Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 28, 2013. Shortly after we rescued the young Red Tailed Hawk from our backyard last month, I noticed I was often followed by a scrawny, young Red Tailed Hawk whenever I walked the neighborhood. (Click on photos to enlarge.)
In the mornings, the same hawk often slowly circles my backyard while the dogs play. How do I know it's the same hawk? It was missing some feathers in its left wing since the day we rescued it. they've taken a while to grow back. In the photo below, it looks as if there's a hole in the left wing, and it's really skinny. On the day I shot these photos, the hawk had been really obvious about following my dog & me on a walk on the Red Car Property, circling and swooping down low past my head when least expected.
While I was shooting photos of a Monarch Butterfly above the historic viaduct footings, I kept hearing the hawk calling quite insistently from about 100 feet behind me. I also heard the sound of crows on the attack.
Photo: Diane Edwardson, February, 28, 2013. All manner of birds are known to harass young Red Tailed Hawks. At least 2 crows made it very clear this hawk was not welcome in crow territory. They dive bombed the hawk, poking it with their beaks, yelling at it non-stop in their crow language.
More tomorrow.
