Corralitas Drive: Young Hungry Hawk

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, July 1, 2017.  Corralitas Drive neighbors report hearing hawks calling for hours outside their homes.  This telephone pole near the top of Corralitas Drive is a regular perch for Red Tails in the neighborhood.  (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

Last Saturday and again today, starting at dawn and continuing for hours, a recently fledged Red Tail Hawk was calling to be fed.  This is a particularly large youngster.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, July 1, 2017.  Even young hawks are aware of  people watching them.
 
We suspect the Red Tails have a nest in a tall pine tree on Corralitas Drive.  About a month ago, one neighbor reported seeing a large adult Red Tail pluck a squirrel out of a palm tree, then fly less than 100' to another neighbor's pine tree, landing in an opening of the branches near the top of the tree.  It appeared to be doing something in the tree with the squirrel as if it were feeding chicks.  It was too far for photos with a cell phone.  We usually see Red Tails eat meals atop telephone poles around the neighborhood.

The neighbor with the pine tree reported hawks frequently circling and calling in and around the tree and house this year.  This is typical nesting behavior in our neighborhood (we've watched the Red Tails in the nest on the 2 Freeway for years).  Since they nest high in the trees, neighbors are not always aware of the nest.  We've seen Red Tail juveniles return to the nest in the evenings months after they've fledged.

2 Freeway: CalTrans Butchers Trees, Leaves Piles Of Trash

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, August 15, 2016.  CalTrans began cutting down Brazilian Pepper Trees on the northbound lanes of the 2 Freeway that were NOT burned by the Silver Lake Fire on June 19, 2016, yet left the load of trash on the slope.  For scale - that retaining wall along Allesandro Street is about 6 feet tall.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

It should come as no surprise that CalTrans removed the trees northeast of the Rosebud Overpass at Allesandro.  I had to call their government relations flak shortly after the fire to ensure he was aware the giant tree where the Red Tail Hawks nest (the first large tree on the left) was not even scorched in the fire.  At the time,  he was not sure if the tree was destined for removal.  Trees were evaluated by CalTrans tree experts and biologists. 

A month ago, the CalTrans rep told me they would be removing trees that were a danger to their roads and drivers.  They are not in the landscape business, it is not their job to make make it attractive for neighbors.  (Mitigations for living next to a freeway be damned.)  In the past few weeks, neighbors alerted the tree removal crews to the longstanding hawk nest as well.

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, August 15, 2016.  If you look closely in this section alone, there appear to be at least 3 clumps of Brazilian Pepper Trees removed.  As of today, the trash was still there.  We don't know what was under the sawdust.  

CalTrans will not be planting new trees. 

August 22, 2016, UPDATE: A neighbor forwarded a service request sent to CalTrans to pick up the trash on the 2 Freeway.  You can file service requests on CalTrans' website.

Red Car Canyon: Cooper's Hawk VS Owl 2015

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 16, 2015, 12:22 PM.  While walking through Red Car Canyon Monday,  I heard two unusual sounding birds calling in an alarmed manner, high in the pine trees.  It took me a while to find the first one.  It was a Cooper's Hawk.  Long horizontal striped tail feathers, with rounded ends were the giveaway.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 16, 2015.  I heard two Cooper's Hawks calling and directing anger at something between them, in the middle of a bunch of dense branches. However, I could only see one adult Cooper's Hawk.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 16, 2015.  The hawk had been hopping from branch to branch, flapping its wings in  threatening manner, making itself big, calling intermittently before settling on one branch in the shade of the tree trunk.  

Hiding in the shade of a tree trunk is a smart technique I've seen hawks use when hunting.  They are hard to see (and photograph) because their prey can't easily see the hawk as they're blinded by the sun behind the tree.  (I know I was blinded by the sun.  I just shoot on instinct in these situations.)

