Following the Red Shouldered Hawks of Lake Monticello

For the past two years I have had the pleasure of following the nesting lives of two red-shouldered hawk families here at Lake Monticello, Virginia.  Red shouldered hawks are common in our area due to the abundance of mature forest which is their preferred habitat. They are part of the Buteo category of raptors which are comprised of larger soaring hawks with broad wingspans. Red Shouldered hawks can be identified by having a white line of stripes on their wing and tail and a touch of red on their shoulders. They are a medium-sized Buteo with a wingspan of around 3 feet. The female and male look alike with the female being slightly larger in build. They are a territorial species with pairs often chasing out rivals from their domain.

              

Our story begins when I managed to catch a photo of a male and female Red-Shouldered hawk together at the beginning of this season. Our hawks will stay together for the season, mating, nest building, and raising their young. Nests are often used year after year. Mating occurs in late February early March. After mating, a period of 4-6 weeks of nest building begins.

Red Shouldered hawks build their nests in the fork of a strong tree in wooded lots sometime close to houses. Our nest this year, on a neighbors lot, was within view of my telephoto lens making it an ideal location to follow the family’s progress. I managed to find a perfect location on the driveway enabling me to stay far away in my car, so as not to disturb them. As they build their nests Red Shouldered hawks will add greenery possibly to tell other species that this nest is occupied. As testimony to the strength of this nest we experienced a quick passing storm with 90 mph winds, shaking and toppling trees. Our hawks’ structure survived the storm, due to their superior engineering skills. 

           

Hawks of this species usually raise two to four eggs which the female lays in late march. She will leave the nest for short periods to gather sticks to fortify the nest. The male will bring food to the female and share in guarding the nest while she is away. Building a nest close to housing brings with it problems for these territorial birds. Doing yard work our neighbors often experienced the hawks making swooping dives towards them sensing a threat.

         

After a period of 30 days the eggs begin to hatch. Then the real activity begins. Mom and Dad stay busy going on the search for food and shoring up the nest. This year I was fortunate to catch one of the parents hunting on my property. The hawk perched on a low branch of a tree and swooped down gliding across the forest floor looking for prey. I doesn't appear he was successful this run. 

                

Hunting in the forest leaf litter

Red Shouldered hawks feed on reptiles, amphibians, small birds and small mammals. The hunters will perch on a limb and drop down on prey in the leaf litter below. Red Shouldered hawks are proficient hunters of young squirrels.

        

                  

Tonight a gourmet meal of frogs legs

          

Chicks begin as fuzzy little creatures with white down and demanding open mouths.  As they grow they will shed their down and replace it with the feathers that will enable them to fledge.

                              

Chicks will begin to leave the nest about 35-45 days after hatching. They will stay close by as their parents teach them how to hunt for their own food. In my observations two years ago I could see the young hawks sitting in nearby branches looking upon the parents for an easy meal. When the parents sense they are ready they will stop feeding the young hawks so that they can go off and make it on their own. This picture from two years ago shows our chicks just about ready to fledge. 

          

I read where with some raptors, the parents will stick spike-like branches in the nest to discourage the young from returning to the nest. I tried this myself with my nesting college-age children. Effectively playing classical music all the time at home forced the graduating seniors to fledge, find employment, and not return to the nest. 

Unfortunately, not all stories have a happy ending. This year’s family in mid May abandoned the nest after the chicks disappeared one night.  I suspect that the chicks may have been taken by a predator such as a snake, a raccoon or possibly an aggressive owl. Mom and Dad seemed to begin to build another nest in an adjacent location almost immediately. The instinct to reproduce the species is strong.

Following these hawks over the past several years has been a true pleasure. A weekly observation of the nest recorded significant progress with each visit and morning sunlight provided for successful photography.

I close with a picture of our Red Shouldered family from two years ago as they posed for a family portrait.  Special thanks to my neighbor for allowing me to photograph this journey on their property.