A quick update on our nesting sharp-shinned hawks - over the weekend there was a lot of activity in the nest as the parents came and went. The original post is at http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/2008/05/nesting-hawks.html.
Most of the time the nest is well enough hidden in the big pine that I still have not managed to get a photograph of it or the hawks when they are there. After a rain on Saturday, the branches were weighed down so I could catch movement up there from time to time, but never had the clear shot for a photograph.
The adult birds continue the call/respond behaviors, but the range from the nest is growing farther and farther. When we first encountered them, the male would sound a call from inside of 200 yards; now it sounds like he could be as far away as 500 yards. Not every time now, but still frequently, the female will either respond with a call or she will fly out of the nest in the direction of the call.
As the male occasionally flew by the nest, just as he was parallel or overhead he would make his call. I also was able to hear the sound of at least one nestling, although I haven't seen it or any sign of it yet. The little voice seemed to be a response to the calls, but I need to observe a bit longer to be sure about this.
Mary and I think these developments are aimed at helping the young learn that they will need to leave the nest and learn to fly. Will put up a new post next week assuming we learn more about them. Next week I will have my camera binocs with me and hopefully will be able to post a photo.
1 comment:
We didn't need to move out to the countryside to watch hawks! We have at least two nests in our neighborhood. The closest one is in a tree thats growing between the street and the sidewalk. The mailman has to wear his pith helmet when delivering mail because the hawk has dive bombed him before. The other day, Sean watched them teaching the baby how to hunt. Pretty cool! Nancy
Post a Comment