JKNatureGallery.com
2008 Red-Tailed Hawk News
Archive July 1, 2008 - July 31, 2008
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July 1: We weren't able to observe our hawk family today. I will be archiving the month of June in the next day to the News
Archives where it can always be accessed. Please see new images of the fledglings taken on 6/14 and 6/18 in the Raptor
Gallery on page 25 , images from 6/19, 6/20 and 6/21 on page 26 and more Images from 6/21 on page 27. I will be posting
additional new images Wednesday evening.
July 2: On a short visit today two of the fledglings were very active flying and expanding their territory further to the North
and East. Both of them returned to their normal areas with a major stoop. Mama was being harassed by a couple of
Mockingbirds, when a Robin joined in she decided to leave the area. We didn't see Papa or fledgling three today. I will be
archiving the month of June Thursday to the News Archives where it can always be accessed. Please see images of the
fledglings taken on 6/14 and 6/18 in the Raptor Gallery on page 25 , images from 6/19, 6/20 and 6/21 on page 26 and
more Images from 6/21 along with new images from 6/25 on page 27.
July 3: Our hawk family had a very active day as all three fledglings were continuing to expand on their territory and
perform some wonderful flight maneuvers. The fledglings have started to fly over the local boulevard, luckily they've
maintained a good altitude avoiding the traffic below that is a clear danger to their safety. They have also been much more
active hunting for themselves these past few days. Mama and Papa continue to watch over them and never seem to be too
far away. I am still working on getting current on posting new images the Holiday has prevented me from catching up this
weekend. I will be posting as many new images over the next few days as I can.
July 4: We had limited time to observe our hawk family today. Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived it started to rain so I
wasn't able to obtain new images. The fledglings were once again very active, they didn't seem to mind the heavy rain as
two of the fledglings stayed in the open getting completely soaked. They opened their wings as if they were in a shower
letting the rain clean them off, occasionally they would give a good shake and start the process all over again. We didn't
see Mama or Papa today on our short visit.
July 5: Once again the fledglings were very active exploring, they spent time near a very large dirt pile chasing each
other. At one point we followed one of the fledglings to the South where it landed at the top of a tree to rest. The many
smaller birds in the area were not happy with this visit. One of the birds a Mockingbird dove hard at the fledgling kicking it
in the upper chest. The fledgling startled by the attack backed off as if to say "what did I do? ", as the Mockingbird flew off
the fledgling shook itself off and a few moments later moved to a tree in the Eastern section a couple hundred yards away.
I will be posting images of the Mockingbirds dive at the fledgling over the next few days.
July 6: Today the three fledglings were hanging out together. One of them worked very hard to catch a Squirrel but it
escaped up a tree. The fledgling kept watching and attempting multiple opportunities to catch the Squirrel coming close but
failing each time. The fledgling returned to its siblings playfully diving at them on a number of occasions working on its
hunting skills and timing. The siblings moved to the large dirt pile where they continued to fly at each other and playing in
the many puddles. Papa was sitting in tall tree in the Southern section of the territory. The nearby Robins were not happy
with his presence. Papa preened and rested not bothered by the Robins attempts to make him move out of the area. We
didn't see Mama today. I will be posting new images from the past week over the next few days.
July 7: One of the fledglings appeared to be having a great time soaring over the Northern section of its territory. A
second fledgling was sitting in an Oak tree preening itself and keeping an eye on its meal located about ten feet away on a
large branch. Eventually the fledgling moved back to its meal, a Squirrel and started eating again. It seemed that this was a
catch from much earlier in the day that was already more than half consumed. The other fledgling eventually landed in a
tree and was exploring the many branches, on occasion it dropped down to the ground walking and exploring in the grass
only to fly back up into the tree. We didn't see Mama, Papa or the third fledgling today.
July 8-9: We were not able to observe our hawk family on these days.
July 10: I spent time observing only one of the fledglings late today as it appeared the other two were not around. They
had been expanding and exploring the territory outside of the general area they have stayed since they fledged the nest.
The lone fledgling was very vocal this afternoon, it was hard to determine if it was lonely or hungry. It did make a number of
failed attempts to catch a meal. When we left for the day we discovered the other two fledglings with their parents near last
seasons nest, they had all claimed a different lamp post above and around the old nest. One of them moved to a tall Oak
tree where it stayed when we went home for the day.
July 11: We couldn't find any of the fledglings this afternoon in their typical territory. We did find a green Parakeet in a
small tree and a beautiful Egret leaving the area. On an expanded search we found only one of the fledglings sitting on top
of a six story apartment building. We didn't see the other two fledglings or Mama and Papa today.
