[bcbirdclub] Red-shouldered Hawk Nest
- From: "Roger Mayhorn" <rmayhorn@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "BCBC Listserve" <bcbirdclub@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2012 23:45:41 -0400
A couple of days ago I went walking down a dirt road on our property that goes
into the woods. Last year just below this road a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks
nested in the fork of a large Beech tree. It is easy to see down into the nest
from the road though the tree is about 150 ft down the mountain. As I neared
the nest I took a quick look at the nest through my binoculars, and was
surprised to see the female sitting on the nest. I could only see her head and
her tail because of one of the large forks of the tree. Normally I would never
have gotten that close without her seeing me, but she was facing downhill and
was busy rearranging nesting material in front of her. I didn't want to spook
her from the nest so I took a couple of quick steps along the road, putting the
fork of the tree between her head and me. She remained calm so I knew she
hadn't seen me.
I then moved quietly along the road, hoping I could move past without being
detected. As I moved, more of her body from behind the fork came into view. As
soon as I moved far enough for her to look back over her shoulder and and see
me, she slipped off the nest like a wraith, not making a sound and dropping
quickly out of sight down into the valley. Within seconds she was a couple
hundred feet above in the air calling loudly. I quickly left the area, and
after a few minutes she stopped calling, and I assume went back to the task of
incubating. I returned home by walking a more direct route through the woods
that didn't take me near the nest. Too much disturbance can sometimes cause
Red-shouldereds to abandon their nest, so I will give her the space she needs.
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt
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