Red Shouldered Hawk

 

As a volunteer at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary led me toward the coiled up, well camouflaged cottonmouth, this big guy swooped in and landed a few yards away from me. He certainly seemed to be on the hunt and some visitors were concerned the red shouldered hawk was going to try to grab the nearby (venomous) snake. The raptor scanned and scanned the area, and even flew from one branch to another in the vicinity, but showed no interest in the snake. Makes you wonder if it recognized the cottonmouth as a potential threat.  I'll will post more pics from our Corkscrew adventure soon.  In the meantime, the SDP staff is enjoying a long weekend.  Happy Friday!

Theme Day: Ephemeral

This month's theme day in the City Photo Daily world is 'ephemeral'.  I've had more than my fair share of ephemeral experiences with birds while trying to photograph them in the wild. I offer this experience. Yesterday afternoon (before I was even aware of today's theme day), I encountered a red shouldered hawk roosting on a tree branch at Sarasota National Cemetery (one of my new favorite places for birding -- more on that later).  Not satisfied with the lighting, I thought, 'If I can somehow maneuver to a better location before he flies away…' 

Then -- **whoosh!** -- he was gone!  It happened so quickly, I thought I had completely missed the moment.  To me, birds -- especially birds of prey -- give new meaning to 'ephemeral'.  I think in the medical world, ephemeral is used to describe something that lasts one day.  I can only imagine birds sitting and posing for me for an entire day!  Thanks to my blogger friend Kay at Sequim Daily Photo who suggested this challenging theme day. To see other interpretations click here.

Myakka Hawk

One last photo from my visit to Myakka State Park in Sarasota County.  I was surprised to see this red shouldered hawk because I've never seen one in the park before.  And, I was quite impressed by its girth.  What a plump birdie!

Growing Up

Believe it or not, these are the baby hawks! At first, I wondered if a different hawk family had moved into the nest. Then I remembered it's been two weeks since I last saw them. They're now approximately four weeks old.  Aren't they big?

The little ones were on high alert watching several turkey vultures soaring overhead. They called and called, but neither Henry nor Henrietta responded or appeared. They were in the nest all alone. Suddenly, the vultures disappeared and the distinct sounds of Henry and Henrietta urgently calling filled the air for almost ten minutes. The songbirds stopped singing. The squirrels hid. Something was happening...but, what? Suddenly, Henry stealthily swooped into the nest just long enough to drop off a rodent...

...and then he was off...leaving the two little ones to fill their bellies on their own.

But, Henry and Henrietta's offspring do not like to share and this little guy was left without any food. So, he started calling again...and again...and again. But to no avail.

Apparently, hunger pains got the best of him and he attempted to swipe dinner from his sibling. A fracas ensued with wings flapping every which way.

The scuffle lasted a few minutes and thankfully no one appeared to be injured. The baby with the food held firm and made his way to the other side of the nest to devour his meal, but not in silence. His sibling started calling for Henry and Henrietta again. This time, though, his calls were much more pathetic sounding. I sure hope Hernry and Henrietta had a successful hunting trip and returned with dinner for him. Survival of the fittest sure is tough.  

Surprise!

Henry and Henrietta have two babies!  Imagine my surprise.  One baby appeared to be all alone in the nest riding out a turbulent wind storm last night. When it calmed down for a moment, he made the most pathetic call to his mama and papa who were nowhere in my line of sight.  Within a couple of minutes, though, he perked up and Henrietta landed in the nest.  And, that's when the other little one showed himself!   How exciting.  Although I was tucked 30 yards away behind a palm tree, when Henrietta stared directly at me in a bone chilling kind of way that a mama hawk can pull off so well, I decided it was time to leave.  (This photo is really cropped so you can see both of the little ones.)  After waiting for so long, I was thrilled that one baby arrived -- let alone two.  What a nice hawk family:  Henry, Henrietta and the H.J.s

New Arrival

Breaking News:   We're interrupting our series on Embracing Our Differences for a much anticipated announcement.  Henry and Henrietta, the red shouldered hawks, are proud parents of one fluffy little chick.

When I took these pics, he had the nest all to himself and appeared to be splitting his time between sudden naps (imagine him slowly slumping over) and introducing himself to the world.  We think he's approximately one week old.   Knowing how protective red shouldered hawks can be, I was especially careful with all my movements while taking these photos.