The hawk kept looking over her shoulder, in the direction of Lake View Ave.  Last week and just the day before, two different neighbors sent photos of a Cooper's Hawk on Lake View and behind Rose Scharlin Nursery School.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 16, 2015.  Finally, I found the target of the Cooper's Hawk's wrath, a Great Horned Owl.

Unfortunately, I could not get a clear shot of the owl.  Last week, the Lake View neighbor said he'd recently heard owls in the canyon on his walks.  He also thought the Cooper's Hawks had a nest nearby.

Great Horned Owls are the apex predators of the sky, so other birds tend to gang up on them.  This is not the first time we've seen a Cooper's Hawk take on a Great Horned Owl in Red Car Canyon.  The owl just ignored the hawk.  Great Horned Owls are known to sleep in the canyon in the daytime.  If you don't hear birds at all in the canyon - look up - there's usually a hawk or an owl hanging around.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 16, 2015.  After almost a half hour of observing the drama, which was already in progress when I arrived, the Cooper's Hawk called up to Lake View.  This is the last shot I got before she took off in that direction.  The dense trees, Cooper's Hawks preferred habitat, prevented me from seeing where she went.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 18, 2015.  I forgot to get a wide shot on the same day as the standoff since I'd been blinded by the sun.  So here are the trees the owl and hawk were in.  Arrows point to their approximate location - they are not in this photo.  It's the same clump of trees where we first documented a Great Horned Owl in the canyon.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology has great info, photos and audio:
Cooper's Hawks
Great Horned Owls

Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase: Red-Shouldered Hawk Expanding Territiory?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 8, 2015, 8:50 AM.  I'd never seen an adult Red-Shouldered Hawk this far south in the neighborhood:  on the Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase, between the Red Car Property and Lake View Ave.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Once again, songbirds alerted me to a nearby hawk.  They were giving a funky alarmed call that I did not recognize, as I walked up the public staircase from the Red Car Property.  (Perhaps they have different alarm calls for different hawks, it was not their Red Tailed Hawk alarm call.) 

So I stopped, searching through the trees, not immediately realizing the Red-Shouldered Hawk was directly above me.  Luckily, I caught a few frames before it flew south through some very dense trees in backyards on the Lake View Ave side of the Red Car Property.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 8, 2015.  The red arrow points to where the hawk was perched in the tree.  (Photo was taken after it took off.)  It was scanning the dense brush beneath the power lines for prey.  

When it took off, it was calling, as if it were searching for its fledged youngsters from this spring.  It continued calling when it landed in a palm tree further south on Lake View and again, as it flew even further south into the forested steep slope between Lake View and Silver Ridge.  There I lost sight of the forest dwelling bird.  We've seen similar calling from the Red Tail Hawk parents when they call to their youngsters, which they feed for up to a year.   

It shouldn't be too surprising to see Red-Shouldered Hawks this far south off the Red Car Property, since the north end of the Red Car Property is no longer densely forested because so many big Eucalyptus trees died and were removed in the past 2 years.  

The north end of the property near Adelbert seemed to be Red-Shouldered Hawk territory.  The slot between India and Roselin, as well as Red Car Canyon, Lake View and the top of Silver Ridge belonged to Cooper's Hawks.  While the south end and the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract was claimed by the big Red Tailed Hawks who nest on the 2 Freeway at Rosebud Ave.  

This year, there's not been a clear pattern of raptor sightings as in years past.  Between drought and habitat destruction of the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract, the balance of power in the raptor world may be all screwed up in our neighborhood. 

Learn more about Red-Shouldered Hawks: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

SR-2 Freeway: Active Raptor Nest At Rosebud Ave, Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract

*UPDATE at end of post

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 21, 2015, 5:34 PM.  Late yesterday, I witnessed a large Red Tailed Hawk appear to feed her chicks in the well-documented nest, high above Allesandro St and Rosebud Ave on the SR-2 Northbound Parkway.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Yesterday, CalTrans sent out a press release, they would be starting night work on the northbound sound walls between Oak Glen and Rosebud, Thursday, April 23, 2015.  CalTrans stays up to 1000' from raptor nests.  So we've sent this post to their public affairs manager for the SR-2 Terminus Project, Peter Jones, as well as State and local electeds.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 22, 2015, 1:40PM. This afternoon, I happened to look out the window and notice the adult Red Tail was feeding chicks again.  I shot photos for about 10 minutes.  

