Thursday, February 11, 2010

Red Shouldered Hawk

My Camera Critter entry is this Red Shouldered Hawk hanging around my backyard. To see more cute Critters go and visit Misty Dawn and Camera Critters
This hawk has been hanging around my yard now for the last two weeks. This time I saw the hawk sitting near the top of a pine tree in the back of my yard. I'm sure it is terrorizing my poor yardbirds because it was watching my birdfeeders.



This Hawk looked huge and if I remember correctly the female is larger in size than the male. I am glad that I have lots of trees and brush piles for my little birds to hide. Any Hawk is an awesome sight to see and I realize that they need to eat but,  I would much rather see this hawk move away from my yard.

Having a hawk hanging around my yard will have a huge effect on my Great Backyard Bird Count


To see more post go and visit Nature Notes  and to see all kinds of animals go and visit Friday Ark

Thanks for stopping by my blog and for commenting.

47 comments:

Dan Huber said...

great pictures - i just saw a juv. of these myself

dan

jabblog said...

Wonderful shots but I know what you mean. I get excited when a Sparrowhawk visits but then I don't want it eating the little birds.

Marsha said...

He/She is a beauty and the color is highlighted so perfectly in the sunlight.

We have a bunch of resident crows and everytime a hawk visits they pester and chase him off so I only see and occasional fly by.

rainfield61 said...

The hawk is waiting.

It is waiting for its chances, though you may not be the victim.

Carver said...

Great shots of the hawk. That looks like the hawk that's been frightening the birds in my yard. Although I think the really small ones (nuthatches, chickadees, etc.) are too small for prey and aren't as bothered by the hawks.

Unknown said...

What a beautiful bird! I can understand your less-than-enthusiastic feelings about having it around though.

Della said...

Wow, to have a hawk of your own.

Rambling Woods said...

I've never seen one here, but we do have its preferred habitat. I looked up what they eat..

---The diet of red-shouldered hawks consists primarily of small mammals, the largest of these being rabbits and squirrels. Other food items include reptiles and amphibians, such as snakes, toads, frogs and lizards, small birds and large insects. Crayfish are important prey for red-shouldered hawks in some regions.

Red-shouldered hawks search for prey while perched on a treetop or soaring over woodlands. When they sight prey, they kill it by dropping directly onto it from the air. They may cache food near their nest for later consumption.--

I understand how you feel. There is a hawk here everyday and the birds get to the feeders in between especially after I have walked into the yard. I try hard to understand that they will die if they don't eat, but counting this hawk will be important for the count too...Michelle

Jo said...

He/she is huge,Eileen. Great picture.

Bill S. said...

Beautiful bird, but I bet you would like it gone so the other birds would return. Great pictures.

Anonymous said...

We have a red-tailed hawk outside of the homestead patiently watching the busying antics of the chickens.

Squirrel said...

Great shots of the hawk Eileen!

ninja said...

This long winter makes wildlife comes closer & closer to human settlements. I hope your feeder flock stays safe. We used to have cats around our winter feeder. Saw one getting the bird. Not a nice view.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Eileen: Neat photo of the hawk, its a beauty.

Dawn Fine said...

Oh Great photos!
I hope the hawk doesnt make your bird count a bust...

Anonymous said...

I almost purchased a book about hawks last night but I doubt I see as many varieties as you do/

Elaine said...

I know how you feel. I've had a Northern Shrike visiting my feeders regularly but I only see him as he swoops in. Twice I saw him capture a Redpoll, but the majority of the time he is unsuccessful. I really prefer not to see the capture on my deck!

SquirrelQueen said...

Great capture Eileen, she is beautiful. The larger ones are female.

We get a lot of Red Tailed hawks in our backyard and I love to watch them hunt. But I also feel sorry for all of my smaller birds. I stopped putting out bird feeders because of the hawks.

Have a great weekend,
Judy

betty-NZ said...

Such wonderful shots you have! And a new follower!

diane b said...

He's a beauty although a problem.

Kate said...

Hawks are beautiful creatures, if not good citizens! They're lovely to watch.

Michael said...

Nice pictures. We have a Sparrowhawk who sometimes targets our feeders. He took a Magpie down once in the back field.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Great photo Eileen. Although we don't like to lose any of our small birds at the feeders, the hawks are magnificent looking, arent' they?
Have a Happy Valentine's Day.
Judith

Carletta said...

Excellent shots Eileen!
I can always tell when one is around because my feeders are quiet.
I had so many birds yesterday I was having trouble doing a count. :)
Carletta’s Captures.

Snap said...

He is gorgeous! Sorry about the bird count.

Ricepatty said...

What a beauty he/she is. I'm sure with all of the snow you've had recently sitting in the sun feels soo good! As always awesome capture

Two Barking Dogs said...

Great photo!

LeAnn said...

That is quite the bird!

Rajesh said...

Beautiful shot of the hawk. You have captured it in nice location.

Lisa said...

Such a regal bird. :) Beautiful photos!

Ladynred said...

what a beautiful bird!
Green Iguana

Martha Z said...

He is a handsom fellow. It is the sharp shinned hawk that chases the songbirds from my yard.

Müge Tekil said...

Maybe dangerous for the little birds but this hawk is really a very impressive creature, he looks very noble.

mick said...

A lovely looking bird but I would rather it wasn't in my yard either! no small birds would feel safe!

Lindz said...

he's just having his observation time, but do you think he's being protective and watchful?

sunnymama said...

A magnificent bird! :)

happily retired gal said...

Thanks for sharing these WONDERFUL hawk photos and for identifying it for us too. Still looks snowy where you live. Stay warm ;-)
Hugs and blessings,

Lana Gramlich said...

Very lovely. I know what you mean about hawks around the feeding area--my own submission for Bird Photography weekly's much the same--but such is nature, I s'pose.

Bob Kaufman said...

I just love how his reddish color stands out in the snow. Great shots!

Unknown said...

Eileen
What a magnificent creature. Great capture!
Evelyn

Lisa said...

Hi Eileen, you have some great pictures. What kind of lens do you use to get them?

Larry said...

My absolute favorite hawk Eileen! I'm sure the feeder birds come right back after the hawk leaves for awhile. Don't worry, you'll get a good count if you wait long enough.

We have a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks mating near our house. I'm trying to find their nest in the hope of watching another amazing season of Red-shouldered Hawk love!

Diane AZ said...

I have a pine tree in my backyard that hawks like to perch in, but I haven't seen one as big as yours. Great pictures!

Iowa Gardening Woman said...

Great photo, I'm with you, I know they have to eat but I would just as soon they not do it outside my window. We had one that sat in one of our bushes for a couple of hours, not a bird came around, so they must have good vision because he was well hidden.

Living In Williamsburg Virginia said...

Great pics - it looks like you got a lot of snow. We love the snowy header picture. We lived near you in York Pa with an office in Shrewsbury. : ) Your area looks beautiful.
Darryl and Ruth

NatureFootstep said...

beautiful bird :)

Lio Popov said...

Congratulation! I like the photo. :)

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