Red-shouldered hawks have been raising families around here for the past 20 years or more, but until recently, they have preferred the tops of slash pines, which tower 60 to 80 feet above the ground. After the hawks' favorite trees were taken out by hurricanes and lightning, however, they chose, this year, to build their nest in the top of a nearly 100 year old live oak in my back yard.
The nest, which was built in early to mid February, is constructed of twigs, leaves, spanish moss, and pieces of bromeliads. It probably measures close to 3 feet in diameter and seems to have a fairly deep center.
The female laid her eggs sometime around late February to early March. She sat the nest continually, leaving only on the occasion of a meal being delivered to a nearby branch by her mate.
We knew that eggs had hatched around the end of March or the beginning of April, when the hawks began to harass the family dog every time she was in the yard, swooping down repeatedly across her back whenever she turned away from them. (You can see the hawk preparing to land in the tree to the left and above Joey's head, after completing a swooping pass over her back from behind.)
DKH
The Hawks have returned!