Ordinarily, I would wait to run better photos.  With construction starting tomorrow, it was better to run these today, Earth Day.  

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 22, 2015, 1:41 PM.  I've seen a couple of white blobs periodically while she's feeding them, but no definitive head count yet.  It usually takes a few days before we see them all.  Lighting and wind conditions have not been ideal for my sad little camera.

*UPDATE 6:15 PM: Peter Jones, CalTrans Public Affairs Manager for the SR-2 Terminus Project, called to say CalTrans would be complying with all State and Federal statutes with regard to migratory and nesting birds.  They are aware of this nesting site and have forwarded the information to the biologist assigned to the project.  The biologist will monitor and make recommendations.  

Read more about CalTrans policy on nesting birds: CalTrans District 7 Blog

2 Freeway: Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Hawk Nest Active Again

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, April 21, 2015, 4:24 PM.  We've seen this behavior before.  An adult Red Tailed Hawk was perched on the edge of the nest, making eye contact with something in the nest.  It appears babies have hatched.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

I'd noticed this adult Red Tail hanging standing on the nest at the corner of Allesandro St and Rosebud for the past week in the late afternoons.  I shot some photos too, but the photos need further review, as it appears the hawk is tearing up prey for it's babies. 

We'll be on watch to confirm chicks in the nest.  But we've documented this behavior before.  

CalTrans starts noisy work on the 2 Freeway sound walls tomorrow night.

Corralitas Drive: Ruthless Red Tails

Photo: Tracey Glynn, April 10, 2014.  Glynn caught sight of a Red Tail Hawk having breakfast right outside her window, so she ran for her camera.  Glynn reports one of the "BIG" Red Tailed Hawks was dining on a whole nest of baby birds while the parent birds dive bombed the hawk to no avail.  Great shot!

Other Red Tail NEWS: Eggs have hatched!  Gary's been watching the nest.  He sent an email today.  He's not been able to get a clear shot yet, but there's definitely at least one white fluffy head bopping strongly around the center of the nest,  "doing a lot of moving around and VERY difficult to focus on in that spot, will attempt to catch it on the other side of that branch later."  Considering how large the nest is, it's pretty amazing we get to see chicks when they're small and fluffy.  

See all the Red Tailed Hawk videos from 2012

Corralitas Drive: Hawkwatch

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, March 12, 2014.  Definitely a Red Tailed Hawk.  Vlahakis comments, "The chest and underwing is AMAZING on this one.  Plus amazing how efficiently the talons are stowed."  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

 

For the past few years, Vlahakis has had the best view of the nest at the corner of Rosebud & Allesandro.  He's gotten to know "our hawks" by sight.  The adults have been renovating the nest again.  While waiting for the chicks to arrive this year, he noticed the one in the photo above, wasn't right...

 

"Nest still empty but I spied this one sitting in same tree but on a branch 15' above the nest.  By the time I switched from binocs to camera it was off.  It is not one of ours from that nest.  Our female has dark chest and the male has the one or two EXTRA red feathers on his right side tail."

 

Through the years many have asked, "How did you ever find the nest?"

Related: Red Tailed Hawk learning how to hunt in my backyard
 

Red Car Property: Back To Our Red Tailed Hawk Coverage

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 11, 2013.  One of the 2 Red Tailed Hawk babies has been seen walking around on the ground, like one of the adults we wrote about recently.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

This one is the larger of the 2 chicks from this year's brood.  Before flying into the tree, it was rooting around the slope on the southernmost end of the Red Car Property.   Seen here, it was watching squirrels in the California Black Walnut Trees.   

