Red-tailed Hawk

Here's a Red-tailed Hawk I met a couple months ago at Duke Farms. In other views the tail looked brown and the eyes yellow, suggesting that this is a somewhat young Red-tailed Hawk. I doubt that a Red-tailed Hawk that hatched this year would have been hunting on its own in mid-May, so I suspect this hawk was born in 2020. If that's true, it might have a handsome orange tail by late fall as it molts.

Could this be the same Red-tailed Hawk that I photographed near the Orchid Range in mid-June? It's possible, though it's worth remembering that the Red-tailed Hawk is one of the most common raptors in the state.

This fella wasn't staring straight at me, but definitely in my general area. I'm not sure what it saw, but it's possible my presence inadvertently saved the life of some small critter.

May 18, 2021 at Duke Farms
Photo 132040010, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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