Red-Shouldered Hawk Territory---III

"Today's observations were all about the house." Note: Apr 17th. I know that seems like an odd thing to say about red-shouldered hawk territory, but my photos and observations were mostly of the female playing around the house--on the roof, on the gutter, on the porch railing, on a patio table and the back railing.This is the house that shares the property with the nest. Both hawks stayed close to the nest on this three-hour visit, within sight of each other and/or calling to each other. That is to say, one was incubating on the nest, while the other remained nearby.
I’ve skipped a visit to bring you up to date and will go back to some other observations in my next hawk post. I was out of town over the weekend so I was feeling a bit of hawk withdrawal. Besides that, I especially wanted to check to see if we had hatchlings in the nest. The answer is, not yet. How will I know? Hummm….I’m guessing that I'll see something different, different activity, more attention to the nest, sitting higher on the nest when incubating maybe. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.
What I wanted to show you today looked to me like playing. Fun to watch. It was the first time I could capture that beautiful back view of the barred wings and tail while landing. This was what I saw out the window, the first time I saw one of the hawks.

You also get to see more views of those beautiful russet shoulders, the trait that gives these hawks their name. She looks quite at home, doesn't she?

To see the entire series on this nesting pair of red-shouldered hawks, click here.

Next: Greenery for the Nest (unless of course we have babies!)
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