I was in Florida, and there he was, watching me, like a Hawk....

[Care4all]

 

[xotoxi]

That's hawk-tastic!

 

[Zoom-boing]

Great pics Care! I enjoy watching the red-tailed hawks around here. Every once in a blue moon they'll perch on the shed or tree in the yard. I'm always surprised at their size; I'm used to the blue birds and tree swallows!

 

[Toro]

I have a few hawks like that who land on our fence daily looking for mice, snakes and other critters for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Here in the People's Republic of NYC we rarely get to see beauty like those, but a few years back I had a red tail land by the back fence, and all the local birds made a quick retreat.
Great pics.

 

[Care4all]

Thanks everyone! It was an awesome site, I was so close to him, sitting in my parent's Florida Room....then I ran out front and approached him from there and he didn't even flinch, let me get maybe, 20 feet from him!

Here is some info on him...

Red Shouldered Hawk:


Red-shouldered hawks are monogamous and territorial. Courtship displays occur on the breeding grounds, and involve soaring together in broad circles while calling, or soaring and diving toward one another. Males may also perform the "sky-dance" by soaring high in the air, and then making a series of steep dives, each followed by a wide spiral and rapid ascent. These courtship flights usually occur in late morning and early afternoon. (Crocoll, 1994)

Mating systems:
monogamous .

Red-shouldered hawks breed once per year between April and July, with peak activity occurring between early April and mid June. They often use the same nest from year to year, refurbishing it each spring. Both the male and female build or refurbish the nest, which is large and deep, constructed from sticks, twigs, shredded bark, leaves and green sprigs.

The female lays 3 to 4 white eggs with brown or lavender blotches over the course of 2 to 3 days. Incubation begins when the first or second egg is laid, and lasts for 33 days. Hatching is asynchronous, with up to 7 days between the first and last chick. The nestlings are altricial, and are brooded nearly constantly by the female for at least a week. The male brings food to the nest for the female and nestlings during the nestling stage, which lasts approximately 6 weeks. Chicks begin to leave the nest at 6 weeks, but are fed by the parents for another 8 to 10 weeks. Chicks become independent of the parents at 17 to 19 weeks old. After becoming independent, they may still roost in or near the nest at night. Red-shouldered hawks begin breeding when they are 1 year old or older. (Callahan, 1974; Crocoll, 1994)

Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous .

Male and female red-shouldered hawks both protect the nest and incubate the eggs. The female broods the chicks during the nestling stage while the male does most of the hunting for the female and the chicks. Both parents feed the young during the nestling and fledgling stages. (Crocoll, 1994)

Parental investment:
altricial ; pre-fertilization (provisioning, protecting: female); pre-hatching/birth (protecting: male, female); pre-weaning/fledging (provisioning: male, female, protecting: male, female); pre-independence (provisioning: male, female); post-independence association with parents.

Lifespan/Longevity
Extreme lifespan (wild)
20 years (high)


Average lifespan (wild)
25.60 months


Average lifespan (captivity)
20 years
[External Source: AnAge]

Wild red-shouldered hawks live an average of 25.6 months. The oldest known red-shouldered hawk lived 19 years and 11 months. (Crocoll, 1994)

Behavior
Territory Size
1.92 km^2 (average)

Red-shouldered hawks are solitary and territorial. They do not form flocks, even in the winter.

Most populations of red-shouldered hawks do not migrate. They stay in the same area year-round. Red-shouldered hawks that breed in the northern parts of their range (the northeast United States and southern Canada) migrate to northern Mexico for winter. (Callahan, 1974; Christopher, 1990; Crocoll, 1994; Woodward, Howell, and Mayo, 1931)

Home Range
Male red-shouldered hawks tend to have larger home ranges than females. The home range of both sexes is usually larger during the non-breeding season than during the breeding season. Home ranges typically range from 1.0 to 3.4 square kilometers. (Crocoll, 1994)