The Red-tailed Hawklet is all grown up and flying to visit the neighbours!

The little hawklet (correct term for a baby hawk is Eyas) has fully fledged the nest and has ventured around the neighbourhood. Yesterday, he stopped and visited an old friend Kerry Finley. Kerry was one of the first people who observed the bird when he was one of 2 tiny Hawks in the Bald Eagle nest.  One of the hawklets died either from starvation or by the Bald Eagles. Kerry calls the hawk a "strangeling" and the hawk is tough, surviving unlike his genetic sibling. He is holding his own against his 3 twelve pound Bald Eagle siblings. He only weighs about 2 pounds himself. The Bald Eagle parents are still feeding this hawk and usually Red-tailed Hawks are fed for 4 months, after fledging the nest. We will see how long the Bald Eagles continue to feed him and how long his siblings tolerate him. So far, they are giving him the best love and care possible.
This story has been fascinating to follow. A real miracle to see this Red-tailed Hawk surviving against such odds and showing us again how much we still have yet to learn from nature. There are two theories to how the two hawks got in the nest. One is that a Red-tailed Hawk laid two eggs in the nest and either the parent was killed by the Eagles or abandoned them. The other is that the young were carried to the nest as prey. No one will ever know the answer for sure but if they were carried in the nest, I believe the eagle's talons would have killed the hawks. Plus it is also odd for a Red-tailed Hawk to lay eggs in an established eagle nest, as at the time of supposed laying, the eaglets were already present in the nest. The nest also has been an established eagle nest for many years.

From dawn to dusk, from Texas, Oregon, Washington State, Ontario etc. they come to see the most famous Red-tailed Hawk.

Ahh the wonders of nature!


The most famous Red-tailed Hawk in Shoal Harbour  - Photos: Kerry Finley 

Comments

  1. LonelytravellerJuly 10, 2017 at 3:00 PM

    I love this story about the hawk, can't wait to see what happens

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melissa HaftingJuly 11, 2017 at 1:29 PM

      Glad you are enjoying it! It is captivating me :)

      Delete

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