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 11, 2013.  Since July 4, the 2 Red Tail Hawk babies have been calling constantly to be fed, spending a lot of time on Corralitas Drive, the southern end of the Red Car Property & near the nest on the 2 Freeway at Rosebud & Allesandro.  The usual hawk-watchers in the hood have not seen the adults much at all since the 4th.

Yesterday, this youngster landed in one of our rubber trees, eyeing up the dog's wading pool, while watching squirrels in the nearby Eucalyptus tree.  It took off before I could get a photo.

Several Red Tails have been seen in & around backyard fountains on both sides of Red Car Canyon (photo above) on Corralitas & Lake View.  Keep those cameras handy! 

Send us your Red Car Property neighborhood wildlife encounter photos (.jpgs only please) with a brief description of when, where, and what the animal was doing when you encountered it: redcarproperty@gmail.com

DO NOT attempt to feed, touch or pet wildlife. 

Corralitas Drive: Not Typical Red Tailed Hawk Hunting Technique

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 23, 2013.  Several neighbors & I have witnessed a Red Tailed Hawk walking around on the ground a lot lately.  This seems to be its hunting technique: rooting around the dry grass like a chicken.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

When I shot these photos, near the Corralitas Public Staircase, I was so far away, I thought it was one of the newly fledged hawks (just left the nest). 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 23, 2013.  However, upon editing, it looks more like an adult hawk, possibly one from last year's brood. (One hawk from last year's batch seemed quite content to hang out in the lower branches of trees.  It would fly down to the ground & walk around.)  

 

On this occasion, the hawk would call to be fed (which is why I thought it was one of the babies) then swoop down to the ground, walk around, looking around, then fly back up to the tree & repeat the whole sequence.  I've never seen this behavior in the wild. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 23, 2013.  I've spent 23 years watching hawks hunt in the neighborhood.  Most of the Red Tails will sight their prey from a high perch & swoop down, catching it by surprise.  If successful, the hawk might spend a few moments on the ground to get control of the prey, before retreating to a high perch to catch their breath before dining.  If unsuccessful, the hawk usually, immediately, takes right off again.  Spending time on the ground makes them vulnerable to predators, like coyotes.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 23, 2013.  This Red Tailed Hawk likes to spend a lot of time walking around on the ground, looking around as if it were stalking prey on the ground, mostly on the steep slopes.  (Perhaps its nearsighted.)  In reviewing multiple photos (not all published here), this hawk is definitely looking around confidently, as if it does this all the time.

Regular readers may remember, earlier this year we had a few posts about a Red Tailed Hawk walking around on the ground & flying through heavily branched trees, like native California Black Walnuts.  It may be the same hawk.  This hawk has been hanging around with this year's newly fledged Red Tails. 

In the past 2 weeks, several neighbors report seeing more than one hawk on the ground together.  The chicks are learning this hunting technique from the hawk.  I don't think this is one of the parent hawks as I've seen what appears to be 3 adult birds in addition to the 2 freshly fledged birds hanging around together early mornings on the Red Car Property.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 23, 2013.  It revealed its tail (not a fledgling - that's an adult tail - I believe) just before it took off toward the nest at Allesandro & Rosebud.  When I turned, I noticed one of the adult Red Tails was high above me in a nearby Eucalyptus keeping an eye on the proceedings.  There always seems to be an adult around the youngsters.  If this is one of last year's babies, it's good see the parents are still keeping an eye on their slow learner.  It's definitely not starving, despite its odd hunting technique.  Perhaps the parents are supplementing its diet. 

 

Just because a hawk is on the ground does not mean it is injured.  Stop & observe for a while. It may surprise you. If it is injured, contact a certified raptor rescuer, like the Ojai Raptor Center before you attempt a rescue.

