the Hawks: Red-Shouldered Hawk Pair

A pair of red-shouldered hawks arrived was observed early this morning. As red-shouldered hawks are known to return to a given locale for many years, I would like to think that today's pair is the pair observed on three occasions in 2007 (1, 2, 3).
Later in the afternoon, a single hawk was observed on two occasions - or was it on observation of each of the two hawks.
I managed to catch one of the red-shoulders in flight also.

Hawk Migration???

On two successive days this week, a Cooper's Hawk was observed perched on one of the bird feeders in the Colvin Run Habitat. On this day, the squirrels and crows continued to feed on the ground not too far away.With one possible exception in early June, the very active Coops of the last winter have not been observed since late February. With a little luck, the Cooper's Hawks have migrated back into town.

This photo was taken by my wife - congrats on taking the shot and your first Internet publication!

Follow-up: After initially writing this post and while looking out the window, a Cooper's Hawk swooped down from above the house. His prey, a goldfinch drinking from the birdbath, narrowly escaped. The event was over in 3 seconds.

Heat, Hawks, Hummingbirds, and Herd

The Colvin Run Habitat experienced record heat this week. Temperatures each day were about 95 degrees and mid-week saw 102 degrees. So what better way to beat the heat than by stopping by for a drink of water?
This year's two fawns showed up for drinks at the water tub - and several mouthfuls of grass and holly shrub. Most interesting, and perhaps most disturbing, the fawns were not accompanied by mom. Next morning, two independent groups of deer passed in the Habitat - at least 5 fawns and 8 older deer. They appeared to be going in different directions, were spooked and scattered. Two of the younger males did some pushing - some early behaviors for the future perhaps.
In one of my typical, not-thinking moves, I came downstairs this morning and immediately bolted through the doors onto the porch - only to cause the unseen hawk perching on the feeder tree to fly into the oak tree. If only I would look before bolting. Anyway, here is that hawk two trees later. From his size, less than a crow and more than a blue jay, I am guessing it is a sharp-shinned hawk.
Hummingbird photos have been rarely posted - seems like fewer visits and certainly many fewer visits in good light. One evening this week, a hummingbird came to the feeder, then perched in the nearby dogwood tree. This photos was taken in very low light conditions, but I though I would share it.

What a Day! Fox, Hawk, Deer and Others

Yesterday was one of those exceptional days in the Colvin Run Habitat.

Here is the report filed by the Number 2 Colvin Run Habitat observer:
>>Fox came out of the bush looked around, definitely not Freddy, younger, white tail and chest. By the time I got camera he had gone down into the brush.
>Fox was observed two times later in the afternoon - coming out of the bush, attempted to grab a squirrel, then into the brush.
>Hawk was also in yard today, landed twice by oak tree, pecked at the ground and than fly away. He was too fast for camera.

Freddy is her name for the signature Habitat fox. 'Bush' refers to the overgrown holly shrub that is behind the water tub and bird feeder - the winter home to many birds. 'Brush' refers the the area of tall grass and wild vines where last year Freddy hung out. Given the her description of the hawk, possibly the active red-shouldered hawk (who previously was photographed on the ground) or possibly the returning Cooper's hawk.
With this news, I spent the better part of an hour just watching hoping to get a photo of the new fox - no luck. But within an hour I did observe a wide range of bird types - the photos show a few. The number of woodpeckers - downy, hairy, red-bellied - easily exceed 30 in the one hour period.
At sunset, three deer came to through, eating as they went.
What a day!

Updates: Red-Tailed Fox, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-Tailed Hawk

A quick update on the Colvin Run Habitat signature red-tailed fox. I last mentioned that I came face to face with him in the snow on Valentine’s Day. The fox has been observed once a week for the last four weekends – sorry no photos.

Also, the Cooper’s hawk was last seen in the Habitat three weeks ago during the 2007 Great Backyard Bird Count.
Has the Cooper’s hawk started a northern migration? Has he been forced out by the red-shouldered hawk? Four recent posts about the pair of red-shouldered hawks. Post 1. Post 2. Post 3. Post 4.

The red-tailed hawk was observed today flying about the Colvin Run Habitat.

