red-shoulder hawk

Here is my little friend who frequently visits my backyard. Swoops in and out and never gets anything that I see. One day he was close. Chased a fledgling around the oak tree while it screamed for its mother. Round and round the tree they went. Little fledgling gave the hawk quite a run for his money but then I took over. Big guy wasn't expecting me. All I had to do was walk toward the tree and the hawk flew away. I can't watch that stuff in my yard when I'm trying to relax in my lounger, and he knows that! This hawk will have to take it to someone else's yard. I just love this big guy though. Isn't he just a beauty?

red shoulder hawk

stalking something from the roof.

red-shoulder hawk

This Red-Shoulder Hawk is a frequent visitor. He is sitting on the neighbors roof looking down in the grass probably for snakes. I don't know why he is standing like a flamingo with one leg tucked up. To date, I have never seen him get anything.

The species type has been verified by whatbird.com as a red-shoulder hawk.

Input regarding the folded leg was this, "could it be that he/she was trying to reduce the surface area of body touching the roof if the roof was especially hot or cold to avoid losing/gaining too much body heat?"

Here is what Cornell's All About Birds Site has to say about the one leg

54. Why is it standing on one leg?

It is perfectly normal for a hawk to stand on one leg while resting or roosting. They will sometimes alternate standing legs. They may do this as a heat-saving measure, keeping the raised leg warm against their stomachs, or as a way to reduce fatigue in the raised leg. Birds may also shift legs just to be more comfortable; in the same way a human will re-adjust their position!

source:  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=2607#2

Oh Hi There Cooper's Hawk!

I see you, and could care less. Not too scared of me, rather irritated or curious I am sure. I can't help but see him swoop in being he's a big blob that flashes out of the corner of my eye. I always get up and go out to ask him what he might be up to. Big fella for sure. Likes to perch on my 6 foot vinyl fence, and stalk the bird feeders. I've never seen him get anything. Wasn't sure what type of hawk so inquired at Whatbird.com and many people said looks like young Cooper's. Young determined from it's plumage, and long graduate tail tip

Red Shoulder Hawk Stalks

This beautiful flawless Hawk (Red Shoulder) has been swooping through our backyard the last few weeks stalking our feeders. Feeders are easy to target if they have no cover. He dive bombed the oak tree a few weeks ago and scared a baby girl cardinal into a crying fit. She must have been flying around inside the tree like her parents taught her (this is a lesson they do where they chase each other inside the tree around in circles) because I saw the tree shaking. I ran out like a freak screaming and he flew out all pissed off. Luckily she escaped unharmed. I know this big boy needs to eat too but it'll have to be somewhere else because I'm on it. No luck here again this early evening. Here he is sitting on the top of our roof after a failed attempt, mad as a hornet but still handsome and cute at the same time. Hard to tell scale but he is enormous.

sharp-shinned hawk

Late morning there was a hawk on my neighbors rooftop, looking over my domain. Not good news for small birds. We are currently only able to locate 2 of the 3 baby cardinals, so I am wondering where that one is, and I see a hawk. I went outside to get a shot of it, and I hoped I would scare him/her away while doing it, and I did. I read their primary diet is small song birds and they stalk bird feeders. Great... I would hate to have to watch that. I can't even stand it when I have seen them carry a lizard or snake away. And at our last home they use to get me going with the ducklings.  I would go out with my pots and pans and bang them together to get rid of the hawk but it wasn't easy to do, I'd have to really run with pots and bang away like a freak. I really don't want to start that up here in my new neighborhood. Too many people working from home nowadays that may not get it, ya know what I mean?