Red-Shouldered Hawks in the Everglades

Red-Shouldered Hawks are rare visitors to Central Park, so it was a pleasure to see them in the Everglades over my Christmas/New Year’s break while visiting Florida.

The first four photographs are of a juvenile bird, then some of two adults.  The last two are of an attack on an egret by a Red-shouldered Hawk at the Shark Valley Visitor’s Center.  (I was the only one among about 30 visitors who noticed the attack.  I guess people being unaware of nature isn’t only limited to the city!)

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Christmas Birds

I did some lazy birding in Central Park on Christmas Day.

I started out and ended up searching for owls, which were impossible to find today. The red phased Screech-Owl is only being found on very cold days.  Her alternative cavities haven’t been discovered. 

The Screech-Owl from last season, either from the 60’s or up in the North Wood, haven’t been found either.  Nor have any Long-eared Owls stayed for more than a day, although two have been seen in the fall.

Between my owl searches, I did get to see a Cooper’s Hawk, two Common Loons, some cute Hooded Mergansers and the “other” Red-headed Woodpecker (up by the tennis courts rather than in the Locust Grove).

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Thanksgiving Day

I went looking for Eastern-screech Owls today, but didn’t have any luck finding them.  The familiar cavities and locations from last year, all turned up empty.  A few cavities even had squirrels where owls had been roosting last season.

The day wasn’t a wash out however.  It included an adult Cooper’s Hawk who led me from the Ramble to the Locust Grove. It also included two juvenile Red-tailed Hawks, who seem to get along just fine.  Both had just finished meals, and were in trees no more than 100 yards apart.

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Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk and an Accipiter (Warning – Bird being eaten)

The Blue Jays in the park have been making lots of noise these last few weeks.  Most of the time it seems to be a false alarm, but this afternoon they were helpful.  They helped me find a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk and an Accipiter (either a Cooper’s Hawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk).  They were west of the Conservatory Garden and east of the Compost Heap.

All of the pictures but the last one are of the Red-tail.  It was eating something with a thin band on each leg.  I didn’t stay long enough to see if they got swollowed.

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The Accipiter came swooping in and landed on the far side of the Conservatory fence and I couldn’t get an I.D.  It flew west.  I ran after it but couldn’t find it once I got up to the Compost Heap.