Immature Red-Shouldered Hawk on the Ground

Saturday morning, early spring. The usual songbirds at the feeders and on the ground. But at the opposite side of the Habitat, an immature red-shouldered hawk is on the ground. Why? No a clue, three times he came down from a maple tree branch less than ten feet up. Clearly, no mouse, no small bird. Nothing. He cries a few times; he clearly observes me as I approach and get to within 35 feet from him. Cleck to see an enlarged photo.
Then, the young hawk seeks altitude in the sky and is joined by an older red shouldered. They scream loudly as they fly around and through a number of pine trees, then fly upward and perched about 50 feet in an oak tree. eNature says, “Normally shy, [the red-shouldered hawks] become tame if they are not persecuted and in some places may nest in suburban areas. During courtship a pair can be quite noisy, wheeling in the sky above their nesting territory and uttering their distinctive whistled scream.” Are these two parent and child? Or, are they a possible mating pair?
The trees in the Colvin Run Habitat provide cover and draw many birds, including the hawks. The trees, however, remain one of the greatest challenges to photographing any of the birds. The autofocus of the digital camera does not differentiate between tree branches in the foreground and hawks in the background. Focus, whether automatic or manual, becomes even more challenging with the telephoto zoom lens that I am using. I should stop complaining - in six weeks, the leaves will be back and none of these photos will be possible.
As the immature red-shouldered left the ground I got the last photo. The inclusion of the two trees in the photo allows me to get a good estimate of the raptor’s wingspan. The distance between the two trees on the right and on the left of the photo is eight feet. That makes the hawk’s wingspan at least four feet.

Cardinal Keeps Watchful Eye on Pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks

Why is this male northern cardinal craning his neck and looking upward? After all, this is not a familiar pose for the bright red bird.
It was a clear, crisp morning in the Colvin Run Habitat. Temperature in the teens; not a cloud in the sky. Snow had fallen the previous day, so there was a white dusting of snow remaining on the trees. But the real beauty, not to mention the object of the cardinal’s attention, was a pair of red-shouldered hawks in the side oaks.
After a minute one flew away. So in the third photo you can see (unfortunately through the trees) the classic red-shouldered of the under wing. The remaining hawk then turned and posed for the last photo.
I am hoping that they represent a pair of mating hawks that will stay the season, as opposed to a pair migrating north. The Smithsonian’s Birds of North America observes that red-shouldered hawks “will use the same territory for years, and even succeeding generations may return to the same territory. The longest recorded use of the same territory is forty-five years.” So a mating pair in the Habitat most likely has been here a while and will be here for some time to come.

Red-Shouldered Hawk in the Colvin Run Habitat

A red-shouldered hawk arrived in the Habitat this morning.
Like many of the hawk observations, this one was initially spotted perched 30 feet up in one of the deciduous trees and surveying the terrain below.
In comparison to other red-shoulders observed in the Habitat, this red-shoulder was, well, simply huge. Not exactly a scientific term or observation, but an honest one.
The field guides say that the red-shouldered hawk's wingspan can be as great as 50 inches. This one was clearly in that range.
Typical to hawks visiting the Habitat, this red-shouldered perched a few minutes that flew away.

Cooper's Hawk and Red-Shouldered Hawk Tuck Feet to Stay Warm

Earlier in the month a wrote a post titled How Do Birds Stay Warm? The post was widely read and way the second response listed to the Google questions “How to birds keep their feet warm?” A few days later, I showed some of the small birds fluffing their feathers.

In addition to the ways that I discussed (fluff their feathers, seek shelter out of the wind and cold, eat which gives them the energy to shiver), birds will also do what humans do – minimize the amount of skin exposed to the raw wind and cold air. We humans do this by wearing gloves, hats, and even earmuffs. The legs and feet of birds are exposed, so birds minimize exposure by tucking one leg in their body feathers.

And here are two examples, last Sunday, the end of a third week of record low temperatures here in Virginia, ended with a series of snow showers and high winds. The snow was so blinding that two hawks – a Cooper’s hawk and a red-shouldered hawk – rode out the showers perched in trees in the Colvin Run Habitat. The first three of these photos show the Cooper’s hawk clearly with only one leg/foot holding onto the branch. If you look very closely (click on the photo to enlarge it) in the first photo, you can see the yellow leg tucked up under the body.

The red-shouldered hawk employs this same technique to stay warm in the last photo. Sorry for the very poor quality in this last photo, by I was shooting through tow lines of trees and the snow.

Colvin Run Habitat In Wikipedia

Colvin Run Habitat made its first contribution to Wikipedia, the on-line, collaboratively-written encyclopedia. Go to Wikipedia and on the left hand side search box, type in ‘Copper’s Hawk’. You’ll see two small photos on the left side of the Wikipedia article – and yes the second photo is the Colvin Run Habitat contribution. Click on the photo and you will get a larger view and the photo credit.

