[Bristol-Birds] Red-tailed Hawk brings snake to mate at Bluff City nest.
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2011 22:48:42 -0400
Boone Lake
Bluff City, TN
Sullivan County
Thurs. 17 Mar 2011
Discovered a nice, active, Red-tailed Hawk's nest which
towers above the South Fork Holston River arm of Boone
Lake. It can be seen above the ridge crest in a tall tree
about 300 yards downstream and west of Charlie Worley
Bridge which is the US11E southbound lane. It is on the right
shoreline when facing in that direction from the bridge.
It was observed from the best vantage position in the
pulloff parking area underneath the south-bound traffic
span on Lakeview Drive. You reach Lakeview Drive
from the Old Bluff City Hwy (TN Rt. 44) by driving one-half
mile from Rt. 44 to the location under the bridge. It is best
observed with a spotting scope but enjoyable details may
be had with binoculars. Look across the lake and
to the left of the bridge against the sky. You probably
can't see it from standing on the bridge and it is probably
a good way to get seriously injured of killed.
When the nest was discovered, the head of an adult Red-tailed
Hawk was seen moving above the nest rim. Surely
there were two adults at that nest at the same time because
of the following development. It appeared that one hawk stood
and flew off to the west about 150 yards and turned back
to soar near the nest. It then appeared to return to the nest.
It swooped up to the nest from a backside approach, and
now had a brown and glistening snake of about 20 inches
in length being carried in its beak. An adult Red-tail stood
up on the nest and the bird bringing the snake dropped it
into the nest and departed in less than a minute. The bird
which stood in the nest, appeared to arrange the nesting
material in the bowl of the nest and then settled back into
a down position to evidently incubate eggs. It did not show
interest in the snake. The exact timing and which bird came
from where sounds out of synch and it was obvious that
something took place that was not well observed.
But you get the main picture of what went on.
Let's go birding . . .
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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- » [Bristol-Birds] Red-tailed Hawk brings snake to mate at Bluff City nest. - Wallace Coffey
