BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Birding Hawk Question

A friend of mine asked me a question about hawks & I don't know the answer. Here is what she said:

"Seems to us that the hawks are returning to their nest. Strange time of year. We have definitely seen them fly into it, despite the leaves around it. Hard to miss the size of them. Any ideas?"

I know the hawks nested in her yard this year & from the sounds of it, they left after raising the babies. I have no idea why they would be handing around the nest now. Suggestions??

Although many hawks migrate south, Mavis, not all do. I have hawks in my area of Pennsylvania that remain year-round. At least I suspect that the hawks I see in the winter are the same ones that I've watched in the summer. We're already into peak migration season for some species of hawks which have already taken flight and hopefully have been able to survive the effects of this very active hurricane season as they make their way down to warmer climates for the fall and winter seasons.

I also know that sometimes different species of birds start hanging out at nests that have been abandoned, such as bald eagles visiting empty osprey nests. After osprey chicks have fledged and are feeding on their own, the parent ospreys start their migration south without their young. Weeks later the young ospreys must fly south on their own, where they remain for nearly a year and a half before flying back north to the their original nest site to begin the nesting cycle as young adults.

Perhaps the hawks your friend referred to have a pattern similar to this. Where your friend lives and what kind of hawk she's referring to could provide a clue to an answer.

Leequi

Thanks Leequi.

She lives in CT, and they are Red Tailed Hawks.

She watches the birds in her area quie a bit, but this is the first time she has seen them using the nest at this time of year.

I am in Missouri and the redtails here do not migrate. They keep the same nest for years. We had an semi-albino female redtail here for a long time in one nest. A few of her young were also white.

I liv Backyard Birding Tips

I live in Michigan and have a resident pair that hang out year round.
some hawks will conitue to hang out and again, your friends hawk very well could've been a youngster heading back to roost.
juvie red tails don't have the red tail just yet. So if friend can get a lookat the bird, will know if it resident hawk or off spring hanging around.

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http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/

Ron

I'm in virginia and we have red-shouldered hawks who remain all year round.

I had a red tail land on my patio railing this April. Can you imagine my amazement as I looked out my window sitting at my computer and staring face to face with this huge magnificent creature. He did come back about a few weeks later for me to be able to get a photo. Unfortunately the sun reflected offf the screen and the image was not sharp enough for detail. When it is the season we have a falcon cam here. The cam is down for the season but there are still photos of all our new babies born this year. Also the parents are still here and if you live here can watch them flying around the nest area at Kodak Office.

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-locale=en_US&pq-path=2017

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I live in Michigan and just sighted my first hawk. Like an earlier poster, I am sitting at my computer which is before a window. Out of the corner of my eye, a huge bird lands on a smaller one. I'll just say the hawk is enjoying breakfast. I never thought to see a hawk in my own backyard. I live in a major city, but the area has tons of trees.

Taisha <img src="/images/graemlins/fish.gif" alt="" />
Southeast Asia

I guess this is what my grandmother means when she says "just keep on living."