The Habitat also contributed the sentence, “They are increasingly seen hunting smaller birds in backyards with feeders. They will perch in trees overlooking the backyard feeders, then swoop down and scatter the other birds in order to capture one in flight.”

A second Habitat photo can be seen at the Wikipedia media center.

Cooper's Hawk, Red-Tailed, and Red-Shouldered Hawk All Appear for the Count

The 2007 Great Backyard Bird Count concluded its second day at the Colvin Run Habitat. In a truly amazing display, over these two days we have seen the Cooper's Hawk, Red-Tailed, and Red-Shouldered Hawk. I filed four sets of observations with Audubon Society; here is the raptor report:
Saturday, 9:00 AM - Cooper's Hawk perches in tree
Saturday, 11:30 AM - Red-Shouldered Hawk perches in tree, Red-Tailed Hawk flies high over head
Sunday, 8:00 AM - Cooper's Hawk flies through below tree-top level and Red-Shouldered Hawk perches in tree
Sunday, 2:00 PM - Cooper's Hawk flies through and perches in oak tree 25 feet from feeders
Sunday, 5:45 PM - Cooper's Hawk perches in tree, Red-Shouldered Hawk perches in another tree
Here are some photos from the Sunday 5:45 PM. We were in the middle of a snow shower, when the Cooper's hawk perched 10 feet up in a Bradford pear tree 30 feet from the feeders. This Cooper's hawk was relatively small, and I am guessing a male. The first photo shows the Coop in the burst of snow.
After a few minutes, a red-shouldered hawk perched in the maple trees, which are about 40 feet behind where the Cooper's hawk is perched. Click on the second photo to get a larger view, then notice the red-shouldered hawk in the upper left hand corner and the Cooper's hawk in the lower right hand corner. The red-shouldered hawk was nearly twice the size of the Cooper's hawk. The red-shouldered hawk stayed less than five minutes. Pardon the quality of the red-shouldered hawk photo (thrid photo) as it was taken in the snow through two lines of tree branches.
On the other hand, the Cooper's hawk stayed nearly 30 minutes, which caused a traffic jam of cardinals afraid to go to the feeders. The second photo shows part of the cardinal gridlock. I estimated nearly 4 dozen cardinals in my count.
Finally, the snow ended and the Cooper's hawk left.

Showing Up to be Counted

It seems that all of the birds in the Colvin Run Habitat bird are showing up for the Audubon Society's 2007 Great Backyard Bird Count. Here are a few of the early morning visitors. The eastern towhee showed again this morning...
and the tufted titmouse is always present...
...as is the white-throated sparrow...
...and, of course, the Cooper's Hawk.
With the temperature in the 20's (F) this morning, all but the titmouse had their feathers fluffed.

Cooper's Hawks Visit Together

Multiple, simultaneous hawks are beginning to be more common in the Colvin Run Habitat. An immature Cooper's hawk returned today (first photo). He perched about 20 feet off the ground for about 15 minutes then left.
A mature Cooper's hawk perched about 40 feet up in one of the oak trees. He showed no interest any of the smaller songbirds. The mature Cooper's hawk was content to just watch what was going on; he stayed perched in the same place for over an hour. I got the third photo as he left.

Male Cooper's Hawk Visits

While looking for the fox from the upstairs window this morning, I noticed that there were no birds at the feeders – a sure sign that a hawk was in the Habitat. A quick look yielded no hawk. Opening the window, putting my head completely out the window, and turning left (north), I saw this hawk perched about 50 feet off the ground.
Most likely a male Cooper’s Hawk (smaller than our earlier Cooper’s Hawk - the female is noticeable larger than the male), he flew down over the feeders and landed in the Habitat oak tree.
He stayed in the oak for well over an hour – long enough for the smaller songbirds to return to the feeder. Even though his back was to the feeders, I was truly amazed that the other birds game to the feeders and were active through out the Habitat. A few brave birds, such as this titmouse shown in the second photo (click on photo to get an enlarged version)(note titmouse in upper right corner and hawk in lower left corner), even perched and chirped in the oak not far from the hawk. Remember that the Cooper’s Hawk preys on these smaller song birds.
I finally left my position in the upstairs window and approached him, walking slowing on the ground. He was perched about 20 feet off of the ground well inside the maze of oak branches. He allowed me to get directly under him and take photos.
Prior to flying away, he turned and showed off his back and tail feathers (as seen in the last photo).