Mom finally identified the hawk that has been hanging around. She had help from Kate St. John. You should check out her blog about birds and those Falcon's down at the Cathedral of Learning where Mom works. Wow!
Anyway - back to our bird of prey. That's a scary thought... but fortunately, I'm too big for him or her to be interested in me! On Monday, January 20th, the whole family was off! Mom and I were in the living room when we heard Dad come up the driveway. Mom went to stand up and noticed a huge bird circling outside and then land in the trees. She ran to get the camera and out the door. Finally - the shot she was waiting for:
It's a red shouldered hawk. According to Cornell University:
"Whether wheeling over a swamp forest or whistling plaintively from a riverine park, a Red-shouldered Hawk is typically a sign of tall woods and water. It’s one of our most distinctively marked common hawks, with barred reddish-peachy underparts and a strongly banded tail. In flight, translucent crescents near the wingtips help to identify the species at a distance. These forest hawks hunt prey ranging from mice to frogs and snakes."
Interestingly, the map shows that they normally summer here in PA. Funny he or she stuck around. There hasn't been a week that we haven't seen him or her fly over!
Check out the description of it from the Audubon:
"16-24" (41-61 cm). W. 3'4" (1 m). A large, long-winged hawk with white barring on dark wings, rusty shoulders, pale underparts barred with rust, and narrowly banded tail. In flight shows translucent area near tip of wing, visible from below. Young birds streaked below; best distinguished from young Red-tailed Hawks by somewhat smaller size, narrower tail, longer, narrower wings, and absence of white chest. Voice: Shrill scream, kee-yeeear, with a downward inflection."
So exciting to have our own bird of prey around... Especially to get rid of those snakes! Grandma would be happy!