Corralitas Drive: Skinny Baby Red Tailed Hawk

Photo: Eli Shamszadeh, June 21, 2013.  One of the recently fledged Red Tailed Hawk babies hung out in Shamszadeh's tree all afternoon.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

People often ask how to tell the difference between the youngsters (recently fledged, just learned to fly, not able to hunt on their own yet) Red Tails & the adults since their about the same size.  The photo above illustrates what I've been telling people about the youngsters' lack of muscle.  They haven't had developed any yet.  Plus their juvenile feathers are darker and they haven't developed a "red" tail yet.  Compare these photos to the adults.

Photo: Eli Shamszadeh, June 21, 2013.  It's a privilege to  witness these large birds of prey up close.  This one spent a good deal of time calling to be fed Friday afternoon.   

The 2 babies left the nest 2 weeks ago.  From time to time, we'll see one back in the nest, late in the day.  They've been hanging around the Eucalyptus Trees on the 2 Freeway side of Corralitas Drive, as well as atop telephone poles above the south end of the Red Car Property. 

If you hear hawks calling, take a look around, you might get lucky enough to see one being fed.

Special thanks to Eli Shamszadeh for sharing his awesome Red Tailed Hawk photos with us.

Red Car Canyon: Cooper's Hawk Takes On Great Horned Owl

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 22, 2013.  Got a call from a neighbor that a hawk was harassing a Great Horned Owl in Red Car Canyon; grabbed my camera & ran down the street.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)  

The neighbor had seen owls in the twilight & at night in the canyon, but not at 11 AM. The hawk had been screeching at & chasing the owl for about 5 minutes before I got there.   

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 22, 2013.  We surmised by the hawk's striped tail, small head & distinctive call, & the fact that it didn't hesitate to fly into the dense trees and bamboo, that it was a Cooper's Hawk.  The hawk was flapping its wings and making short threatening flights toward the owl, when they weren't in a stand-off, staring at each other.  In fact, I'd never seen a Cooper's Hawk so puffed up, making itself look like a much larger bird.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 22, 2013.  The owl mostly seemed annoyed by the hawk (note the small head & gray back - Cooper's Hawk).  The owl eventually flew into some very dense trees about 100' south in the canyon (near the sewer outlet).   The hawk continued its chase, into the dense trees.  We lost site of it, but continued to hear the hawk calling.  

The Canyon Neighbor sees Cooper's Hawks flying in & out of the trees in the canyon fairly often, including this dense thicket.  He said mockingbirds are usually harassing the Cooper's Hawks.  Cooper's Hawks are a forest dwelling hawk that prey on other birds.  They often stalk prey at neighbors' bird baths. 

Unlike Russell Bates, who lives a bit further up from the canyon, Canyon Neighbor has never seen birds take on owls.  It must be a territorial issue.  Clearly Red Car Canyon is daytime territory for the Cooper's Hawk.  It's likely she has a nest nearby.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 22, 2013.  Why are these photos so bad?  Shooting with a point & shoot into the dense trees in dappled light is asking a lot.  If you look really closely, you can see both birds in this wide shot.  You can also appreciate the flying skills of the hawk to be on the attack in such a dangerously branched tree.  Where the owl took refuge next, was so dark you could not even see into the blackness.  The hawk followed & continued its assault, though mostly from the edge of the daylight.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology has lots of info:
Great Horned Owls
Cooper's Hawks

Send us your Red Car Neighborhood wildlife encounter photos with a description of when, where & what the animals were doing at the time: redcarproperty@gmail.com.

Red Car Property: Precocious Juvenile Hawk

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 18, 2013.  I heard the juvenile Red Tailed Hawk calling incessantly & watched as it landed on the slope above the Red Car Property meadow, as if it were attempting to catch a gopher or rat.  (Clicking on these photos won't make them much better.) 

It stayed on the ground for quite some time calling.  The adults spend very little time on the ground (although last year's one chick that was not too bright, even in December and January it was still hunting on the ground).  Considering this one just left the nest last week, it seems to be progressing in its skills. 

