Thursday, 13 August 2020

[Maine-birds] Red Tail Expertise Needed

Dear All

We're living temporarily in Standish and take the dog for walks several times a day along the Saco Road end of River Road.

For a number of weeks, we've been happy to watch a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk (see below) who is incredibly tame and will quite happily watch us taking photos and other stuff while he's perched a few feet above us. I assume it's a juvey since I've watched him or her hunt unsuccessfully more than a few times, and look pitifully puzzled when there is no prey between its claws.

A week ago, early one morning, we saw our hawk high in a tree incessantly calling - a raspy high pitched wheeeer. It was still there doing the same thing hours later. I was more than a little concerned with the activity going on for so long, but the bird was nowhere to be seen or heard later in the afternoon.

Yesterday, we happened on our friend again, said hello, took a few pictures and walked on. Then we heard the same calling again and my wife suggested I go back and make a video so that we could post it here. Well, as I walked towards our friend, I quickly noticed that she/he wasn't the one calling. There was another red-tail high in the same tree we'd seen it a week before!

Have we been witnessing what's expected behavior in a hawk parent/child relationship?

I doubt these guys pair up in their first year, so I don't think this is a mating relationship, but I could be wrong.

Can anyone elaborate?

—mco

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