Because Henry and Henrietta never seem to be too far away.   This is Henrietta, looking like a proud mama,  perched on a limb about 15 feet up and over from the nest.  I'm so happy the little one finally arrived!  Bravo.

Hawk Swoop

Well, I'm starting to wonder what's going on at the hawk household. I've stopped by several times recently and haven't seen or heard any little hawks.  Not a peep.  I'm close to being concerned.  Maybe the white fuzz I saw plastered to the nest wasn't baby hawk fuzz after all.  That being said, both Henry and Henrietta seem to be doing okay.  Henrietta isn't leaving the nest anymore (at least not when I'm around).  As for this pic, that's Henry soaring out of the nest.  I was thrilled when I realized Henrietta was in the shot watching her man taking off to hunt for dinner.   A nice family portrait.  (Now, we just need some baby hawks.)

H & H Update

I managed to check on Henry and Henrietta yesterday. Henrietta was holding down the nest, so to speak. You can see her one eye peering out, observing what's going on in the neighborhood. Isn't she cute?! Even with my binoculars, I couldn't see any baby hawks moving around; however, I noticed a modification to the hawk home decor: fluffy white fuzz plastered on the outside.  See it?  That very well could be baby red shouldered hawk fuzz!  While Henrietta was in the nest...

...Henry was in a nearby tree (with direct line of sight to the nest) enjoying a mystery snack and showing off his razor sharp claws.  I'm keeping my distance and being patient. Soon we'll see the little ones!

What's for Dinner?

After work one evening, I headed out to the park to check on the hawk family. Henry was standing on their dining table (as I like to call it) chomping on....I don't know what! At the time, I was shooting so far away, I figured I would be able to discern the meal once the images were downloaded onto my computer. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.  I thought possibly it was a snake -- a somewhat odd shaped snake which had been chewed on by a hawk -- but, nevertheless a snake.  So, I summoned the SDP Junior Editor for consultation.  She too was equally perplexed, until she saw this next photo...

...and declared, 'That's a skink!  Look at that skinny tail and wide body. Yep, it's a skink!'  I'm a native northerner and I thought a skink was a fictitious creature. (And, the name of a delightful fictitious Florida governor created by author Carl Hiaasen, one of my favorite writers.) I figured the Junior Editor, a native Floridian, was pulling my leg.  Turns out, though, skinks do exist!  They're a cross between a lizard and a snake (creepy).  And, the photos I reviewed during my research seem to corroborate the skink theory.  The things I learn as SDP Editor-in-Chief!  If anyone has reason to believe Henry's dinner was something other than a skink, please let me know.  By the way, someone asked how I can discern Henry and Henrietta.  Henry is smaller and tends to be more skittish.  And with that, the H & H series now is on hiatus.  Thanks for all your kind comments about the series.  Stay tuned!

Bird of Prey vs. Prey

Can you believe this sight?! Check out that daring little squirrel headed in the wrong direction -- right toward a red shouldered hawk.  I'm 90% sure that's Henry squawking.  I really expected him to pounce on the squirrel and remind it about their respective roles in nature (bird of prey vs. prey). Instead, Henry screeched several times...the squirrel stood its ground...and Henry flew away.  Wow.  Gotta love the wild kingdom!  By the way, no news from the nest.  I have one or two more pics I'd like to post from Henry and Henrietta's daily activities, then the SDP staff will place this series on hiatus until the little ones are spotted.

Outta the Nest

So, why did Henrietta call her loyal mate back to the nest? This is why. She wanted to get out of the nest and enjoy some alone time.  She hopped onto this delightfully sunny perch adjacent to the nest, where she could have a good view over the household, yet feel as though she was having a bit of a getaway.   Shortly after checking in, Henry left, probably figuring the Mrs. could handle home security from her nearby vantage point.   Looking at her talons, I would concur.  

Henry's Arrival

The babies aren't here yet and already Henry has perfected arriving home without making a sound. He soared through the thick cluster of branches on this oak tree -- silently.  Once in the nest, he gave Henrietta an inquisitive look which I interpreted as, "Yes, dear. You called?"

Time with Henry

Henry spends a lot of time high up in a pine tree near the nest. Perhaps he's contemplating the looming changes to his lifestyle when the hatchlings arrive...or maybe he's just enjoying the clear cobalt blue winter sky here in Sarasota. But, as soon as he hears Henrietta call...

...he flaps his wings, and stealthily he's off to the nest to check in with the Mrs. He seems to understand the importance of keeping Mama Hawk happy.

