Author Topic: Red Tail Hawks... (Read 2054 times)

JJ · « **on:** March 08, 2021, 09:05:08 AM »

Seen in this area of the Verde River yesterday...

Beautiful raptor!!

kingoffleece · « **Reply #1 on:** March 08, 2021, 09:06:51 AM »

Agreed. We have a resident in our back yard. Needless to say, the mousers stay inside now.

Gliderjohn · « **Reply #2 on:** March 08, 2021, 09:36:51 AM »

They are very common here and are big beautiful and powerful birds. Years back I was very honored to have one thermal with me in formation through three full circles at about 10 ft. from my canopy.

GliderJohn

Dilliw · « **Reply #3 on:** March 08, 2021, 01:21:12 PM »

In SC we had the Red shouldered and the Cooper's. So far in Austin all I see are the Red Tails.

Lots of Owls in our neighborhood though. A post on Next door said lots of people have put out Owl boxes in town.

Perazzimx14 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 08, 2021, 01:32:21 PM »

Several months ago the wife and I were going outside to go for groceries. As we opened the kitchen door there was a fluttering of wings and a second later a RTH exited from the interior of the garage. Apparently he was perched on my roll around tool cabinet snacking on another bird as there was a pile of feather everywhere. There was almost two piles of poop to clean up as well as he really caught us off guard. Its not uncommon to see 2 or 3 of them on my way home from work along the highway as they have gotten pretty plentiful in the last 2 decades.

kingoffleece · « **Reply #5 on:** March 08, 2021, 01:52:18 PM »

The male/female pair remain here all winter. Juveniles head south.
Red-tails and owls share the same territory. They each occupy a time-hawks in the daylight and owls at night-so as to not interfere with each other.
In spring when the "kids" return it's easy to spot them as they are noticeably smaller than their parents.

JJ · « **Reply #6 on:** March 08, 2021, 02:13:44 PM »

We also have the smaller, but very capable "Coopers or Chicken Hawk."

When this guy shows up near the bird feeders...ALL the birds scatter quickly!!

Another beautiful raptor!!

Photo taken by me from my back deck, Sept. 2017.

Guzzistajohn · « **Reply #7 on:** March 08, 2021, 02:23:10 PM »

The red tailed units are all over here in the Sho-Me state. I had one hit my windshield one time leaving MCI (Mid continent international) AKA Kansas City Airport. Cracked the windshield and killed the bird, and scared the @#$& out of me

Rough Edge racing · « **Reply #8 on:** March 08, 2021, 06:21:15 PM »

We have many hens and they attract hawks. The red tails don't show much interest. But as mentioned above, Cooper /chicken hawk is more interested in a hen..If hens spot the hawk they scatter in all directions...

Ncdan · « **Reply #9 on:** March 08, 2021, 07:31:02 PM »

Best keep your chickens behind chicken wire with those creatures in the area. One of my neighbors laying hens just fell prey to a Red Tail just last week.

Guzzistajohn · « **Reply #10 on:** March 08, 2021, 07:42:16 PM »

I have a buddy near Rogers, Ar. that nearly lost his Chihuahua to a red tail. He had a hammer in his hand and chucked it. Killed the hawk.

Gliderjohn · « **Reply #11 on:** March 08, 2021, 08:21:25 PM »

From kingoffleece:

Quote

The male/female pair remain here all winter. Juveniles head south.
Red-tails and owls share the same territory. They each occupy a time-hawks in the daylight and owls at night-so as to not interfere with each other.
In spring when the "kids" return it's easy to spot them as they are noticeably smaller than their parents.

Same here. Almost like each check in and out of a time clock. Remember the old Warner Bro. cartoon with Wile E Coyote and the sheep dog guard?
GliderJohn

decotriumph · « **Reply #12 on:** March 08, 2021, 08:43:43 PM »

We have many of those around here. I often see them sitting on fence posts or power lines waiting for the unsuspecting rabbit or squirrel. I also hit one (or he hit me) a couple of weeks ago on my motorcycle. He was swooping across the road and hit the top of my windshield and glanced off the top of my helmet! Up close and personal like that, he looked to be about the size of a chicken!

Scout63 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 08, 2021, 10:10:13 PM »

We came across a red tail on the logging roads in Northern Maine a few years ago. It spooked and left a freshly killed ruffed grouse. We pan seared the breasts with cognac and butter over a wood fire. Best camping meal I ever had.

Ncdan · « **Reply #14 on:** March 09, 2021, 09:35:45 AM »

Quote from: Scout63 on March 08, 2021, 10:10:13 PM

We came across a red tail on the logging roads in Northern Maine a few years ago. It spooked and left a freshly killed ruffed grouse. We pan seared the breasts with cognac and butter over a wood fire. Best camping meal I ever had.

Now that taking advantage of a bad situation if I’ve ever heard of one. For y’all that is and not so much for the goose:(

ampm7 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 09, 2021, 11:37:10 AM »

Lots of red tails and Cooper's here in SoCal. They constantly screech and I wonder how they don't expose themselves to their prey with their screeching. One did a dive bomb on the cat a couple months ago.

Griso8V · « **Reply #16 on:** March 09, 2021, 01:01:51 PM »

We have lots of Red Tails in the Bay Area. It is unbelievable how well they have adapted to the urban environment. We see them in the country, in the hills were we keep the horses but also in town they are very common. They will sit up on the lamp posts above the busy roads; I guess looking for vermin of various kinds.
My wife works in San Francisco, the the Red Tail Hawks are quite common in the City. They hang out in the big buildings and look down looking for the many rats on the streets. Amazing that in a big city with that many people there are still hawks and other critters around. There are coyotes in Golden Gate Park!
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