Red-shouldered Hawk pairs chapter 2
Two mating pairs of Red-shouldered hawks
Text and photos by Heather Cline
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3
If you are reading this post but haven't seen Chapter 1, you can check it out using the link above.
This post is intended to provide some updates on what I have seen since Chapter 1 was published.
Also - a kind neighbor recently stopped me to let me know there is a third nest. Holy Moly! I have walked the area that he pointed me to twice but I haven't been able to locate it yet. So - if you are familiar with that nest, please let me know. I'd love to start documenting that one too.
Astor and Anastasia
I'm still having better luck seeing pair B than pair A, but here is what I have seen over the past week. Ana spent some time on the nest but no eggs yet. I read that they are likely to lay 2-4 eggs between March and April, depending on the region. I'd say Ana and Aston are right on track. Ana was arranging some new evergreen branches the last time I saw her in the nest. You can see just how challenging it is to get through all those branches to see her. I hope that increases the safety of the nest. I read the most common threats to the nestlings are Great Horned Owls and Raccoons and I've seen both in this area.
 Chapter 2, Ana
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When Ana is in the nest, Aston is nearby. On this day, he gave me a show. First a nice foot and wing stretch.
 Chapter 2, Aston
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Then a yawn
Then a head scratch. Look at those talons. Those are killing machines.
And some deep feather grooming. Its a weird pose but I included it because you can see every type of feather on their body!
Bertrand and Beatrice
Bert and Bea have remained pretty consistent in their routine and I really appreciate it because I'm able to see them just about every morning. They have been hard at work on their nest. I believe this is Bert below, launching from the nest after bringing some new branches. A fellow park visitor told me one of the hawks flew right over her head with a huge branch. These raptors are serious about their nests!
 Chapter 2, Bert
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I observed Bert hunting one day, dropping straight down to the ground from a tree and hovering in the tall grass for about 15 seconds. I wasn't sure if he successfully caught anything until he flew to a nearby tree.
He captured a mouse that he promptly took to Bea in another tree but I wasn't fast enough to make it there before she was gone. I'm not a big fan of predator-prey moments but I know the whole circle of life deal and I've grown attached to these hawks so I'm happy to see them being successful.
One of the pair bringing some greenery to the nest.
I believe this is Bea with another twig.
I've now witnessed these two mating at least once a day - and today they mated 3 times during my morning check in. I know that bald eagles mate more frequently the closer the female gets to laying her eggs but I haven't found any documentation to confirm the same practice for the hawks. Right now it's a lot of observation and theories!
I end chapter 2 with Bea doing a little preening.
Stay tuned for Chapter 3! To see the full gallery of images, click here.