July 12: Late this afternoon two of the fledglings were soaring in the general area between last years nest and this years
nest. They really seemed to be enjoying the breezy day testing their flight skills as they soared, stooped and swooped at
each other playfully. We didn't see the third fledgling, Mama or Papa today.
July 13: All three fledglings enjoyed the breezy day soaring. At some points they were very high in the sky to the point
they were barely visible. They made a number of spectacular stoops as they came down to lower levels of flight. On a
couple of occasions they landed in nearby trees but didn't stay very long, just minutes and they were off flying again. Late
in the day we found one of the fledglings in an Oak tree with a branch in his talons. It remained in the tree when we had to
leave for the day. We didn't see Mama or Papa today.
July 14: We weren't able to observe our hawk family today. However, on a brief walk we did see Mama and Papa on their
favorite vantage points watching over their territory. We didn't see the fledglings.
July 16: We weren't able to observe our hawk family today.
July 15: Today we had a role reversal, we observed Mama and Papa for a few hours and there were no sightings of the
fledglings. Papa had a small bird or a rodent in his talon, he was calling out to the fledglings to provide the meal and none
of them showed up. He flew to a number of different trees in the area vocalizing each time, still no fledglings came. He did
attract the attention of three Kingbirds that started to harass Papa. As he flew away from the Kingbirds they flew after him
attaching themselves to his face and back, Papa never let go of his catch the entire time. After a number of attempts to get
away from the Kingbirds Papa finally left the area. Mama was also around the entire time, she seemed to be scanning the
area seemingly looking for her youngsters. Late in the afternoon one of the fledglings may have landed in the tall Tulip tree
near their nest as the Blue Jays and Kingbirds were very active and vocal high in the tree but we couldn't see what caught
there attention, we could only assume it was one of the fledglings.
July 17: We weren't able to observe our hawk family today.
July 18: Today was a very uncomfortable hot and humid day, luckily, I found the second fledgling immediately upon
arriving to observe our hawk family today. It was sitting on a fence looking for a meal while being harassed by Blue Jays
and Robins. The fledgling didn't stay long as it landed in a tree to the East only to encounter more small birds that didn't
want it around. Eventually, the fledgling landed on the ground where it found a large puddle to cool off. It stayed in the
water and mud for about an hour before flying off further to the East when once again the small birds in the area spotted
the youngster and again started to let their feelings be known. I was able to get many wonderful new images this afternoon
and will be posting them soon along with many new images from the last couple weeks. I had seen another one of the
members from our hawk family soaring in the sky on my way home. However, I couldn't determine which one it may have
been due to its altitude and the haze.
July 19: Fledgling one was very active today soaring, testing its flight skills and hunting in the Eastern section of their
nesting territory. It spent much time in some tall trees, well hidden and keeping an eye on the many Squirrels and Pigeons
in the area. All of the hunts we observed today were not successful with some near misses. Mama was also in the area
being harassed by the many Robins nearby, she didn't seem bothered by all the attention. Later in the afternoon we
spotted one of the other fledglings but couldn't see the markings well enough to make an identification. It was good enough
on this very hot day just to get a head count. We didn't see Papa and the third fledgling before we had to leave for the day.
On a side note we did see a Carolina Chickadee in our backyard today.
July 20: We found Papa today sitting high up in an Oak tree in his favorite Southern section near his nest. The Robins in
the area were very vocal letting Papa they weren't happy he was there. Papa appeared to be starting to expel a pellet,
however, his undigested prior meal came up. After a few minutes he expelled four good sized pieces of a small bird. Two of
the fledglings were soaring overhead and drifting to the East. We decided to leave Papa and relocate to a more open area
to see the fledglings. They seemed to be enjoying the windy day as they practiced diving and tumbling with each other.
Eventually they flew off further to the East out of sight. We spotted Mama briefly as she flew from West to East and beyond
the tree line. We didn't see the third fledgling today. Please see the many new images I have posted in the Raptor gallery
covering June 27th through July 7th on Page 27, Page 28 and Page 29. I will be posting more images over the next day.
July 21: We weren't able to observe our hawk family today. However, one of the fledglings visited us flying over our home
late this morning. Please see the many new images I have posted in the Raptor gallery covering June 27th through July 7th
on Page 27, Page 28 and Page 29. I have posted many additional new images covering July 10 through July 20th in the
Raptor gallery on lower half of Page 29 and Page 30. The Raptor images are now current and up to date, I should be able
to stay current posting new images as I capture them.