I was able to get quite a few photos before it took off and tried to land on the telephone wire above the slope. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 18, 2013.  It seemed to want to walk the tightrope.  You rarely see adult Red Tails on the wires - they prefer the tops of telephone poles. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 18, 2013.  The whole time it was walking and flapping it was calling.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 18, 2013.  Whew.  It found its balance, but kept calling. 

How do I know it's a juvenile?  Beyond the aforementioned behavior, it's kind of scrawny, the chest and shoulder muscles have not filled out yet.  And in the photo above, you can see some of the downy chick fluffy feathers peeking out through the adult feathers on its abdomen.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 18, 2013.  An adult Red Tailed Hawk was constantly nearby keeping a close watch on the juvenile, especially when it flew to the ground and just hung out there on more than one occasion.  I also noticed a second adult Red Tail watching from another tree a 100 yards south of these 2 hawks.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I ran into a neighbor's young son, walking his dog on the Red Car Property, who told me he & a friend were able to walk within a few feet of 2 hawks that were on the ground, on the Red Car Property, just the other day.  He said he did not try to touch them.  (I praised him for that.) 

If you find a hawk on the ground, it may not be injured.  The youngsters don't make the best decisions.  It is best to give them space and observe.  If they are truly having trouble flying it will become obvious.  Look around, are they in immediate danger from a predator or traffic?   

We have rescued hawks on a number of occasions, but only after it was clear they needed human intervention.  It is recommended to call a trained raptor rescuer for guidance before you even consider rescuing a possibly injured hawk. 

The City's Department of Animal Services has a list of wildlife rescue organizations on their website.  We've sent injured Red Tails to the Ojai Raptor Center.   

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Red Tail Hawk Babies Confirmed

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, May 3, 2013.  The first photo confirms there are at least 2, maybe 3 white fluffy heads in the Red Tailed Hawk nest, high above the corner of Allesandro & Rosebud, on the northbound 2 Freeway parkway. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, May 3, 2013.  There might even be 4 chicks in the nest.  This is the same nest we've documented for the past few years.  We have some very prolific Red Tailed Hawks.  No wonder the squirrels in my yard have been so quiet for the past week.

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, May 3, 2013.  By afternoon, the light shifted, and Gary caught a shot with an adult in the nest with at least 2 chicks.   We'll be on Hawkwatch for a few months. 

Click here for all of last year's Red Tailed Hawk nest videos. 

Get a better look inside a Red Tailed Hawk nest: Cornell University LIVE Red Tailed Hawk Nest Cam

Corralitas Drive: Red Tailed Hawk Learning How To Hunt In My Backyard

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 5, 2013.  When I heard two Red Tailed Hawks calling excitedly, right outside my backdoor, I grabbed my camera & ran outside.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

 

A young hawk was circling and calling just before landing in the palm tree (above & to the right in the first two photos). While it was circling, I could see it was very thin.  I am not sure if it was the same hawk we rescued last week, but it did have a few broken feathers in its wings.  The adult was busy making a kill in the large palm tree (left side of photo).

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 5, 2013.  You can tell the hawk on the right is a young hawk, by the mottled white feathers on its back.  The adult (left) has more solid brown feathers on its back and wings than the juvenile. The adult held that position for several minutes while the youngster anxiously waited, inching closer.

 

For the past week, the adults have been working on their nest at the corner of Allesandro & Rosebud, preparing for mating season.  They are also still feeding last year's brood.  Four chicks fledged, we have no idea how many made it since the female altered their traditional behavior patterns last summer, due to the extreme noise of the grading equipment on the adjacent Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 5, 2013.  What rodent did the adult have in its talons? 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 5, 2013.  Yes!  A nice, big, fruit-stealing squirrel.  As the adult took off from the palm tree, the juvenile hawk called insistently.  The hand off of the squirrel happened in midair, obscured by trees, so I missed the shot.  The hawk landed on first one, then a second telephone pole to eat dinner.  (That's the Rosebud  Ave overcrossing of the 2 Freeway in the background.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 5, 2013.  As the young Red Tail eagerly tore into the squirrel, I could see just how thin the bird was.  From the time I heard the first calls to the time the hawk finished its meal, about 10 minutes passed.

