Sunday afternoon as I was in the back yard, I heard a “not quite right” Red Shouldered Hawk call nearby along two Robins making danger/anger calls. Carefully walking towards the sounds, I saw a Red Shouldered Hawk sitting on the ground moving only it’s head but standing nicely upright. I went in and got my wife and my camera (guess the order…) and we returned. Suprisingly, the hawk hadn’t moved. I started taking some pictures from about 30 feet away while the hawk just looked around, mostly not at me! Two Bluejays had come in and were “yelling” and flying in to attempt to peck the hawk. My wife went back inside and called a predator rescue outfit. Meanwhile, the hawk was looking somewhat more alert and did some “flap/jumping” to get into a fallen tree 3-4 feet off the ground. I moved in closer and it still spent more time looking around and dodging the jays than looking at me, which was a sign that I wasn’t especially scaring it (!!!). The rescue person told us to catch it and bring it in for a check-up, which we did. Being late, we stopped for fast food on the way home. Upon arrival home, the bird rescue people were waiting for us. The hawk checked out just fine. It was a young female, probably just fledged that had gotten very wet in a mid-afternoon shower. Since it’s condition was good, the best approach was to return it to near where we found it (further off the ground for safety) and hope that the parents would return, feed it, and encourage it to get higher in the trees. That seemed to work as the next morning I was able to find it, now 30 - 40 feet off the ground and ~100 yards from where we left it. Here’s a head shot and a full body look at the hawk.
Head shot, (7D2, 100-400 @ 400, 1/50 s, f/10, iso 800, tripod)
Very cool images, Mark. Fledglings and other young animals can be a problem for rescue efforts. It’s very difficult to tell if they’re just too precocious or if something is really wrong. A nice ending to the tale.
Outstanding captures (photo, I mean) of this young hawk. The downside of having wildlife around is the occasional accident that befalls them, but it sounds like this one turned out alright. Nice story.
Great story and photos. I’d go for the camera first, too! Terrific close up and full body shot. She does look a bit crabbed up about being wet, but hopefully she makes her way in the world thanks to your help.
Amazing happenings right in your own backyard, Mark. Thanks for sharing this story with us. You’ve gotten great detail and lighting in both the images.
@peter the safest way to catch a bird is to put it in the dark and then handle it. For this hawk, I threw a light bath towel over its head, then gently folded the wings and put it in a big cardboard box, with lots of air holes in the sides.
You are to be commended for your efforts in saving this young hawk. Excellent color and detail in the first image. I do see a slight greenish cast on the lower plumage but that is an easy fix. A superb story to accompanying the photos.
