Hawk behavior

[audrey]

Harvard U. is home to a couple of redtail hawks, much to the dismay of several million squirrels. Tonight I watched one select some dead twigs and fly off with them. What could he/she be planning? All I could think was that they may keep replenishing their nests year-round.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Harvard U. is home to a couple of redtail hawks, much to the dismay of several million squirrels. Tonight I watched one select some dead twigs and fly off with them. What could he/she be planning? All I could think was that they may keep replenishing their nests year-round.

I'm not a hawk expert, but they definitely stay here all year round.

 

[jade]

My friend runs the CROW (Center for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife) in western MA and is an expert on birds. Too late to call tonight......I'll respond again tomorrow......
By the way, there are red tailed hawks that make their home in Manhattan and a documentary has been made on the birds and their faithful human admirers. It's been on PBS the last couple of weeks. Very interesting and inspiring.....Jade

 

[Remix]

My sister lives in a large apartment-park in Manhatten.

One day one of the hawks came down and bagged a squirrel right in the middle of the green lawn. It struggled a little while, and soon a crowd developed.

The police took an interest in the crowd and soon there were many vehicles, lights flashing, walkie talkies squawking....

The crowd grew larger and the police began advising people to move along.

Thats life in the city!

 

[Rick]

We used to breed brittanies (hunting dogs) and after one litter around '97, The pups were about 4 weeks old and I had them out on our back lawn surrounded by chicken wire about 10' in diameter.
I was working on the patio when I saw a Redtail come tearing through the trees (Our house was surrounded by 15 75-100 year old maples) and take off, he circled and came back around. I immediately looked to the trees for the tell tale squirrel and saw none. I momentarily pondered why the redtail was coming in so low to the ground - Until I caught the puppy pen out of the corner of my eye.
I immediately started grabbing pups and running them into the house. That redtail stayed around for at least an hour or so circling overhead.
The thought gave me quite a startle.

 

[Dugan]

Good idea to grab the pups. Many years ago at night while outdoors on a brightly lit patio, I saw a Great Horned Owl sweep in, grab a full grown Pomeranian, and fly off. The two remaining Poms were hurried into the house. Never saw any signs of the missing dog.

 

[brianW]

When I was at UMass I saw a redtail hawk carring a squirrel it had caught. It was being "bombarded" by a dozen or so crows that were trying to get an easy meal. Was very cool to watch.

On one of the Boston Harbor Islands (Grape maybe) there was a board with frequently asked questions. One of them was "Why are there dead rabbits in some of the trees?" answer: Great Horned Owls come over from Logan Airport, hunt rabbits and feed on them in the trees leaving what they don't feed on behind in the trees.

 

[Puck]

Redtails are platform nesters. they build a big sprwling nest in the tops of trees in forested areas. They can build a new nest every year. It is very common for great horned owls to move in on these nests. Great horned owls start thier clutches in Feb. Red tails statrt much later. Most birds leave the nests after the young fledge. Sometimes birds will show 'out of season' behavior.
Red tails do winter in New England many have moved down from Canada. The other common winter hawk in New England is the rough Legged Hawk. The presence of hawks in central park is no surprise. they are also seeing more perigirines feasting on the city rock doves. Audobon sponsors a christmas bird count with participants in the NYC parks every year.
A word about great horned owls....they are the most aggressive preditor in the northeast. They will kill hawks that hunt in the same area...coopers and goshawks. They have been known to kill just for the hell of it. Dead turkeys have been found in thier nests. They are the prime predator of skunks and anything skunk size. So from feb on please keep your cats and small dogs inside.

 

[charlos]

i live 3 blocks from the northern end of central park and have experienced many red tail encounters similar to the one remix mentioned.

notably..i felt a breeze, heard a shriek and saw a starling about two feet from me bieng carried away by a red tail, i asked the guy next to me if he saw that(because he seemed unphased ) and he said see what!

since it is under a migratory path and the park is the greenest thing around i get to see a wider range of birds/water fowl on my way to work than i do while backpacking.

theres even bald eagles in innwood hill park and lots more further north up the hudson. last winter while heading up to cold spring on the metro north train i noticed many eagles perched on hudson river ice flow apparently fishing, i may have seen 10-20 of them just floating by.

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

Jade, I saw the documentary you referred to -- very interesting!