 

We've recently reported how inexperienced hawks have not been making the best choices in hunting techniques.  At least the parents are still keeping a eye on lasts year's kids.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 5, 2013.  A day earlier, a neighbor stopped her car below the same palm tree when she saw a hawk struggling with a squirrel, "that was very much still alive," while the hawk was sitting on the street guardrail.  Her young children were delighted to see the hawk take off and fly just a few feet over their car. 

 

Two squirrels in two days; no wonder the squirrels in my yard have gotten really quiet.

 

Red Car Property: Red Tailed Hawk Failed Hunting Forays* Updated

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 22, 11:13 AM.  I think this was a young Red Tail we encountered on the Red Car Property, just south of the Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)  The photos below are in sequence, shot today.

Photo: Diane Edwardson.  I saw what I first thought was an escaped chicken on the slope below Lake View.  I had enough time to fish my camera out out of my pocket and grab a shot.  Meanwhile, a car heading to an event at Rose Scharlin, stopped for quite some time to look at the bird too.  It finally took flight, flashing its red tail, to the nearest California Black Walnut Tree. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson.  It was definitely not a chicken, but a very large Red Tailed Hawk.  By now, a second car had pulled up and was watching the bird in the tree.  I had time to shoot quite a few photos.  I was concerned the bird was injured, because you usually don't see adult Red Tails spend more than a few seconds on the ground.  This one had been there for minutes, taking off empty handed.

Photo: Diane Edwardson.  You also don't usually see the Red Tails hanging out in the Black Walnut Trees. I'm willing to speculate the branches are to dense.  These are big birds who tend to make steep dives with the sun at their backs when hunting.  This is NOT typical neighborhood Red Tail behavior that I've witnessed before.

Photo: Diane Edwardson. Suddenly, something caught its eye in the succulents on the steep slope behind the Black Walnut tree.  It clumsily flew through the branches and flapped about grabbing onto the succulents for several seconds, just hanging there.  Then it clumsily took off, flapping low over my head. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson. The hawk disappeared through the dense trees of this Riverside Place backyard.  Again, not typical for the Red Tails to fly through the dense trees.  That's Cooper's Hawk and Red Shouldered Hawk behavior.  Red Tails are soaring birds who need more room for their large wings. 

 

Since I was not completely convinced the hawk wasn't injured, I went down the Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase to Riverside Place where I saw the hawk flying low over Riverside Terrace.  It appeared to be flying more normally.  I think it was just a young and inexperienced hunter.  Red Tails can hang out with their parents for a good year learning how to hunt.  It's only been 6 months since they left the nest. 

 

It was a pretty cool wildlife encounter though.

 

*December 24, 2012: The neighbor at the last house on Corralitas, before the Red Car Property, just told me of a similar recent encounter with what is likely the same hawk.  His young children alerted him that a hawk was walking around on the ground on the Red Car Property. 

 

The neighbor thought the hawk might be injured so he had his kids get into his truck to watch while he investigated.  The hawk wasn't even phased by the neighbor walking up nearby.  It seemed to have a rat or other prey it was eating on the ground.  It eventually took off and flew really low over the neighbor's truck, into the very dense Brazilian Pepper Trees on the 2 Freeway next to Corralitas.  His kids said it had something with a long tail in its talons as it flew over the truck. 

 

The neighbor said it was the same thing I did, that it was so weird because the Red Tails usually only spend a few seconds on the ground and hang out near the tops of trees and telephone poles.  This one has not been following typical Red Tail behavior patterns.  This young Red Tail needs some parental guidance for sure.