July 22: One of the fledglings was flying around in an area of dense mature trees so it was very difficult to identify who we
spotted. A while later we had another brief sighting of one of the fledglings in the Southern most area of their territory and
once again the tree line interfered with identification. Mama was flying very high over the central section of her territory late
in the afternoon on our way home. We couldn't find Papa today. I didn't have my camera today so I didn't obtain any new
images for the day. Please see the many new images I have posted in the Raptor gallery covering June 27th through July
7th on Page 27, Page 28 and Page 29. I have posted many additional new images covering July 10 through July 20th in
the Raptor gallery on lower half of Page 29 and Page 30. The Raptor images are now current and up to date, I should be
able to stay current posting new images as I capture them.
July 23: We weren't able to observe our hawk family today. Please see the many new images I have posted in the Raptor
gallery covering June 27th through July 7th on Page 27, Page 28 and Page 29. I have posted many additional new images
covering July 10 through July 20th in the Raptor gallery on lower half of Page 29 and Page 30. The Raptor images are now
current and up to date.
July 24: Mama and Papa spent a good amount of time together in the same tree while enjoying the shade. The third
fledgling spent its time soaring around the open spaces to the East of the nest. The fledgling chased after the Pigeons in
the area and a number of times was harassed by flocks of Starlings. We didn't see the other two fledglings today. Please
see the many new images I have posted in the Raptor gallery covering June 27th through July 20th on Page 27, Page 28,
Page 29 and Page 30. I have posted new images from this afternoon on the bottom of Page 30 and on Page 31.
July 25: A very quiet day this afternoon. We found only one of the fledglings today resting in a very dense tree, it
remained in this location the entire afternoon. I will post new images of the fledgling on Monday. We didn't see the rest of
our hawk family today. Please see the many new images I have posted in the Raptor gallery covering June 27th through
July 20th on Page 27, Page 28, Page 29 and Page 30. I have posted new images from June 24th on the bottom of Page
30 and on Page 31.
July 26: We didn't observe our hawk family today as we attended the 30th Annual Thunderbird American Indian Pow Wow
at the Queens County Farm Museum. I will be posting images of this event in the 2008 Native American Gallery on Sunday
evening and over the next few days, so please check the Gallery for new image postings throughout the week. Please see
the many new images I have posted in the Raptor gallery covering June 27th through July 20th on Page 27, Page 28,
Page 29 and Page 30. I have posted new images from June 24th on the bottom of Page 30 and on Page 31.
July 27: We didn't observe our hawk family today as we attended the 30th Annual Thunderbird American Indian Pow Wow
at the Queens County Farm Museum. I will be posting images of this event in the 2008 Native American Gallery on Sunday
evening and over the next few days, so please check the Gallery for new image postings throughout the week. Please see
the many new images I have posted in the Raptor gallery covering June 27th through July 20th on Page 27, Page 28,
Page 29 and Page 30. I have posted new images from June 24th on the bottom of Page 30 and on Page 31.
July 28: We didn't observe our hawk family today. I have posted images of the 30th Annual Thunderbird American Indian
Pow Wow held this past weekend in the 2008 Native American Gallery on Page 1 and additional new images on Page 2,
please check the 2008 Native American Gallery for new image postings throughout the week.
Please see the many new images I have posted in the Raptor gallery covering June 27th through July 20th on Page 27,
Page 28, Page 29 and Page 30. I have posted new images from June 24th on the bottom of Page 30 and on Page 31. I
have added a new image of the third fledgling from June 25th to Page 31.
July 29: We searched for our hawk family and after a few hours we couldn't find any of them today. We did see fresh signs
that they were around recently, however it's alway nicer to actually see them.
I have posted images of the 30th Annual Thunderbird American Indian Pow Wow held this past weekend in the 2008 Native
American Gallery on Page 1 and additional new images on Page 2, please check the 2008 Native American Gallery for new
image postings throughout the week.
Please see the many new images I have posted in the Raptor gallery covering June 27th through July 20th on Page 27,
Page 28, Page 29 and Page 30. I have posted new images from June 24th on the bottom of Page 30 and on Page 31. I
have added a new image of the third fledgling from June 25th to Page 31.
July 30-31: We didn't observe our hawk family on these days. I will be archiving the news for the month of July in the next
few days, as always they can be accessed via the news archives.
I have posted images of the 30th Annual Thunderbird American Indian Pow Wow held this past weekend in the 2008 Native
American Gallery on Page 1 and additional new images on Page 2, please check the 2008 Native American Gallery for new
image postings throughout the week.
Please see the many new images I have posted in the Raptor gallery covering June 27th through July 20th on Page 27,
Page 28, Page 29 and Page 30. I have posted new images from June 24th on the bottom of Page 30 and on Page 31. I
have added a new image of the third fledgling from June 25th to Page 31.