Our neighborhood pair of Red-tailed hawks has been sneakier this year than in years past. I have only caught them working on their nest once this year. Such nest building is called "twigging" and is apparently a social bonding activity for hawk mates. I wrote about it at: NEST BUILDING a few weeks ago.  Just click on that link to read about it.  

While I haven't caught them actually on last year's nest except that one time, I think they must have chosen to use it again this year because they are definitely hanging around close by it as they are in these photos.  The male is the smaller of the pair. Pairs usually mate for life, though a male may sometimes take a second mate.   This pair has raised a couple of progeny at least twice from this nest. They may have used the nest before that but I wasn't paying attention until the last couple years. That would have been a good year for them to have moved in, for it was also about when our neighbors moved in a yard full of chickens and guineas.  I wrote all about the Red-tailed's homebuilding last year at:  Twigging . 

Notice in the photo above that they are perched in a classical pose.  Each hawk is facing in opposite directions.  This defense mechanism keeps them aware of danger.  At the moment even the male who has his back to us is also watching.  I seem to be the most eminent danger sitting in my car watching them through my camera lens.  I always try not to watch very long so that I don't bother the hawks but within a few seconds the male has given a quiet scream then lifts off from the limb to draw my attention away from his mate.

I am looking forward to another brood where we get to watch the young hawks those few weeks before they learn to fear us, when they still haven't learned about the fast take-off. 

   

(Okay, those underwear with the red-tailed hawk on them are kinda funny.)

Red-Tail Hawks

When I started thinking about this entry, I planned on telling you that I hadn't noticed any nesting activity among our local red-tail hawks.  Now I'm not so sure. While I haven't actually caught the hawks working on their nest, They are sticking pretty close together.

In the photo above, the couple is perched just to the right and above their nest

While each has been noticed perched close to their nest, before Sunday, I had only seen the birds individually. 

 Red-tail hawks are mostly monogamous.  For hawks, nesting is an important part of a couple's bonding. It is called "twigging." Observers have noted that a pair seems to take part in the nest building process because they enjoy it.  While I suspect there is more to the activity than mere enjoyment,  it is something nesting pairs do even when they have already chosen to re-use a nest. 

Each winter a pair re-chooses their nest site, often reusing a nest from the previous spring though sometimes picking a new site to raise their offspring. Some birds will half-heartedly twig on a new nest even when they have apparently already chosen to use their old site.  

This particular nest has been used at least the past three summers.  It could have been used before that, but I had been too busy to notice. Last year they raised two eyasses (young hawks). If you would like to read about them, just click on this link. Redtail Babies  I am really hoping they have another successful year.  

Stay tuned as I will continue to check the nest

   

Preparing for the Storm

I didn't have much time for walking yesterday.  We have a snow storm coming so, like the rest of humanity I headed to the grocery store to beat the storm.  That didn't work out so well considering the mass of people in the store but that is a story for someplace else.  On the way down our drive, I decided to check out the next of our local red-tail hawk pair. I was thrilled to see one of the pair perched atop the nest.

Another blog that I follow has been discussing the actions of a pair of hawks in New York City as they appear to be building a new nest.  According  to that blog hawks often stick to one nest though they might build a secondary nest before laying eggs. These birders aren't sure why, but think the reason may be to give the female a choice or just as a bonding ritual. Sometimes the pair will desert the first nest in favor of the second. Very soon it will be time for our hawks to be nesting if not already.  This hawk was very busy flying  away from the nest and back.  While I didn't see it carrying any twigs, that may be what was going on.

I don't know how to differentiate the male from the female so I don't know which this is.  Both sexes take part in "twigging,"  the building of the nest.

When the hawk returned to the nest it perched on the side then bent over, putting its head deep into the nest.  I am zoomed in as far as my camera will go, making it hard for me to keep the lense settled on the bird.  It also makes it hard for me to watch the bird outside of the camera lense but I did get in a few shots of the hawk at work.  The photo below shows the hawk, on the left, leaning down into the nest.  Look carefully to see the hawk that is well camouflaged.  I wonder now if the hawk is also preparing its home for the upcomning storm. While I cannot see a television antenna above the nest, I'm convinced that the birds know when a storm is coming; perhaps as well as I do.

 I will search for a better spot to photograph the birds so that we can see some photos as they sit eggs and raise some young.  This will be at least the third summer for this particular pair to nest at this site.

The hawk seems to be observing me as I observe it.  I don't stay long and soon head to the store to refill my own nest.