Local Raptors

Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

 Lately, everywhere I've gone hiking I've seen at least one raptor perched in a tree!  I photographed the Red-tailed Hawk pictured above about 10 days ago, after it had snowed about 3"!  It was scanning for prey along the river corridor in our neighborhood.  Luckily the sun came out and stayed out for days after that storm, and hunting improved for all the wildlife in the area.  I'm really hoping that that was the last snowstorm of the season.  Although the snow was quite beautiful, I'm ready for Spring!

Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

Just yesterday I spotted another Red-tailed Hawk perched above the open slope near our neighborhood!  Perhaps it's the same one I saw 10 days ago!  Red-tailed Hawks are classified as "buteos" which are medium to large, stout bodied hawks, with broad wings and fan shaped tails. Many species have a variety of color phases.  Red-tailed Hawks are large birds with a wingspan of 49", a length of 19", and a weight of 2.4lbs.  They are one of the most common buteos seen in North America.

Hirschman's Pond/Osprey - Pandion haliaetus

My husband and I decided to check out Hirschman's Pond last week.  We had never been there before, although we had often driven past its trailhead.  There are several miles of trails through the forest, and the pond itself is quite large. To our delight, as soon as we reached the pond, an Osprey landed in a tree on the edge of the pond and posed for us!  We didn't have time to explore all the trails, but we will definitely be back again soon.

Ospreys are the only bird in their classification of "osprey"! They are unique among raptors in their hunting method of diving feet-first into water to capture fish. They are usually successful in 1 out of every 4 dives. No other raptors use this method of hunting. They also have small barbs on the pads of their feet to help grab slippery fish. 99% of their diet is fish. They are large birds with a wingspan of 63", a length of 23", and a weight of 3.5lbs!!!

Daugherty Hill/Golden Eagle - Aquila chrysaetos

Last week my husband and I were hiking across a wet meadow, in the Daugherty Hill Wildlife Preserve, when a Golden Eagle took off from the ground on the far side of the meadow!  WOW!!!  It was HUGE and DARK with a few white markings on it's wing and tail!  It was way too fast for a decent photo, but we got a great sighting of it!  How exciting!  We have never seen one before!  They are BIG birds with a wingspan of 79", a length of 30", and a weight of 10 lbs!!!  We've seen Jackrabbits here before, and it turns out that they are one of its main prey!  Maybe it had been trying to catch one in the meadow!

Cornell states: "The Golden Eagle is one of the largest, fastest, nimblest raptors in North America. Lustrous gold feathers gleam on the back of its head and neck; a powerful beak and talons advertise its hunting prowess. You're most likely to see this eagle in western North America, soaring on steady wings or diving in pursuit of the jackrabbits and other small mammals that are its main prey."

We're going back again next week, and maybe we'll see the eagle again!  Fingers crossed!

Wood Duck Pond/Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus

I stopped by Wood Duck Pond this week to see if there were any Wood Ducks or other waterfowl.  The only birds I saw were two Canada Geese!  There weren't any Buffleheads, Wood Ducks, or Ring-necked Ducks!  I have no idea why.  However, a bird I couldn't see started making a loud unusual call.  Then a Red-shouldered Hawk landed and returned the call, and they flew off together!  Perhaps it was a mated or about-to-mate pair calling to each other!  That was cool!

South Yuba River State Park/Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

On another hike down at the South Yuba River State Park, I spotted this Red-tailed Hawk in a Gray Pine.  They hunt in meadows and fields for small mammals, snakes, lizards, and other birds. They use the perch-and-wait method of hunting. Once prey is sighted they will drop from their perch, flap-and-glide downward, thrust their legs forward when about 3m from prey, and grab prey with feet. Birdsna.org states, "During the ensuing struggle, mammalian prey frequently bite the toes and legs of hawks (especially juveniles); many Red-tails bear scars of these encounters."

Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter striatus

Backyard Sightings!

 

I haven't stopped feeding the neighborhood birds yet, but I will as soon as the weather warms up and the bugs are active.  In the meantime I continue to have surprise visitors in our backyard.  This week I was astounded to see a Sharp-shinned Hawk on the ground with a dead Robin in it's talons! 

Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter striatus

Sharp-shinned Hawks are classified as Accipiters which are characterized by long tails and short rounded wings, which have evolved for catching prey in forested areas where fast acceleration, the ability to make quick turns and to stop quickly is important.  How lucky I was to see this beautiful raptor!

Gray Fox - Striped Skunk

Urocyon cinereoargenteus - Mephitis mephitis

There are now three Gray Foxes eating the birdseed and two Striped Skunks!

Mountain Quail - Oreortyx pictus

The Mountain Quail eat the birdseed way after dusk, when all the other birds are gone!

American Dipper - Cinclus mexicanus

Dipper Update!

Every time I visited the Dipper nest this week I usually saw the Dippers along the shoreline. One day, one of them flew out of the nest when I showed up. If you look closely, you can see the inner cup woven out of dry brown grasses!!! 4-5 eggs will be laid in a week or two.  The female does all the incubation for 14-17 days. The male feeds the female while she is on the nest. She also feeds herself. I'll keep watching and post what I see until the young fledge!  How fun!

Saddleback 3/29/23

We received 1.42" of rain this week.  Which brings our Water Year total to 79.75".  It's raining right now, but Spring and warmer, drier weather is on the way!  Yay!

What new birds are going to arrive?

Have the willows blossomed?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

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