Henrietta's Dinner

I'll think twice before using the phrase "eating like a bird", after watching Henrietta devour a rat for dinner. ((ick))  Having presented the meal, Henry flew back to the nest, allowing Henrietta to feast alone  for about 20-30 minutes.  What a sight!  At least she seems concerned about her appearance.  With rat remnants clinging to her beak, she rubbed her face repeatedly against the tree apparently trying to clean it before returning to the nest.  Absolutely fascinating to watch!  The wild kingdom is indeed wild.

Happy Couple

Unfortunately this photo is washed out because I was shooting almost directly into the sun.  (These birds  are really testing my photography skills!)  I decided to post it anyway since I'm documenting the behavior of these red shouldered hawks nesting at Urfer Family Park in Sarasota.  After observing Henrietta, perched high in her nest protecting her eggs, for quite awhile late Sunday afternoon, I started to wonder about her absent mate.  Where was he?  What was he doing?  Did he tell her he was picking up some carry out for dinner with the intention of never returning to his responsibilities?  As these thoughts swirled around my head, I heard a distinct hawk call.  It must be Henry!  Henrietta heard it too.   She snapped her head up and became so alert, it was incredible to witness.  Henry landed about 40-yards away in this dead tree and a moment later, Henrietta joined him.  (Henrietta is on the left; Henry on the right)  Henry, as it turns out, appears to be a rather good provider.  He returned with dinner.  What do nesting red shouldered hawks eat?  I'll show you tomorrow. (Nothing too graphic...but, you may not want to read about it over breakfast.)

Mama Hawk

This is why the pedestrian bridge at Urfer Family Park in Sarasota is temporarily closed: red shouldered hawks are nesting. Children playing loudly on the playground nearby don't bother the hawks at all. But, apparently, they get upset when people walk over the bridge, which is quite close to their nest. The hawks actually become defensive and have been known to swoop down and smack people across the head. (I met a woman who told me her personal account of being swatted in the head by one of the hawks.) The hawk in this photo, I believe, is the female. Even from a distance, Henrietta (as I've nicknamed her) looks quite substantial. I certainly wouldn't want to mess with her. The entire time I was there, she was quite vigilant, standing guard over her nest, staring into the distance (no doubt wondering where her mate (who I've named Henry) had disappeared. Occasionally, she glanced down, presumably to check on her eggs. They should hatch anytime...with the little ones learning how to fly within 6-weeks. I cannot wait to catch a glimpse of them! In the meantime, I'm enjoying my hawk behavioral observations from a safe distance.  By the way, a huge tip of the hat to SDP follower (and MSU Spartan fan) Daniel, who emailed me about this nest. Thanks!

Bird on a High Wire

Excluding the Photo of the Year, it's been quite awhile since I've posted a bird photo. I spotted this handsome red shouldered hawk along the "Hawk Corridor", which is what I'm now calling a portion of Fruitville Road. On this journey, I encountered 9 red shouldered hawks in a 2-mile stretch. Bird bonanza! In other ornithology news, a bald eagle has taken up residency near Ed Smith Stadium. I first noticed him a couple of weeks ago sitting atop the third base lights, and then, the other day he buzzed right over my car when I was driving by the stadium. Each time I've returned camera in hand, but he's proven to be elusive. I think I'm going to grab my new Christmas binoculars, long lens and tripod and head out early in the morning to find him.

Hiding in Plain Sight

Do you see it?  I probably wouldn't have...except I watched it land. By the way, that's a red shouldered hawk hiding in plain sight.

Golden Landing

I thought I'd lost the bird I was pursuing in rural Sarasota County, so I paused to shoot this incredible sunset. To my pleasant surprise, the bird in question landed right in frame. A golden moment with a red-shouldered hawk!

Hunter and Hunted

Per the usual, there's a story behind this photo. I spotted this red shouldered hawk last night and noticed it was acting peculiar, standing on a wire over a ditch filled with water from the recent rains. What I didn't know was that it was in hunting mode. As I watched the bird for about 10 minutes, I had a creepy feeling there was a snake nearby. Suddenly, the hawk dropped down from its perch and snatched some soggy grass in its talons. As I snapped pictures, I realized the bird was clutching more than just grass. It had a squirming snake too! What an impressive hunter. The hawk sat on this fence post and displayed its prize for a short while before...well...it was dinner time. What a cool experience. And, this all happened along a busy road in Sarasota.