The Riverside female Red-tailed Hawk has begun sitting on the nest north of the Boat House Café. She was there when I arrived early this afternoon.  She left briefly to copulate with the male and then returned to the nest mid-afternoon.  The male came to nest soon after the copulation with a rodent for his mate.  She eat it and then settled down into the nest.  She most likely hasn’t laid eggs just yet, but she should over the next week.

When both of them are on the nest together, there are some pictures that clearly show the female’s broken beak compared to the male’s.  Her beak is recovering nicely and shouldn’t pose a problem for the pair.  But it’s great to have some side by side comparison shots.