I remember an article on cnn some time in the past year regarding hawks that had been introduced in areas of NYC to help control the pigeon population. One of the hawks went after a lady's chihuahua and that created quite a stir. The handler's reassuring remark that the hawk wasn't out to terrorize dogs was "the hawk thought it was a rat".

 

[rtrimarc]

Pale Male

The name of the documentary is "Pale Male". One of the greatest stories i have ever seen, simply incredible. The folks who created the documentary did a great job capturing both the plight of the hawk family, and the reaction of the residents who witnessed the daily events. I can't say enough about this show, and encourage everyone to check it out if it is on again.

It is a PBS documentary, so check their website for schedules. It is simply awesome.

 

[carole]

I, also, caught most of the PBS show and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[spider solo]

Puck..Excellent info.
There has long been debate over whether a species like an owl will kill "just for the hell of it". Coyotes, Bald Eagles and many others have been reported to do the same.
It can be said it is something we have in common with them. Therefore we would just be recognizing a behaviour that is the same as our own, though not necessarily a "good" thing.

...a behaviorist could wax eloquent on this topic.......

 

[charlos]

found it funny that pale male used woody allens balcony during mateing season...five times a day!

 

[KayakDan]

One of the best places to spot Red Tail Hawks is the intersection of Rt128 and the Mass Pike. Look up on the light poles-there's lots of them.
Strange things happening with wildlife in Mass. We have wild turkeys everywhere-just saw 6 huge ones on Sunday in a suburban neighborhood. Coyotes are a way of life,having a wonderful time dining on neighborhood cats. Moose showing up regularly in eastern Mass. Now we hear about a mountain lion in a northern Boston suburb. This one is still a bit of a stretch-but I wouldn't be too surprised.
I think loss of habitat is pushing these animals into suburban areas.
BrianW,I think the Boston Harbor Island is Lovell's. It's absolutely overrun with big Belgian rabbits,brought there in the 1800s,when there were farms.

 

[Puck]

It can be said it is something we have in common with them. Therefore we would just be recognizing a behaviour that is the same as our own, though not necessarily a "good" thing.

Yes, however, humans, unlike owls will not leave a festering carcass in the house. Great horned owl nests are notorious for having rotting carcasses. The owlets are actually one of the smelliest animals around. Before they can fly they are pushed out of the nest and will linger on the ground for a few days. They are an ugly puff ball of stinking feathers that hiss. Knowing all this I am a big fan of these birds and will go out at night just to listen to them.

 

[Rick]

I think loss of habitat is pushing these animals into suburban areas.

Dan, While there are cases of this occurring in NJ with the Black Bears (my old coworkers lived in Sparta, NJ and had a horrible time with the bears on there BBQ grills, garbage cans and pets) I wonder, if it isn't really the other way around...
The abandonment of farming in the Northeast which had previously meant cleared areas suppressing wildlife, has allowed fields to grow into young forests, allowing wildlife to rebound and be more readily sighted in suburban areas now.

 

[KayakDan]

Rick,that's an excellent point. In many areas that may very well be the case. I was thinking more of the creeping edge of suburban sprawl that is moving into those habitat areas. House lots where wooded areas were,means less territory for animals,more competition for limited,and shrinking resources. Animals are pressured into foraging in areas they would normally avoid,and trash cans and small domestic animals become an accepted food source.
I suppose many of these animals were scarce back in the 1800s when everything was clear cut and farmed. It's hard to imagine that these beautiful wooded areas we hike were once farmed fields.

 

[brianW]

Ricks point about farmland returning to forest is in my opinion why these animals are coming back more and more. 150 yrs agao about 80% of New England was cleared for farms now about 80% is "forested"

Fisher Museum at Harvard Forest (Petersham, MA) has great diaramas (I think that what they are called) showing the New England landscape from virgin forest to the mid-1900's. I would also suggest if you stop by, take the scavenger hunt in the museum (finding the woodpecker can be frustrating)and walk around on the trails.

KayakDan. Lovell's is over-run by rabbits but I believ the sign was on on of the other islands. My family and another are planning a Lovells trip next summer. The kids will feel like Indiana Jones when exploring the island.

And finally a quote that I heard from a MA Wildlife personal, "I call the bell on a cats collar the dinner bell" in reference to coyote and fishers

 

[Maddy]

carcasses. The owlets are actually one of the smelliest animals Before they can fly they are pushed out of the nest and will linger on the ground for a few days. They are an ugly puff ball of stinking feathers that hiss. .

Is this the owls version of "tough love"??????